Adult ballet-does it get better?

[u/royjeebiv]

EDIT: Thank you so much to everyone that has reached out and commented. The response has been overwhelmingly so sweet and relieving! I don’t have anyone in person to talk about ballet with, so I am so appreciative of you all!

Hello! I took my first ballet class in 15 years about a month ago. I stopped dancing in my teens because my parents couldn’t afford it anymore. Ever since then, my love for ballet has never left and I’ve been obsessive about it for YEARS. Recently found a studio that does adult classes-yay!

I started out with the beginner/intermediate class just to see how I would hold up. I was definitely rusty and was very overwhelmed with the amount of steps/moves in the different barre combinations. So I talked to the teacher and she said a lot of returning dancers take the beginner class for a few weeks and go back up to beg/int. So I’ve been taking beginner classes and I’ve been leaving class so disheartened and upset with myself.

My teacher is very sweet and I’m comfortable with her. However, she’s the same teacher that teaches the beg/int classes and I’m just so overwhelmed by the end of the class. I feel like she packs every barre combination with a bunch of different moves that by the time she finishes explaining, I forgot what we were even doing. It’s getting really frustrating because I feel like I’m sacrificing my technique and form to remember what move comes next.

My question is, does the memorization get better? Is there something I can do to help both my memorization AND my technique? Because at this point I don’t really feel like I’m learning anything and I’m getting very discouraged.

[u/Tiny-firefly]

I was there last year.

Here's my advice: Go to intro. Ballet works the memorizing skill as much as your physical skill. Beginner classes are still too fast for people who have a good foundation but took a long break. I came back last year and signed up for two intro series (1 and 2) before going to the open ballet class.

It was definitely needed. I needed to remind my body how to do ballet, how to memorize combos and most importantly, how to dance in an adult body because the last time I danced seriously was when I was 18.

If you're getting frustrated with beginner classes and sacrificing your technique to try and keep up, take a step back to focus on technique. It is not worth risking your alignment.

It will get better! I'm back up to advanced elementary/keeping up with intermediate classes after about a year. It just takes a little bit longer than we expect.

[u/royjeebiv → u/Tiny-firefly]

Hey thanks! I’m so focused on how my “baby brain” managed all of this back in the day and haven’t thought about how I’m in a completely new headspace all together.

I also appreciate everyone’s comments about the reality of how long it actually takes to advance on. I’ve felt like such an idiot about being confused in an intro class. It’s a nice reality check.

And yes! I don’t want to sacrifice my alignment and technique, so I’ll try to slow myself down more.

[u/dialogos → u/royjeebiv]

To add to this: when I first learned ballet, I had undiagnosed ADHD. I “memorized” combos by following the best person in class lol. As an adult, knowing what I do now about my brain, I’ve found that marking combos with my hands + quietly verbalizing the steps while the teacher is giving the combo helps me remember. Otherwise, as soon as someone asks a question or the class otherwise gets distracted, the combo is completely gone from my brain.

Keep at it! It really does just take time, practice, and dedication. :)

[u/royjeebiv → u/dialogos]

lol I have adhd too! I by the time class rolls around my adderall has worn off so my brain is like cotton 😭 I’ve been trying to mark combinations with my hands but I get so distracted by all the talking. I feel like my brain goes on overloas

[u/Budget_Wrongdoer_365 → u/royjeebiv]

My teacher also is so detailed in her explanations 😭like she is amazing and I love her & all the info but my adhd brain too is like trying so hard to remember every little thing that I don’t retain much of anything lol but I’m trying to use it as a good active listening exercise! 🤪

[u/royjeebiv → u/Budget_Wrongdoer_365]

lol I probably look crazy to my teacher! I feel like if I widen my eyes, I’ll be able to catch a wider range of instructions. It’s like turning your car radio down to see better 😭

[u/itsfreakingbeanboy → u/dialogos]

wait same hahaha i’ve been so shocked at how much better i am now that i have medication and use some of these techniques and can actually remember combinations

[u/Tiny-firefly → u/royjeebiv]

You'll get there! I was also frustrated with myself of "why am I not improving quickly??" when I first got back after a 19 year break.

It helped me to remember to slow down and focus on the fundamentals again and remind myself that ballet is hard. Even pros who take time off have to rebuild their technique and strength. They just have a higher baseline level than we do.

As for memorizing combinations.. It's such a stereotype but marking with the hands have helped me a lot. I also do the weight shift with the feet at the same time and it's bringing back old body memory muscles. For center, my class is typically large enough that we have at least 2 groups for adagio, tendu and petite allegro, so I go in the second group while marking during the first group. Enough of it is back that I don't have to stress about easy combos now, and if it's a tricky one I don't have to worry about my body alignment.

[u/royjeebiv → u/Tiny-firefly]

I definitely need to lock in with marking. It’s a lot easier to do at home because I can sit quietly for a moment and my brain registers the movements. It’s a lot harder in class because of the talking