3.1. When should I start taking ballet?
Description
This article is from the Ballet and Modern Dance FAQ, by Tom Parsons twp@panix.com with numerous contributions by others.
3.1. When should I start taking ballet?
The answer to that depends on how old you are. Children must wait
until their bones are strong enough to stand the strain that dancing will
put on them. Opinions differ as to exactly when that happens, and it
depends a great deal on the individual, but it seems to be somewhere
between ages six and nine. Younger children will often profit from special
dance classes, in which the emphasis is on rhythm, spatial sense, musical
sense, and placement.
If you are older than that, the answer is, right away. The sooner
you start, the better. If you start in your teens, you may be able to
dance professionally, or you may not. Igor Youskevitch didn't start until
he was 22, and he became a star; but he was Igor Youskevitch. By that age,
most people can look forward to ballet only as a recreation. (But it is a
*wonderful* recreation!)
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