Throughout my entire life, all I ever wanted was to be a professional ballet dancer. All of my training and dedication finally paid off when I was offered my first contract at age seventeen; yet I was blissfully unaware of the true toll the ballet world would take on one's mental health. Since my career has come to an early end, I will share just a few of the tribulations which have shaped me into a better version of myself.
Perhaps the most well-known struggle of a ballet dancer is undoubtedly body image. Dancers use their bodies to express themselves and tell stories through movement, so our physicality is always on display. We wear thin, skin-tight clothing daily and train in a room with mirrors on all of the walls. We must receive corrections and comments about the shape of our muscles, the way in which we fit into our costumes, and risk losing roles due to such subjective reasons. Furthermore, there have been certain times when my peers and I have drastically lost weight with dangerous techniques, yet were praised for our new bodies as we did not uncover how we attained them.
If you are currently a dancer in this position, I urge you to not take the fast track to weight loss for just a burst of gratification. Set aside time to plan healthy yet filling meals and schedule in time to do whichever form of cross training suits you best. You need to form a healthy relationship with food as that is what gives you the energy to power your active lifestyle. Long term healthy habits will give you not only your desired results, but also longevity in your career. Additionally, take the time to practice self-care and realize the love you should have for your body. It is working so diligently to keep you alive and has achieved extraordinary levels of athleticism; you cannot constantly berate it in return.
Another challenge you must overcome and learn from is the intense criticism. There is no such thing as perfection in ballet, so all dancers are constantly striving to be better, no matter the age. You need to realize that corrections from authority figures are ultimately meant to instigate improvement, regardless of the tone or intensity. Grow accustomed to receiving these remarks as compliments, as the director would not waste time training someone they do not think will succeed. This same perspective can be applied to any other job, as negativity can be cultivated into progress if you do not let it initially phase you.
The final major struggle I have successfully overcome is the way I deal with competition. Ballet is a constant competition not only with yourself, but with every person around you. You are constantly told that everyone can be replaced and there is a line of people eagerly waiting to take your place. This can easily trigger the toxic mentality of seeing others' success as your own failure and can lead to jealousy and revenge from certain people.
I pride myself and my best friend for being the only two dancers I know to have a strong relationship survive through not only the academy, but also the professional company. This was especially difficult because we were always pitted against each other in any given scenario. After realizing how important our bond was, we learned to communicate properly. We celebrated each others' successes as friends yet were open with our feelings of disappointment as well. You must be able to separate personal versus professional problems in any aspect of your life to keep a clear mind and conscious.
As a disclaimer to anyone unfamiliar with the dancer lifestyle; I do not hate ballet, nor do I regret dedicating myself to it, nor do I harbor negative feelings toward the academy and company to which I belonged. Dancers have such a raw passion for this trying art form and such a deep bond with those who make it possible for us that any obstacle seems worth overcoming. The love we have for 東京 バレエ 求人 is somewhat inexplicable to others. Yet before it all comes to an end, you must take preventative measures to preserve your mental stability and learn to process experiences in a healthy way while applying those difficult life lessons to the outside world.
