What is adult ballet? The answer to that question is incredibly simple (or is it?)...
Adult ballet is what happens when adults do ballet.
Duh, right?
But more specifically, adult ballet refers to adults who dance at a non-professional level.
Adult ballet is when a person who never had a chance to take ballet as a child decides to take it up as an adult, or when a person who took ballet as a kid or teenager decides to continue with it as an adult on a recreational basis.
But it's so much deeper than that.
Adult ballet is so meaningful to so many people.
At its very heart, adult ballet is when grown-ups do ballet because they absolutely love it, because it takes them away from their troubles and cares, and because it is an enriching historical tradition and an amazing workout all rolled into one.
Adult ballet is a really beautiful thing.
If you are an adult who dreams of doing ballet but you've never tried it before, you may have felt strange or alone in your longing to participate in this art form.
But you don't have to feel that way anymore.
Just search for the #adultballet hashtag on Instagram and you will find a thriving community of adults who are fully dedicated to ballet.
In the past, the ballet world may have been an exclusive and hidden place, but with the internet and social media, all of that is changing. And it's changing fast.
Adult ballet is growing at an exponential rate.
Internet pioneers of ballet content such as YouTube star Kathryn Morgan are making ballet more accessible than ever before. And professional dancers all across the world are posting backstage and rehearsal footage to Instagram and other social media outlets on a daily basis.
Exposure to classical ballet is literally just a swipe or a scroll away for anyone with a smartphone.
As a result, more than ever before, people are seeing ballet online and saying, "Hey, I want to do that!"
And more than ever before, people are searching Google for adult ballet classes near their location and signing up for their very first class.
Ballet is NOT only for kids and professionals. Maybe it used to be that way — but not anymore.
Now, ballet is for everyone.
If you love doing ballet, if it brings you a lot of joy, then you should dance ballet for as long as you possibly can, no matter who you are. And if you've never tried ballet before but you've always wanted to — you should go for it! Just type "adult ballet classes near me" into Google, and watch as a whole new world unfolds right before your eyes.
(Okay, to be fair, not every single town in the world has tons of options for adult ballet classes, but go ahead and give it a search — you may be pleasantly surprised.)
And even if you can't find ballet classes specifically for adults, don't give up just yet. Many smaller studios are more than willing to let adults come to regular classes. (I have taken classes with children and teenagers plenty of times! In my experience, everyone — teachers and students alike — has always been kind and welcoming.)
So, again...what is adult ballet?
It's a revolution.
Adult ballet is a revolution of people who are challenging the social norms of an art form that was once closed-off to a majority of the population.
We — adult ballerinas and adult danseurs — take ballet because we believe that ballet is for everyone who wants to be a part of it.
We believe that it's time to bring ballet to all those people who have longed for it but were never able to try it out for whatever reason.
It's time to bring ballet to the people.
Will you join the adult ballet revolution?
