What it’s like going back to ballet in your twenties
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Gone are the pink tutus, sleek buns and stickers at the end of class.
Instead, it’s crunching knees and yoga tights—but luckily the same infectious energy of a group learning the difference between a plie and pirouette.
I did ballet for around 10 years as a young girl but as I entered my teenage years and my small country town class dwindled in size, I too moved onto new sports.
However, a part of me always missed the swelling music and graceful movements. So, at 22 I found myself back behind the bar and relearning the movements that had been locked behind years of other memories.
Naturally, it’s a much different environment in an adult beginner ballet class. There’s a much broader range of ages, abilities and agility (I’ve had many moments of querying how my younger body did all of this so easily) and we all jam out to ’90s songs remade into classical pieces regularly.
I quickly found that as you get stepped back through the movements and the steady rhythm of the five, six, seven, eight it feels much the same as it did in the old Masonic Hall where I would spend many hours.
I will admit, I felt a fair bit of nerves before heading into my first lesson. Was I wearing the right thing? Would I remember the steps? What if I’ve lost all ability to keep count with the music?
Well, spoiler alert, no one cares about what you’re wearing (even the socks I wear instead of ballet shoes because I haven’t made it to the shop yet). Nobody is watching you forget the steps because they are more stressed about forgetting themselves and the teacher will help you keep count.
So try not to worry about being bad at it and instead be willing to have a laugh at yourself and then try again—although I will admit it is very satisfying when you do successfully complete a sequence that had felt impossible in the first instance.
Worried you won’t be able to keep up? As the unfortunate owner of the crackliest knees to have ever existed, just be upfront with your teacher and they will accommodate the class to fit your needs.
Whether you go slow or go fast, the important thing is to remember is: if you miss your little inner ballerina—stop waiting. Google nearby studios and head along to the next class.
Who knows…maybe you’ll love it as much as I do.
Five places to try adult ballet in Canberra
Dance Central – Phillip
6th Position – Canberra City
Canberra Dance Theatre – Canberra City
Lisa Clark Dance Centre – Hume
The Training Ground – Phillip
