ballerina

i spent much of my early childhood dreaming about becoming a ballerina. i would train and rehearse; i would break in pointe shoes, wear leg warmers and tutus; i would eventually become a prima ballerina! today i watched a documentary about five young russian ballerinas in the kirov ballet. each young woman was very interesting and brilliantly talented, and it was fascinating get their perspective about their lives as dancers. and i confirmed why i am not one!

the anatomy of a ballerina is specific. she should have a small head, long neck and long legs. she should be slender and strong. she will start training when she is just ten years old so it will be hard to tell whether she will have a dancer's body after puberty. she will progress from slippers to pointe shoes when she has adequate foot and ankle plantar flexion, technique, training, alignment and strength.

she will benefit from developing strong muscles, gaining balance and coordination and forming bonds with other ballerinas and teachers, and she will build confidence in her performance on the stage. these are healthy, direct effects of her studying.

but even a ballerina is bound by gravity.

her body will undergo severe stresses that can cause temporary or permanent damages to her body. for example, if, like many students, she breaks a toe when she starts "en pointe" and does not allow it to heal properly, she will have crooked toes. if she is undernourished, endures regular, hard physical exercise, or has a lower than average fat/lean ratio, she will likely start menstruation later than her peers. she is at a higher risk to experiment with calorie deficits and develop an eating disorder. and, finally, she may experience psychological distress from physical and technical perfectionism.

prima ballerinas personify one of the most internationally recognized fairy tale endings. every little girl has dreamt of picking up handfuls of flowers and smelling them for hours after a brilliant performance. 

but few have the audacity and the fortitude... nor will their bodies allow it.

and yet, even though ballet is not for all of us, there remain exciting challenges for the non-professional athletes.   the amazing thing about our bodies is that they can be stretched to amazing lengths, if only we apply ourselves...