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Margot Fonteyn as Odette, and Rudolf Nureyev as Albrecht, in Swan Lake (Royal Ballet, c.1963)

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Radka Příhodová

Šípková Růženka

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Marianela Nuñez as Myrtha, Queen of the Willis.

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Swans by  Lar Rattray

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Maria Shirinkina (Mariinsky Ballet) in “Giselle”

Photo © Sasha Gouliaev

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Paris Opera Ballet dancers in Sehgal/ Pite/ Peck/ Forsythe premier

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Nikolai Tsiskaridze: what the parents who are considering a ballet future for their children should know

First of all, it is necessary to determine whether the child has the aptitude for ballet. Many parents happily sign their children up for ballet classes because it keeps the kids busy for most of the day. The child may not necessarily have any talent for dance, but the parents make every effort to keep them occupied.

As the rector, I often have to explain to parents that the Academy is not an after school club; it is a serious institution, and the children are here to receive professional training. Of course, they always assure me that their child dreams of nothing else, that they have been preparing for this their whole lives… Every parent, all around the world, says the exact same thing.

One has to understand that a ballet academy prepares new recruits for a serious career. Every person who wants to pursue ballet professionally must go on a long journey of overcoming laziness. Endurance and patience are two of the key components in ballet. For even the most elite athletes, a game doesn’t last as long as a ballet performance, which can run for up to three hours, several times a day. On top of that, as a rule, the most complex elements have to be executed when the dancer is already completely exhausted.

If you are not physically robust, if you cannot cope with anxiety, if you cannot endure what is oftentimes the hardest - the travel, the exhaustion, the sheer number of performances - in short, if you aren’t a fighter, then nothing will become of you. Ballet dancers must be very strong physically; it’s no wonder that they used to retire so early during the Soviet times . 

A successful career in any industry requires, first and foremost, a great willpower, because it is very difficult to avoid discouragement, exhaustion and envy otherwise. You must practice self-discipline in order to keep focused and serve your craft. In ballet, you must be constantly aware of what you are doing, otherwise you will fail.

Source (RU). Translated by melmoth.

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Svetlana Zakharova as Giselle, and Roberto Bolle as Albrecht, in Giselle (La Scala Ballet, 2016)

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Michaela DePrince as Myrtha in Giselle

© Ian Gavan

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Dorothée Gilbert, Mathieu Ganio

Giselle

photo: El Beweging

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gif credit: balletomaneassoluta

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Paris opera ballet

Le lac des cygnes

photo: Benoite Fanton

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Myriam Ould-Braham

Giselle

photo: Benoite Fanton

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Nikolai Sergeyev and Svetlana Efremova (Kirov Ballet School, 1964)

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To dance is to reach for a word that doesn’t exist, To sing the heartsong of a thousand generations, To feel the meaning of a moment in time.

Beth Jones Images:  Keiko Guest, The Lowe Gallery  (see in lightbox for individual titles)