geschrieben von balletboy  am 25.02. um 16:36:42

At 20, I'm not sure if you want to pursue dance as a career....that course would have some different advice.  However, at 20, if you want to dance for your own body and soul, you have to go for it now!  There are lots of guys I know who did some ballet in their younger years, but got out of it after college, and have many regrets.  You'll find a number of guys posting on these sites that started or re-started in their 30's, 40's and even a few after 50, and have realized their deep, inner needs.

(A brief aside:  Also try these web-sites: www.balletalert.com  They have a Men's Forum and also have many adult students posting there on their otherboards.  www.danceart.com has many message boards; the guys there tend to be younger.)

Starting at 20 will give you a better chance to build the technique and the (physical) body that will allow you to reach a self-satifying "performance" appearance....you will be able to do combinations with the look of Nureyev, and "wow" your fellow class memebers.  NOT that some guys who start later can't achieve this look, but from a physical standpoint it's harder to work an older body (from my own experience).

I'll give you an example....When I was about 33 the school where I was taking classes had a small performance company.  They were putting on Sleeping Beauty.  They had this 20-something guy who was really good, but needed more experience.  I understudied his "Prince."  One day he was having trouble with one part, and the director told him to watch me, as I was doing it better.  He got mad at me, the "old guy"! (almost a fist-fight!) If I hadn't been in classes throughout my twenties I wouldn't have had that! (I was doing some of the party dances in that performance, and never got to do the prince part.)

The personal fulfillment I've found in ballet classes, let alone the occasional performances (in nursing homes, children's hospitals, school theatres, etc.), has made my life worth living.  

Ballet is a skill that not many people can master, and know that that one day you do a combination across the floor in a clsss and finish feeling like Nureyev is beuatiful experience.  And the ability to keep the body "fit" helps too!

I'm running off to a local school right now for afternoon dress rehersal for a russian ballet, I play a character role as a nobelman at the Czar's court.  Then in the evening I have rehersal for a modern ballet piece, as a kareoke singer in a sleazy bar.  BALLET IS GREAT!

Start dancing!  balletboy

P.S. I almost forgot. NO ONE is too big for ballet.  I've know lots of guys, big in the physical sense and big in the age sense, who take ballet.)

Where in NJ?  I used to live in Princeton.  There are many schools all over the state.  AS 2 Left Feet said, try local colleges, adult-extension, but also try schools that have performance companies (more guys), and avoid schools with names like "Little Missey's school of twinkle-toes, tap, and ballet arts and basket weaving."