A couple of things happened to me recently that have made me realize how, at times, it can be difficult being an adult dancer. I’m not meaning professional dancers here, Ed covered some of those difficulties in his awesome guest post, I’m talking about us ‘recreational’ dancers.
The first thing happened when I was talking to the lovely lady who looks after the reception at the dance school I go to. This week was the last class before Christmas (*sadness*) and she was asking if I’d enjoyed the classes this term. Needless to say, I didn’t need to feign my enthusiasm for the class or teacher. She then told me how usually they don’t take people at such a high level (the intermediate class is the second highest one at the school) hinting, I think, as well that they don’t normally take adults either. But she added how glad they were they had “taken a chance” on me and how they loved having me at the school.
I was touched by these kind words but they also reminded me how lucky I was to have the opportunity. Finding a class can be the first stumbling block for adults wanting to take ballet, whether for the first time or as experienced dancers. Often there isn’t a local adult class, or at least one at an appropriate level. It may be that the only option is to join a ‘kids’ class, which can be seriously daunting. I was really nervous for my first class here and being surrounded by teenagers who are better than you does nothing for your ego!
The second stumbling block, and I feel this particularly applies to guys, is dance wear. First off, guys have to struggle with the idea of tights and a dance belt – who particularly wants to shove a thong up their butt?! As if that wasn’t enough, a guy might head to a dance store and be faced by this:
A terrifyingly pink shop window!
This is a dance store, which shall remain nameless, in London I walked past today and even as a guy who has been dancing for 18 months (and so used to a certain degree of ‘pinkness’) this terrified me. I did go into the store (finding not much in terms of guys stuff) but if I was new to ballet I think I would have run a mile!
The lack of choice of clothing for men is a big bone of contention for me. It seems whenever you go to a store to buy some ballet stuff for guys you’ve got a choice of white or black. And that’s it. You get a whole range of leotards, tights, leg-warmers and dance-bags for women in a choice of colours and styles. Why not a similar choice for the guys? Sure, the demand is probably a little less, but would it really take too much trouble to have grey tights or blue t-shirts?!
It’s not just the dance stores either; I picked up Dance Magazine a couple of times while in the States and both times there was a ‘fashion section’ – one time it was even specifically targeted at adult dancers. Great! Yet in the 10 or so outfits shown, not a single one was for a guy! Would it really have been so hard to pair some bike shorts and a cool v-neck tee for us guys?!
That’s not to say it’s all doom and gloom! There are some great things going on helping promote dance for adults. For example studios like Pineapple Dance Studios have loads and loads of adult classes on offer. For you readers in the US, think of Steps or Broadway Dance Center in New York. In fact, when I took class at Pineapple last week there was a reader of my blog, Toby, who was taking his first ever class there! Woo!
As for clothing – there are some options out there, mainly online. For example, BalletBoyz has this really cool tee that I’m planning on getting when I see them here in Bath next month. In the US there is the absolutely amazing BoysDanceToo. Seriously, these guys are AMAZING! They need to open a UK site and really soon. They have an extensive range of cool dancewear for guys, it really is perfect. And if they could open a physical store then all my problems would be solved! In fact, I wore one of their tees to class last night!
My design for a DaveTriesBallet Tee - any thoughts?
(Speaking of T-shirts, have you checked out my design I posted on my Facebook Page? I’d love to hear your thoughts on it. If all goes well I will start making them in the New Year – and there’ll even be a competition to win one!)
Then there’s the great image that dance is getting through social media and other outlets. It’s letting people see dancers as normal people (even post-Black Swan!). One of my primary aims when setting up this blog was to prove anyone can take a ballet class – I don’t know how successful I’ve been but there are definitely a range of sites out there that do exactly that (check out my blog roll for starters!). Then there are some awesome things appearing from ballet companies and individuals showing ballet as an athletic artform requiring strength, speed and agility.
I can’t think of a more perfect example than this video (which I’ve posted here before) by Royal Ballet’s first soloist Bennet Gartside: “The Royal Ballet. Not What You Think”
So if you’re someone thinking of starting dance or ballet then my message is this: don’t be discouraged if you can’t find a class immediately or if you find yourself surrounded by pink fluffiness! Persevere, I promise you that it’ll be worth it!
If you’re a dance store or website then I guess I want to urge you to think about us guys! Next time you’re putting stuff in your window stick a male mannequin in there. When you’re deciding your floor layout try not to ‘hide’ away the guys stuff in a corner or downstairs. And maybe think of expanding your menswear range – even just stocking plain coloured tees would be a start!
Finally, if you’re an adult dancer then keep up the good work! Every one of us is promoting dance as an awesome way to get fit and have fun at the same time.
I’d love to hear what you all think about this – are my comments fair or do you have a different view? As always, please share in the comments!
Until next time, keep dancing!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
I know the challenges all too well. I’m fortunate I take classes at a pre-pro school that is adult friendly. I don’t know if I’d be taking classes right now if it weren’t.
When I first started, there were adult classes, but it changed directors, and those classes are now called open classes. At night, the open classes are almost all adults. That’s not the case with the morning classes, where homeschooled company members outnumber the adults. I take class in the morning.
I was reluctant to take classes with kids at first. But I’ve been in performances with just about all of them, so that helps.
When the classes first became mixed, and when I started performing with the company, I remember getting strange looks from parents who evidently were unaware that people older than 18 can continue dancing even if you’re not a professional.
And as a male, I almost always dread heading into a dance clothing store, even if they do stock men’s dancewear. It’s still almost exclusively female territory even though the store I go to most is just a few buildings down from our school.
One of the biggest challenges I have now is coming up with a definable dance goal. I’m not in it just for glorified exercise like some of the ladies who were in the first classes that I took. But I know that I’m too old (and not talented enough) to aspire to be a professional dancer like my younger classmates.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Scott! It’s great to hear you’re taking class at such a friendly school.
As for a definable dance goal – I know how you feel. To start, I found classes alone enough. But recently I’ve found I’ve been setting myself goals: moves I want to be able to do or things I want to improve on. What’s really helped for me is joining an exam-based class, even though I don’t know when (or even if) I’ll be taking the RAD intermediate exam it helps that I’m working on a set syllabus.
Keep up the good work with your dancing!
David
Dave,
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on the hurdles many men face starting ballet. Fortunately, I live in Houston and there are lots of places that adults can take class. The Houston Ballet has a great selection of classes as well as some other smaller companies like Hope Stone and Houston Met and more. As for dance wear, I agree there isn’t much to pick from in stores, but there are one or two places online that offer some fantastic options for men. I think that a lot of men don’t want to wear anything too flashy, but these new online stores that you’ve mentioned have some wearable and subtle mens tights and tops. I also wanted to suggest an AMAZING dance wear store here in the US that is mostly for men and has the best selection, lots of options and great quality and great prices. I am a happy customer myself and highly recommend you check out:
http://www.sautdebasque.com/SautDeBasque/Solid_Line.html
http://www.sautdebasque.com/SautDeBasque/Dancewear.html
This other store is pretty biketard-centric, but has some cool styles:
http://www.elevedancewear.com/categories/Men/Biketards/
Keep dancing!
Jeff
Hey Jeff,
Thanks for sharing! It’s great you can find loads of classes – being in a big city definitely helps! Also, I hadn’t heard of SautdeBasque or Eleve – they look great websites! Thanks for sharing
Dave
It’s funny you should mention the pinkness of the shop being offputting! Years ago, I was at Danceworks about to try one of their ballet classes. There was such a profusion of pinkness on the stairs up to the classroom that I made a sharp right for the exit and never returned.
That was the last time I tried a ballet class, too, for many years!
Dave,
As long as the primary demographic for dancewear stores is 10-year-old girls and their mothers, all the pink and frou-frou is not likely to go away.
What we need is for more boys to be encouraged to try ballet, treating it like any other sport, and for more fearless, self-confident men like yourself to lead the way.
Most studios would LOVE to have enough demand for boys-only classes, and many offer scholarships for any boy who walks in and who can stand on one leg without falling over – but getting them in the door in the first place is the challenge.
I feel that it has to start with the DADS: they need to take their sons to the theatre; they need to sit and watch the televised ‘Nutcracker’ specials; they need to point out the photos and videos of Baryshnikov, Vasiliev, Corella, Gomes, Acosta, et al.
Beyond dads, there are other draws: ‘Billy Elliot’ was a big boost for boys dancing. SYTYCD has enticed many non-dancers into studios for the first time. Progressive schools with a rich arts agenda are critical (though many are bleeding from funding cuts right now).
As a teacher, I push ballet as a valuable form of cross-training for athletes in their off-season. This allows teachers to tailor a program exclusively for boys (or girls) in a specific sport, and the boys who’ve never had ballet before feel more comfortable when they take a boys-only class with their teammates. The majority are reluctant participants – they do it because their coach requires it – but occasionally you will find a boy who is coordinated and musical and who decides that ballet is actually more fun, and more of a challenge, than the sport he was in (I call this a “subversive” method of building a student base.) Some of them also twig to the fact that ballet puts them in close proximity to attractive girls – which turns out to be quite a draw for many of the male dancers I’ve known.
For me, teaching adult dancers is a special joy, and I am grateful and blessed to have a handful of dedicated men in my classes in San Francisco. If you are ever in town, check out my schedule on http://ballettothepeople.com/ – we’d love to have you!
You have shared perfect tips. Your post is worth helpful for those who want to be a great and successful dancer. Thanks for sharing.
Dave,
I honor your courage to be both a male and an adult ballet dancer. It is awesome! I love your humble humor, insights, and the fact that you are willing to share your journey. We adult dancers have to stick together. I can’t wait to read more about your adventures. I’d like to suggest that ballroom is an excellent venue for adult dancers. I, too, have struggled finding a jazz or ballet class that will challenge me but that takes into account my physical shape at this time as an adult. I have found some that work, but ballroom has now become my first passion, though a recent return to ballet felt like slipping under warm flannel sheets in winter….I just love dancing, however it looks, and I love that you are dancing too! Keep up the great work. -Stefanie, dancingwithstefanie.com
Hi Dave,
I started ballet at 18 and after persevering with grade 3-5 grades with much younger girls, I got onto a Dance degree course and am helping teach ballet to little ones. I am quite proud of how far I’ve come since those first classes – I’m 22 now and danicng at grade 6 (getting distinctions in all the exams up to this!) and Intermediate level RAD. I’ve also tried nearly every other typed of dance since then! And I attend classes and course in London regularly. However, ballet has been constant and I still love it the most; watching it, talking about it, doing it, teaching it, talking about it…talking about it……..oh, and photographing it (my other job). I think lots of adults should be encouraged to take up dance / ballet because it’s not too late! I think more guys need to try it, follow your example!
Kat
hI dAVE — nICE BLOG. gOOD FOR YO0U, AND THANKS FOR STICKING UP FOR HTE ADULT NON-PROFESSIONAL DANCER. i’VE BEEN DONG THIS HALF MY LIFE NOW — STARTED AT 30 AND i’M STILL DANCING AT 60, SO THE DOWNSIDE OF THAT IS OBVIOUS, BUT HTE UPSIDES ARE MANY; i’M STILL IMPROVING, i’VE BEEN TAKING CLASSES WITH TEENAGERS LONG ENOUGH TO GET TO LIKE THEM AS PEOPLE AND GO TO THEIR SHOWS AND FOLLOW HTEM AS THEY GO OUT INTO HTE WORLD AND BECOME FAMOUS DANCERS OR COLLEGE KIDS WHO START … OOPS caps lock, sorry about that — who start ballet clubs at college or small dance theaters in their DUMBO-ish neighborhoods. Yeah they can do things, and htey hardly need to warm up, but they’re actually lovely people, I’ve found, and so many are SO shy you have to pity them.
ANyway, re clothing — in California it’s probably easier to dance likea modern dancer and have the teacher not feel insulted; but I find that I can wear tights, that let hte teacher see what my muscles are doing, and inexpensive t-shirts I bought at shrrift stores for 25 cents apiece. I look for tight T-shirts — the sort of thing a teen-aged girl has discarded, but with reasonable sleeves. There are penty of htem, and –well at least on me, they look great. Also, it’s cool for a guy to wear cut-off tights. Nijinsky wore short tights — i.e., they come about 3 inches at most down the thigh. TIghts wear out athte knees and feet and the waist stretches out — but with a new elastic, or sewn-on suspenders, short tights go on forever. Also, I like the black cotton/lycra “Baryshnikov” tights and cut htem off, and have found that thrift stores have them — women get rid of them; if htey fit in hte hips the waist will be wrong, but just pull them up to your ribs and use the elastic to help your rib placement, and put another elastic around yur waist and you’re good to go. The only thing you need to spend money on is good shoes, a good dance-belt, and good classes.
sorry for all those typos; I wish your site had an edit feature, but it’s too late to fix it. Merde! for your dancing!