Did you take ballet?

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My mother wouldn't put me in ballet or horseback riding lessons or brownies/girl scouts. I got swimming lessons so I wouldn't drown in the neighbor's pool and I was in 4H for a very short-lived time (maybe three meetings). I was 9 and she wouldn't let me do any of the workbook tasks that were marked for my age group, like making a grilled cheese sandwich. My parents are wealthy and I had computers, game systems and televisions in my room... so I have no idea why I wasn't allowed to do these other things. It definitely wasn't a money issue. Poor little rich girl, right?

My daughter has taken dance classes (including ballet), martial art classes, and she's always in soccer. My sons have had dance classes, musical instrument instruction, scouts, and sports, too. They want it, I try to make the money available to get it for them. We're definitely not wealthy LOL but it's worth the investment. It builds skills. Even if they try something for a month and decide they don't like it, they've had the experience to make that decision for themselves. My husband doesn't like when they decide they don't like something, but there are things they have stuck with that they do enjoy very much. Life at their age is about finding what's YOU and becoming really good at that while having a great time.

I did ballet for a few years, then did tap for a few more. The teacher didn't want to waste her time on people who weren't dedicated and didn't take modern, jazz, character etc on top. Plus I was super clumsy, the other girls were all friends and I was just...there, in the changing room where they'd eye me and giggle, sometimes I didn't understand what the teacher meant. Think I got up to Grade 2/3 standard, I didn't take the exam. I'd asked the teacher if I could stay behind in the baby class (I went because of the lovely music they played- I found it again recently as sheet music, it was great), and she said Absolutely Not and then something else happened in the Christmas show her school put on, can't remember. Quite liked it, especially the smell of the building and the music, but didn't feel really free dancing around. I liked doing stuff at the barre though

I did take ballet for 8 years, but I got very annoyed with the stereotype that went along with it. (I don't know if that's everywhere, but it's definitely in this town.) There was this stereotype that every girl in ballet had to pretty and popular, and stuff like that. I got sick of being excluded, so I quit.

I was in ballet for that long because I didn't start getting excluded until I was older.

No, and wasn't interested either; but I really, really, really did wan't to learn to 'tap-dance' but was never given the opportunity; looks like so much fun!
Probably a good thing really as I tried an aerobics class once when I was in Uni and couldn't figure out how to copy the instructor. I think I spoiled the whole session for her and the others because she would stop the class, come up to me, chide me about how I was doing it wrong and show me one to one while everyone else was watching! Precious student money down the drain and confidence punched right down to the gutter!
I now know the joy of cycling and running and I don't need to copy anyone for that.
I'll occasionally do what is more commonly known as 'dancing' which, in my version of the dictionary/thesaurus you would find under 'jumping'!

No, I was too uncoordinated and fat to participate. 75 lb ugly 1st graders weren't wanted, apparently. Can't imagine why.

As to Pluto ... My Very Eager Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. I heard this saying about 50 times in elementary school. Now they've switched nine pizzas to nachos. I hate nachos! So Pluto stays a planet in my mind just because of that.

I took ballet and tap when I was 5 or 6. Very young. I liked the dancing, but hated the other girls, so I asked my mom if I could stop.

I then took gymnastics but I couldn't handle the uneven bars, even though I was very good at every thing else, much better than dance, but the instructor wouldn't let me not do the uneven bars in his class, and I got so anxious about it, I quit that too. I could have made a pretty good gymnastic, sadly, if I had been allowed to approach the uneven bars when I was ready for them. I had the right build and musculature for it, even if I wasn't the most naturally flexible girl around. As I later proved with equestrian sports, I have a body when I was younger that could take a beating!

No, while all the other girls my age did ballet, I played rugby

I did ballet when I was 4 and thought it was okay. I was more interested in soccer though.

I answered the question "No" because I didn't even see the question about Pluto until after I had clicked , and thought I was answering if I took ballet. Ballet was one of my early obsessions. I learned to read around age 3 or 4 because I had two books "Black Beauty"about horses ( my other obsession) and ""To Dance, To Dream" which was a kids book about famous ballerinas and I wanted to be one. So I taught myself to read. Ballet- all that twirling and prancing about on tippytoe seemed to be what I liked to do anyway! Then when I was 5, my mom took me to a ballet school for little girls to start lessons. I was mortified and couldn't even watch because all the other girls had on pretty tights and little ballerina shoes and some even had the frilly skirts, but I was there in shorts and socks anmdno special ballerina slippers and felt so out of place I just hid behind my mom. She complained she had wasted her time and money and I wouldn't even take the first step, so she never took me again. I remain very interested in ballet and it is one of the few things that can get me out to a public theatre to watch.

I also took gymnastics a few years later because my mom saw I was so clumsy and thought it would improve me. I did enjoy it and was oblivious to the fact that I was probably the worst in the class. I got kicked out eventually because I loved the trampoline so much I wouldn't do anything else and got caught too many times bouncing when there was no spotter and we were supposed to be doing other things. I hated tumbling- and the bars when you had to go upside down. Too dizzy-making.

I took lessons between about 8 and maybe 12 or so. Loved it. Then I took some in college to satisfy a PE requirement, and was painfully aware at how unusually awkward and uncoordinated I was. Dropped the class in embarrassment. Moves that came naturally to everyone else just baffled me. It was horrible.

For a very short time.

I took it when I was really young and quit because some girl there kept teasing me big time, she was awful. I am quite sure it was because I wasn't very good at it, though to be honest I can't remember. Still, I was glad to get out of there.

Yes, I was going to be a professional ballet dancer but ruptured both my Achilles tendons at 19. My ballet teacher didn't want me to go to college but my mother insisted.

I had teachers who were terrifying, but if you wanted to be a really good dancer you did what they said. It was part of the package.

[quote="beccah"]Yes,for about 10 years except I could never understand the technique and how to apply it and always got it wrong because it looks different from MY perspective and how I think,they could never explain it the way I can think.a huge contradiction.I cant calm myself down enough to enjoy it but I can never explain or realize I have anxiety issues because of how I perceive/explain things and I always assumed it went along with AS issues and I never had anxiety when I took psych exams or went to a doctor because I block it out and they don't let you explain it that way so Ive never gotten help for it and I always thought it was being overwhelmed . >:l -facepalm-.It's actually always helped my coordination and other things and gives me something I'm good at so I don't feel like crap but I have ever been able to express myself correctly because I don't know how to and I can never explain it right to get help.I love it though.[/quote]

I'm going to start taking lessons again or at least going to open classes when I get a job {b/c of money >.< }.I think I'm going to do better at it than before,excited to get back on pointe {had been for about 3 yrs.} that or I'm going to try rythmnic gymnastics so my turnout and placement,etc is better.I think that if I just do what the teacher says instead of trying to cope others by how it looks I'll do great,I'm not a lost cause technique wise :P

Yeaup from 3 to 15 I did.

I was going to do it professionally and had been accepted by 2 really good ballet schools to continue to the professional level except then guardians made me move here and I didn't have the money to continue, nor were full scholarships available here for my age level.

So sadly that was the end of that. I wouldn't mind going back to it for fun but these days I mainly dance other styles.

I took ballet for one school year when I was 7 but I didn't want to do it again because I was big for my age and I was much larger than all the other girls in the class and I couldn't stand wearing tights because they crept around on my body and when I wore them to school the crotch crept down around my knees under my skirt and I couldn't pull them up in front of everybody and I couldn't stand to comb my hair so I couldn't put it in a ponytail (it was too short for a bun) and I hated changing clothes in front of other girls because I was so large. But I still remember nearly everything I learned in that class.