Dear Kyle,
You're going through what every dancer has gone through: making the decision whether ballet is going to be your whole life, or a sideline. You can ask other people for advice. You can ask your teachers if you have the talent. But no one can really answer your question but yourself. And you can only answer it if you give ballet a total try.
That means taking as many classes as you can fit into your day. It means preparing yourself to audition for a first-rate ballet school. Your goal should be School of American Ballet in New York City. If you're accepted there, it means leaving home and giving over your life to your career as a ballet dancer.
It is a life of struggle and rejection. Even those at the top are fighting to stay there. It's a fight that every dancer eventually loses, because the clock is ticking, and a dancer is referred to as "old" when he's in his 30's.
If you can think of anything else you might enjoy doing, then do it. But if you are consumed with the desire to dance, and you feel you have no choice, then you must pursue your passion and your dream. I was an excellent student in high school, and my mom was dismayed that I didn't go to college. Instead I went to New York to study ballet.
And now I'm doing children's theatre ballet. When this tour finishes, I'll go back to NYC, take classes, and audition. If I don't get a better offer, I'll tour again to pay the bills. I probably sound crazy to a lot of people, but I'm happy. I'm dancing. And it's all I want to do.
Your Ballet Bro,
Joe[/i]