Ballet

It's every little girls dream to be a ballerina. Is it the outfits? The music? The fancy shoes? Sugarplum fairies at Christmas time?

Here's my ballerina idol...Gelsey Kirkland. She was famous in the 70's for killing her body and spirit with eating disorders, drugs, and a stalker worthy love affair with Mikhail Baryshnikov. But she triumphed with recovery, a healthy marriage, and of course a best selling-tell all novel! This picture was taken before she got a botched lip injection...one she got to please her love interest...sad. Always looking to be better, never thinking you're enough...coming up with crazy ways to be perfect. Some ballerina's have ribs removed to be thiner or their feet broken and re-set to have better point.

Here's Baryshnikov back in the day...eat your heart out Rob Pat, this is the original hottie! He's still probably the most famous American (defected in 1974) ballet dancer.

I see little girls in their little tights going to "ballet" all the time...my son takes "ballet"...that's what he calls it, but it's really a dance class mixed with fairy tales and stories...meant to foster love of movement and imagination. Isn't that what ballet at age 3-8 should be? I'll answer that. Yes. I say 8, because I think only at 8-10 is a young persons body just ready for the length of a real ballet class and if serious, they at 12 could begin multiple classes per week. Classes at 3-8 should just be called "Dance" or "Movement"...introducing little ones to all dance styles...I fear these classes give a false sense of what ballet truly is. They see this pretty pink fairy tale world, love it and god forbid they're talented and have a passion for it, then the mask falls and the 'black swan' appears...the ugly side. Is the crazy Natalie Portman 'Black Swan' true? To be blunt...yes. It can be an amazing sport and life-style...given that you're ready to leave home at 13-15 with summer training camps where there is no campfire, devote by that age 6-8 hours per day everyday, maybe leave high school with GED and join company at 16 and have a body-altering career that considers you old by 30. That said, there are so many parts of ballet I miss...of course parts I don't, but there is a feeling you get whether in class or on stage that is undeniable...your heart is racing and you feel truly alive.

I love this picture...Gelsey's legs! and that perfect broken foot!

...Misha's, well his...you get it...makes you want to dance huh?