written by balletboy  on 22.10. at 02:04:30

I don't dance professionally, even though I have been into ballet for more than 20 years.

My maternal great-grandfather was an entrepreneur...heck no!....he was a gambler, who started many different businesses.  The business of my family has always been business.  My mother didn't like my interest in ballet, and still doesn't.  So if I wasn't in the family's business, I was really out of everything.  I could never pursue my dreams of ballet, but that couldn't keep me out of ballet.

I can arrange my schedules to suit me. (There are a lot of "young turks" at the office who do the real work....I'm usually on the web at sites like this or reading the dance-world news.  They really only need me to "sign-off" on things.) I can take long lunches for an afternoon class.  I can leave early for late-afternoon classes.  Nobody expects me home, so I take classes at night.  As I'm still part of the family, I am fortunate to be able to afford private coaching. Often under my three piece Brooks Brothers' suits I'm still wearing my tights and dancebelt!

There are about seven or eight studios that I attend regularly. I do arrange ballet vacations, where I take different classes most of the day.

I have been asked to do roles from time to time, but shy away from them.  I do like to do "character" roles from time-to-time.  But I really enjoy ballet classes, and although I know many different people from classes, never seem to make friends.  I guess I'm afraid that friends may take away from my pursuits.

About half the money I make I spend on ballet and ballet-realted stuff.  (I used to spend lots of money on horses, and played polo to impress the guys in my family, but I grew out of that!)

I understand when guys talk about wanting to have a career in ballet...my life just didn't go that way.

So that's that!  balletboy