An Overview of Ballet Training Practicalities

Ballerinas and danseurs have a reputation for being elegant and glamorous, graceful albeit powerful. Well, people cannot be blamed for such a common perception for indeed all these characteristics most ballerinas and danseurs possess in varying degrees.

It may look easy to the casual observer but ballet dancing grace doesn’t come easy. It comes from hours and hours of weekly practice year after year to achieve the level that the top “prima” ballet dancers show.

Cost - Financial and Otherwise

At first, a young 5 year old may need to pay for a class every Saturday morning. She’ll need the appropriate training clothing, and probably either a home-made costume, or ballet tutu for the end of term recital. Costs here are normal extra-curricular level and are usually absorbed within a family’s budget. This changes as the child becomes more involved with the ballet world, and if they last until turning professional, their training could run into hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Incidental expenses are anything over and above the actual tuition. This could be for specific ballet clothing; some ballet schools may have specific “uniform” dress codes that must be adhered to, any living and/or travel expenses and school supplies if the ballet school also offers an academic line.

There are ballet scholarships available for those ballet dancers who are serious about their dance and hope to pursue this as a profession. Unfortunately these are limited in number and so the standard required to receive one is high.

And then there’s the physical and emotional toll that ballet exacts from its dancers! The long hours for rehearsals during the day and performances at night in various venues make for a less-than-glamorous life away from family and friends, which also makes for a less-than-normal life. Such are the sacrifices ballerinas and danseurs must offer at the altar of ballet perfection.

Personal Care

Sure, the ballerinas and danseurs you see on stage look so graceful, so ethereal and so light on their feet. What you don’t see is the extreme care ballet dancers have to exercise to take care of their bodies and their minds.

You have strict rules to follow for this purpose: You must avoid alcohol and drugs. You must have sufficient sleep and eat properly to sustain your strength during long performances. You must perform daily warm-up exercises before rehearsals. You must consult your doctor for even the most minor of injuries to your legs and feet.

A positive attitude is a must to help with the mental stresses. Training has to be focused and not half-hearted because if you don’t show you’re dancing at your best, you’ll find yourself replaced by someone who is. By the time they are professionals however, this is all second nature to ballet dancers who have no intention of letting someone else steal the place they’ve worked so hard to achieve.

Compensation for the Hard Work

Ballet dancing isn’t about the money. From the moment a young child feels the approval of the audience, and hears the applause, they know that there is more to life than financial gain. They will put up with the long hours of training for little more than their next time in spotlight followed by a round of applause.

Financial rewards for ballet dancers aren’t great. Unless you have some form of national or international following you are only as good as the show you are currently performing in, and how long that show runs can vary from weeks (or even days) to months. Even a prima ballerina isn’t likely to be compensated financially for anywhere near the amount of hours she spends training and dancing in order to achieve her high level of ability.

Then again, when you are doing something you love and getting paid for it, who needs a boring 8-to-5 job?

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