UNPOPULAR BALLET OPINIONS 

chilanya agreed!! And how they say ballet contemporary and lyrical dance is for girls and basically scare the poor boys

Personally, where I dance, the dress code for everyone is black leotards.

Bold of you to assume pink is a girl’s color

@@JH-ln9lc its more of a feminine color, blue is more masculine. again.. its just a color.

YEESS and we HAVE to stop shaming boys who do dance (especially ballet)

Yes! And not just more adult classes, but adult classes for people who want to dance well AND for those who want to have fun.

I agree entirely. Adult classes are difficult to find, although I have found adult classes hidden under the title, Adult Movement. Whatever they call it, I've always believed ballet to be the absolute best total body workout, yet it is mostly non- to low-impact (few to no jumps), so not so hard on knees and spine. Most instructors for these classes will keep them non-impact, specifically for the older adults. But what a way to get and keep fit!

and more performance opportunities! Adult dancers are artists too!

I'm an adult ballet dancer in a Vaganova curriculum. I turned 37 this year. Should've been 4 years now but you know. 😂 I've been to 3 recitals as well. So awesome! Not in pointes yet but I can.😊

Yea they should because I’ve been helping my mom with ballet and she would be in beginner and there are some more advanced adults in it

Juliano Muertas as long as they have a skirt I’m chill but honestly,,, yeah 100%. Nothing wrong with it, just.... yeah

True, but people wear it for comfort during rehearsal

yeah, when did that become a thing? I just noticed professionals doing this like a week ago and i was like where have i been?!? that said, as someone who has worn a leotard and tights, i get it

Noooo this is my favorite thing 🥺🥺💔

OOF. I feel attacked. 😅 Jk, totally understand it. Ahaha

That is so interesting thank you for sharing

Agreed, I was taking lyrical classes way before dance moms existed. Not only that, it was a popular category in dance competitions.

I was gonna say, I first saw lyrical during the first ever season of So You Think You Can Dance! That was back in 2005

I think it is so important for older dancers and even fans of dance to share history, it just isn't being taught anymore. The way we accessed dance information before the net was through books, almanacs and magazines, now it is dance moms and SYTYCD, which while they have their place, present no depth of education to our kids and students. History is so important!

Yeah I was taking lyrical classes also 25+ years ago and it was not a new category even at the time.

Daff Duck I started pointe at 9 and I suffered 3 ankles stress fractures because i was not ready. I think all girls should see a specialist and then get an OK. sometimes the teacher doesn’t know everything.

My teachers at my dance studios have made wonderful pointes that your feet are not fully developed at that age and your ankles are probably (emphasize on probably) not strong enough and our ballet teacher won’t even consider putting anyone on pointe until they are at least 12

It IS ok if they get the CORRECT pair with PROPER training and the experience.

It’s me Amanda but if they’re too young their feet aren’t fully developed and it’s going to physically alter their feet so much they won’t be able to continue when they’re much older and they will end up with problems in their feet that will cause them great pain

Abby Wessa Not really. Only if they don’t get proper pointe shoes or not very good training that will happen.

Amen to that

Excellent comment!

Leslie Kimura thank you!!

Like community theatre, but ballet!

The Blacktress Diaries yes something like that!!

Juliet the dancer I totally agree with all of these

Yup, 100% right

This is a really interesting list. But even though I'm not a dancer myself, the point that stood out to me the most was #2, regarding tricks etc. I'm not sure if you've ever seen this article that goes into some depth about it www.dancemagazine.com/instagram-dance-2585216791.html?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1 I was expecting that to be brought up in the video. Otherwise, basically I agree. Because believe it or not, even in (artistic) gymnastics (where I _come_ from) we had (until 2017 where there has been improvement) been slowly watching the death of artistry at the hands of the excessive use of difficulty flips and tricks (which I do like if done correctly) even though there is supposed to be a balance. So it's a widespread epidemic! Even in Rhythmic they have this problem; in Figure Skating they just had introduce what is known as the 'Zagitova rule' to combat this. But I do think it is more a phase than an _evolution._

i totally agree.

with the tricks thing.. i think that applies more towards competition and commercial dance rather than concert

catherine leung hahaha I think this was filmed right after I did the lyrical vid and my legs were giving out 😂😂😂😂

@@ClaudiaDeanWorld i can imagine ahahaha 🤪

catherine leung I know she’s so cute! 🥰

This is me, tho. 😅

Lol

Joselin Martinez yes! And the area she was touching in the video is not where the VMO sits

Dance physio here. This is exactly correct. I was sitting here going... But they're the same thing. She completely missed the psoas muscle which is the main hip flexor.

Joselin Martinez I agree, thought all my physio training was for naught! Vastus lateralis oblique is part of your quads. Greys Anatomy concurs.

@@anitaz4961 Thank you for clarifying!! As a dancer and educator and NERD I love to learn all the proper anatomy

Ugh the psoas. And all the other ones referenced. Mine is so fucked. I need someone to help me make them less tense. Quitting dance (thiugh I am ballroom) worst decision everrrrr

She Elf Johnson Oh yes, there’s one school in our area that forces 180 turnout and so many of their young dancers have had knee and hip replacements. It’s a great school if you have the turnout, but very dangerous for the kids who don’t.

@@christinamellott6813 Oh, that's so sad! I was really lucky with the teachers I had - they may not have liked my degree of turnout but they never really pushed it.

My teachers scold us if we over turn-out and definitely push that turn-out is from your hips and knees and NEVER your ankles/feet (love them for it)

@@sarahbalding3874 I love to hear that 🙄

@@sheelfjohnson look I was just trying to share my positive experience at my dance studio bc I have knee issue that were worsened deeply by my previous one. If it came off braggy, I am sorry.

My friend used to wear footed tights, and would have to go change after ballet technique so she could put on her toe pads for pointe.

True

Especially in the summer when you have to change to wear flip flops

i agree 😂😂

I agree

Natalia RC there’s a boy at my ballet studio in my pointe class🙂

Agreed! This is honestly one thing that bothers me about ballet. Maybe ballet wouldn't be considered as "boring", "outdated" and prissy if we left the extreme gender roles behind and let two women or two men pas de deux, men dance en point and women do jumps. But it's always boys do this and dance like this, girls do this and dance like this.

Australia (Queensland Ballet) just debuted a male pas de deux between two best friends in their new work The Happy Prince.

I agree that girls should do the boy jumps but boys on point "eek" no way

Kitty Cat I didn’t say boys on point (which I thing it’s pretty dope though) but do the pointe exercise with the girls and not just stare in the back.

YES. And celebrating him as a person or treating all his opinions as infallible has contributed to toxic attitudes (about body image in particular) in the dance world, not just harming the dancers he worked with personally .

You are correct. In today's world, he would never get away doing the things he did back then. He was very pervy. And some of his ballets are horrible. I don't like his esthetic at all. The broken wrists and crab hands are cringy. And I absolutely despise "Rubies"!

EXACTLY. He's the reason for the stereotype that dancers should be super thin

I hate Balanchine hands🤮

Cups are good for the planet but can still cause toxic shock

Hannah E. K. They shouldn‘t when cleaned properly

@@AudreeAdam toxic shock is bacteria. Not because of the blood

Cups do not cause toxic shock syndrome. Tampons that are dry is incredibly harmful to your walls and painful.

@@dorothysabo3016 cups can actually cause toxic shock, it's just alot harder because they're no where for bacteria to sit since the silicone isn't porous

Did you mean to write "shouldn't" at number 3? Otherwise I have a few questions for you mister

Omg tights over leotard is just 🤮

Number 2. OMG yes. That shit hurts so much! As a kid, it was the worst part of class for me.

@@Laura-gg9tp yes omg

I am 24, and I've recently started ballet, and my studio has a class for beginners of all ages, like the youngest student is 10, and the eldest is 26. And I think this is an awesome idea, and I've also had the opportunity to perform a classical piece, which was an incredible experience

I started at 32 ( going 35 now) and I love it!! I've had also the opportunity to perform various classical pieces wearing pointe shoes and I tell you, it is a magical experience. Ballet is sooo beautiful. It requires a ton of practice and discipline. I don't see ballerinas as delicate princesses because I understand the effort one has to make, the strength one has to have and the pain one has to go through to make such delicate and graceful movements. Keep practicing and dancing! Cheers!

Can't speak for ballet but there are a lot of adult classes in other styles, at least near me. I dance ballroom with mostly people older than me (I'm 29) and my tap class is from about 20 to 60 year old. Lots of people in their 20s to 40s taking adult hip hop as well and my mother belly dances at 56. While there do seem to be adult beginner classes for ballet, really advancing usually means eventually being in a class full of teenage girls. Funny how, if you're 12, studios will force you to take ballet before you are allowed to take anything else but at 22, you struggle to find ballet classes if you WANT to take it.

I think the thing with ice skating from what I’ve seen is that it is way easier to get used to being on ice when your younger than older. I started doing ice skating at around september time, I’ve moved up to level 5 where as a woman who started around the same time as me is still on the first level along with some other adults that have started ice skating. They are still learning to ice skate I’m just saying that it seems to be harder to learn for them than someone younger where they can get used to it easier

Also I know I’m 4 month late but still 😂

Mallory Jaylon I am also a physical therapist. I would like to point out that evidence shows that the VMO can not be isolated from the quad in reference to knee extension as both have the same nerve innervation. I think Claudia is trying to point out that it is important to maintain hip external rotation (turnout) as the hip elevates past 90 degrees and therefore it feels like you should lead with medial part of the knee, but is getting confused when she is using muscle terminology to discuss this concept.

@@alyshamonduori1422 How are you both physical therapist and not know that Vastus Medialis Obliquus is one of the quadriceps muscles ? She's obviously pointing to Sartorius muscle, which is the main muscle for doing an abduction with external rotation. Vmo is used for knee extension. If you are both Physical Therapists I highly encourage both to read Sally Fitt's book "Dance Kinesiology". So much knowledge not spread.

That was my first thought too when she said it.

people with naturally long necks can pull them off

I look so bad in high buns cuz my hairline is too far back😳

She looks gorgeous even with a potato on her head!

Marianela would look good in a hot dog suit

Yes it is !

And in contemporary techniques

But whats wrong with it though ?

They really are

definitely

Makeup & Menopause When I saw the pictures it looks like gymnastics hands, but a with the middle finger pressed down more, I am a gymnast and I think that gymnastics hands don’t look that great, I do them and it looks better than nothing.

And the too thin dancers... not a fan either.

I thought I was the only one!

@@sottosopravoce Nope!

The funny thing about that it's that, at least in my studio, wroken wrist and crab hands was considerer a begginer mistake. Like, when you are starting ballet for the very first time and you feel stiff as a stick. I was suprised when I learned that even existed something like "Balanchine technique". I like the energy it have tho...

I have a thing about my height I'm a shortie

tani t They were all the rage when I was training and also dancing professionally. And tall dancers are beautiful. But being a tall ballerina sucked. Partnering was extra complicated, my extra weight broke my pointe shoes down faster, and there was more pressure to be underweight than there was for short dancers. I always envied the petite girls.

Chase Kimball but why would you be envious of us petite girls?? Besides the weight difference for pointe shoes, why? I feel that the weight standards are higher for shorter people because we “look bulkier”, although yes you want to be lifted easier but that’s not reality for a tall person, cuz they just naturally weigh more (typically). You guys have such lonnggg beautiful legs and look thinner because of “your length”. I have long legs for my height but still, my “legs aren’t as nice as a tall dancer’s. ” I’ve just turned 16 and I’m 5’1... supposed to be 5’6 but I got my period at 11, when I was 4’9-4’10?? (6 months before I turned 12) so idkk what will happen in regards to my height. Anyways, aren’t most men in ballet like minimum 5’10?? Pointe adds height but I feel like partnering would be easier because most men aren’t short in ballet. Although, there are many amazing “shorter men” as well. Plus short people aren’t looked at as much and we “look more awkward”... but we’re beautiful dancers as well and height doesn’t determine talent. Just trying to start a conversation to learn more, no hate 😊

Madison Steele It would be ideal if most men in ballet were at least 5’10, but in my experience, they aren’t and there are few who are taller. And even if all men in ballet were that tall, I’m 5’9 on flat so there’s really not much difference. Every male friend I had told me that finger turns, overhead lifts, and any kind of extended arm position was much easier with dancers who were no taller than 5’5. With regards to weight and aesthetics standards being different for tall dancers, I definitely think there is more pressure for tall dancers to be skinny. I really only have my own experience to base my opinion though, just keep that in mine. For my entire career, I and girls in my height range were bullied into keeping a lower body fat percentage than girls in the shorter range. I also think that being taller looks slimmer is a myth. Scientifically speaking, your weight increases exponentially with height, especially on bodies with high muscle mass ratios. And if your partner struggles to lift you, you’re going to look heavy. Plus, petite dancers have a way of looking small and delicate, which is an advantage to looking light and slim. I think you definitely made some good points though, and this is a good conversation to have.

@@missanthropy6174 true but I would love to have longer legs. I'm 5 2 skinny but I think tall dancers do show a beautiful leg line 😥

Catriona McIntyre LOVE YOU 😍

feverspell Yes, when is the wedding!?

we're all just gonna show up and dance for it xD

Break a leg! Let us know how the audition goes!

Good luck!

Goodluck

Unicorn Glitter chookas!!

thank u all for wishing me good luck.. the audition was great and i gonna be one of the white swans.. :D

Maggie R and dudes use third right?

Lolly LuLa omg YOURE so cute ❤️❤️❤️❤️

I always call them "Hamburger Hands"

The sad thing is ballet doesn’t even have to try to be white washed. Certainly as a dark dancer you can hear a lot of negative things about your skin tone and aesthetics, but it’s so expensive that the larger socioeconomic issues keep many POC, in the US at least, from dancing. It’s the same for figure skating and gymnastics. Most kids who get to dance like that are from at least solid middle class families.

If Balanchine hands are to be criticized, use a correct picture! These are not balanchine hands depicted. Balanchine hands are rounded in round positions, generally speaking and long in long positions. The depiction used is incorrect. Any exaggeration is wrong.

i think ballet is white washed because it originated in europe, so european/white girls are the main people who do ballet. i don’t think ballet discriminates against different skin tones but it is just natural for white girls to do ballet because of its origin. hehe i don’t rly know, i’m an asian ballerina

@@kayleychan5695 That might tie into it, but there's more to it. Part of it is that ballet is very expensive, and white people tend to have much more money than Black people. Another part is that it just has a racist history. George Balanchine said that Black dancers break up "the line" and shouldn't be in the swan corps. Black dancers are systemically oppressed. Some are told to lighten their skin tone with makeup, or to use products to change their hair. Some are purposefully left out of roles that their white colleagues are given. I'm pretty sure there's also a hiring gap, with more white people getting hired than Black. Finally, look up "ballerina" or "ballet" on the web. Practically all of the pictures are of white people. Another issue is pointe shoes and tights. Until recently, it's been very hard for dancers with darker skin tones to get pointe shoes and tights that match. Luckily several mainstream brands are now working to change that, but it's still a current issue.

...and as Claudia has pointed out in the past, they burn out and are susceptible to injury.

Yeah, the first thing I thought when Claudia said wearing a tampon without having your period was the increased risk of toxic shock syndrome. 😮

Those are prone to leakage though. The opposite of what you want when wearing white...UNPOPULAR OPINION: freebleed. Down with the menstrual taboo! The menstrual taboo KILLS!

@@Constantin9va They shouldn't be leaking. They come in so many different shapes and sizes nowadays that people are bound to find one that works for them. They also handle clots so much better.

Yes!!!

@@Constantin9va It's not about being a taboo - the blood will get everywhere, so it would be unhygienic and uncomfortable to freebleed, especially if you have a very heavy flow

Pity people keep doing contemporary dance in Lyrical and vice versa .They're different.

Yes. Lyrical had been around for a long time when I was in college 20 years ago. lol

Thanks for this, I’m 12 and my studio hasn’t put anyone en pointe in my ballet class yet and I was wondering why we were so behind. We are all really developed dancers and are even on high istd grades but I guess the studio owner just did it to keep us safe :)

I thought the same thing but I remember Carrie Ann Inaba on DWTS saying even she was confused on what is classified as “contemporary” and “lyrical” (and I would add “modern”) in the current dance world.

Lyrical is derived from jazz dance. Contemporary is derived from modern dance. There’s more to it then that, but that’s the basics.

all mentioned exept modern and ballet are post contemporarydance styles 😉 moderndance, ballet and influences from early tribe dances + music culture = jazzdance-> modern jazz, streetjazz, afrojazz, jazzfusion, stepdance, lindy hop, latinjazz, lyrical dance, showdance, breakdance and other popculture influenced styles.. etc. Just mentioned few and not in a specific order.

brilliant.

I agree with the first part, the second part however? I’m sure most boys do ballet because they want to dance, not because they want to be surrounded by girls

Well, yeah, of course they want to dance, but I'm just saying

Stella Gray have you seen Tom Holland video dancing? He said what he likes most in ballet is girls

@@rosygarcia4609 yeah but he isn't a professionally trained ballet dancer in a company, he's an actor and he said that once in an interview

I thought I was the only one!

www.theland.com.au/story/6651777/nationals-mp-attempts-to-block-water-petition/?fbclid=IwAR24aW83DAh72Czq7--K8J4iuC7zHZHuf9jDWmsnAoE8HM5qL5k1NwKOtQ4

The way I was taught it is considered a mistake, it kills the line for sure!

omg i love how it looks i feel like the angle helps elongate as well as complete the line

Oh my god yes I feel like winging is a crime

Do you mean Nunez?

@@jewels6184 of course 😀

Emerald She-Ra just for the performance, not all day.

It’s just for a show

The risk are very low especially if you're only wearing them for a show

I could not agree more. Young girls are watching this and they don't understand the risks.

Totally agree!! Not safe You can put a moon cup in with no flow though

Jordan Sparks in Quebec (province of Canada where Montreal is), we say lyrical.

We are known to be different than the rest of Canada though.

@@AudreeAdam yeah some people still use it where I am from, but most call it Contemporary, but it's still the main term in Montreal?

리사kok LOVE you so much 😍😍😍😍

Unfortunately it's not what is happening in the real world.

Rebekah Ann ahhh me too! If my leotards are cut too high it will ride up EVERYWHERE and then reveal more than I’m comfortable revealing.

Yes I totally agree lol... high cut on me just looks and feels yuk lol lumps in all the wrong places for sure in my case though

i only like high cut because my legs aren’t that long

totally agree! i wear the bloch euro strechs and i love them!!!

Yes but canvas doesn't last as long. I do like them though

Split sole pointe shoes are not strong enough for most dancers though

@@shireenharoun4423 i think there are some leather split soles out now.

@@pheart2381 yes I plan to look into them. Bloch does them apparently

What bugs me is when every movement is totally maxed out and exaggerated, regardless of the music or character.

Oooo that's nice have fun!