I was as a tween, until the year of ballet from a school in Bossier City and the two years of classes I took at the famous ballet school in Shreveport, Louisiana (the one that puts on the Nutcracker each year with 3 performances and 3 different Clara's, or as many Clara's as they have rich students) turned ballet into such a hellish torment that I gave it up and gradually got over my interest in it. Let me tell you, there is no better way to kill the enjoyment of a thing than to make it not just a chore, but a burden, even a torture. When my oldest daughter was 3, I took her to a little community college ballet class. $15 shouldn't have bought anything very serious, especially for 3-year-olds. Well, that wicked witch in charge threw her out. She had all the girls sit around her to tell them something, and my kid flopped on her stomach instead of sitting. The teacher made me take her out, in front of all the parents, and said she couldn't take the class. At a community college!
How do you keep enjoying it when so many dance schools and teachers are so mean? I don't think I've been to a dance school where they weren't thoroughly blood-thirsty. I take it back... I gave it one more try as an adult, this time at another community college, where the teacher was a very laid-back person and where they had to be nice to you because they need the students. And even she assigned us an essay on a dance performance, but refused to allow performances of the Nutcracker. Now, I can see why she might not think much of it as art, but it was just a lousy essay for an evening class of people who clearly weren't loaded with money, and Nutcrackers were plentiful.
Well, I'll stop interrupting the conversation. I just remember how much I hated to quit ballet, but I had decided that the constant teasing and discrimination weren't worth it anymore. When the owner of the place informed me that I was already too tall to get anywhere after I asked her whether I could be one of the Claras the next year (the steps were DEAD easy, no toe shoes even) I knew I would never get anywhere and stopped lessons. As I saw it, I was already being teased non-stop at school, so why go to ballet to get the same?
Have you run into that a lot, and are you going ahead in spite of it? If so, you have my admiration, for what it's worth.
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"Pack up my head, I'm goin' to Paris!" - P.W.
The world loves diversity... as long as it's pretty, makes them look smart and doesn't put them out in any way.
There's the road, and the road less traveled, and then there's MY road.