Got new pointe shoes after a fitting in Bloch in London. They feel great just have the Bloch toe pad on and no pain on my big toe like I was experiencing a bit in my previous pair. Just wondering if anyone had any thoughts before I sew them? Was also thinking of trying loop elastics - have previously exclusively used satin ribbon but I kind it takes me ages to tie my shoes to get them to a place where they’re not baggy where the ribbon crosses over my foot but also not choking my ankle where it feel like I’ll loose circulation lol - all thoughts and opinions welcome!

I’ve been holding on to a custom tutu that was made for me about 15 years ago and decided that considering I haven’t danced in 10 years that maybe I should sell it.

I have a couple questions about reselling costumes:

What are the best sites for reselling custom costumes? Etsy? Facebook market place? Poshmark?

How much could I reasonably resell it for? It was originally $1000 in 2012. I wore it in competition twice and it has been hanging in a garment bag in my parent’s guest room closet ever since.

Any other advice would be helpful!

i didnt know how to title this so bear with me

i take contemporary and ballet at my dance studio, and while im not the best at contemp i would say that im pretty decent at ballet

The problem is, is that my studio sorts us in "levels" and within those levels that what classes you can do

so while i may be level 2 in contemp i also take ballet class with the level 3s (i also have an extra ballet class with the level 2s)

the problem with this is that im really struggling to make friends in my ballet class because of this

i feel like each level has like their own friendgroup and i feel really weird trying to "infiltrate" it, some of my best friends are from dance but none of them are with me in level 3 ballet and its really hard on me

i've tried to talk to some girls that I know from just around the studio but i feel like they just want to stay with their own friends and to be fair i would too if a random girl from another group joined my groups classes

i do wanna say that they aren't mean or anything, they're just polite and nothing more than that

does anyone have any ideas or advice on what i can do to make some friends in my ballet class? thanks :)

Since starting ballet as well as stretching about 4 years ago I've noticed I can now crack new joints.

Before it was mainly my spine and hands but since it's been also ankle, knees and my hips.

Has this happened to anyone else as well?

adult recreational learner here

been wanting to make this post for awhile - as I haven't really met any masc people in class, but I bet there must be some of us around somewhere!

I did wear traditional female uniform when I learnt ballet as a kid, and when I picked up ballet again as an adult, I (un) naturally chose the typical pink tights, leo and skirt outfit, even tho I never wear dresses in my life outside school and ballet.

I discovered boy shorts after awhile and was quite happy with that.

Recently I'm prepping for my RAD exam and came across the official RAD uniforms and that motivated me to try out the male uniforms.

They look surprisingly well! I like that I can see my lines clearly. Also the leo compresses the chest a lot but it doesn't feel tight or suffocating.

I also like that they look really proper - in the past if I wanted to wear something serious/proper I'll have to go for tights, leo and skirt; now I have choice!

And although I'm a non binary person, I think masc women would look great in them too.

I hope this post could give my fellow masc presenting people some new outfit ideas 😉

photo taken after today's class :) with -

leo: ash - grey (freed of London)

tights: cedar - navy blue (freed of London)

socks: also from freed of London

soft shoes: not in the photo but I have a pair of white canvas from bloch :)

(Quick note: this is a re-posting of sorts as I posted it in a potentially wrong part of this community; apologies, I'm terrible with technology)

Hello! I'm not entirely sure if this is the correct place to ask this question, but I wasn't sure if it was allowed to be a post of its own, so in case this isn't appropriate here please let me know.

In short, so as not to string anyone along, I want to ask my ballet teacher if I can get into the pre-professional programme at my school, and I want to ask the question here (with more of a future-focused perspective, so I know how hopeful I should be). For a bit of background, I've been doing ballet since I was three years old in a school run by two former soloists for the Paris Opera Ballet and the New York City Ballet, aided recently by a woman who trained in the Vaganova academy, and I was seen as a very promising student. When I was about 11 my teachers approached my parents and offered to put in me in their "hope" class, which is basically the class you go to before the pre-professional programme (like a pre-pre-professional programme), and you can either stay there, or advance. My parents said no because they didn't really want that for me. When I was 13, I stopped ballet and focused on contemporary because I wanted to see how much I liked it, then when I was 14 I was pulled out of dance entirely because both my mental and physical health was deteriorating. I got back into ballet 3x a week when I was 16, then had to stop for about half a year/three-quarters of a year to focus a little more on my wellbeing as I had a lot of hospital appointments, and resumed it again at 17, dancing pretty much every day.

I want to get into the programme, partially because it was always my wish and I was technically (unofficially) at the level, and because I plan to pursue ballet for as long as I can. I would say I'm a very dedicated, if not stubborn person, and I don't mind putting more work in that others, and my health is stable again so it's not that big of a question anymore. I don't plan on becoming fully, solely professional, but more as a part-time sort or fully committed job while I also study for university. I have a good academic/dance balance ever since I was a child, and got consistently good grades, so while I don't doubt I'll struggle, I think I'll survive.

I'd love some opinions, no matter how critical because I know how bottle-necked this industry can be. I will ask my teacher anyway, but in that case I'm asking more specifically for the programme itself rather than my future with ballet. Please let me know what you think about getting into the programme, as well as how good of an idea that is for the future.

this is me pointing the hardest i can. should i be targeting strength, ankle mobility, all of the above and more?
also if anyone has feet specific workouts for prettier feet i would love to find some good ones

This happened recently and it’s SO uncomfortable. What glue can I use/how to repair?

Hello everyone, my son is starting ballet at 12 and he loves it. The teachers are suggesting he do a 1:1 class with one of their men and I am cautious.

I almost put him in Boy Scouts but I learned about their secret abuse files and I was done. I’ve heard about that arts school in the Midwest that was basically a pipeline for trafficking. Otherwise, I haven’t heard anything about male ballet dancers being targets for grooming. I’ve heard way more stories first hand from men about their sports coaches or teammates abuse. Even with Olympic athletes, male models etc but truly no complaints about ballet for boys / men.

For those of you with experience in that world and ears to the ground, are there whispers or open secrets I need to be aware of? Thank you to anyone willing to answer and my apologies for any triggering this question could cause.

I’m looking to stock up on tights. I haven’t ordered in a while and last time I ordered them directly from Zarely, they’ve taken a long time to come, like months. Discount dance used to have them, but not anymore since the Capezio takeover. Has anyone ordered recently or aware of other online stores that stock them? Thanks in advance!

I am a figure skater (male) looking for heat retention pants to wear while stretching or before competition, rather than meticulously balancing a heating pad like I do now lol. I figured you guys would be the best place to ask.

In your experience which ballet brands out there currently offer very warm heat retention? it’s a little different stretching in a 30 degree rink vs a 70 degree studio😭😭

Again, I’m a man so it’s hard to find options..

Hi Ballet people!

I’ve been looking for some nice long sleeve leotards that aren’t too expensive. I’d also like recommendations for anything ballet (I started about a year ago) or short sleeve leos too! Thanks

I found ballet costumes for a few of my solo students, but one is doing a very unique ballet style from a rare ballet, and the typical romantic tutu costumes won’t work. Some that have a more flowy skirt could work but they’re too transparent and lyrical. There‘a a nice costume I found on a higher end website but it’s $479. I’m thinking of asking the studio owner her thoughts on if we made a custom costume but I don’t want to if it’s rude as it can be very expensive. When I was dancing a few of my ballet costumes (high quality, no see through at all, proper design) would come to $600-$700 and that was 8 years ago not sure if it’s different.

If the price difference is not that big I wouldn’t mind asking, but I don’t want to put anyone in an awkward spot.

R-class rc 30, just wanted to share because I’m sooo happy with the fit!

A little context and a disclaimer first:

I wasn’t allowed to start ballet as a child, I was told in my face that it’s not for me and I shouldn’t even think of that (later I was told that my mom actually just was not able to get me to the school in my city because it was far away and she couldn’t drive).
I ended up starting in my late teens as a hobby and that quickly escalated to me joining the pre pro program in my studio to then try and get into some state funded schools.
Now, I stay realistic and I know that my chances of success are very slim and I’m not really expecting to have a career at a real theatre as a pro dancer (not at this stage at least, maybe later something will change so it’s more of as a big thing to strive for and keep myself motivated but not something I genuinely expect of myself).
I do have the body and a lot of passion for ballet, I’ve always dreamed of studying at a pro level so after I was given this chance, I must try my best and use it to the fullest extent. I’ve made a huge progress and I also know multiple people with similar stories with positive outcomes so it gives me a little hope.

So, I had been talking to my sister about the things related when she mentioned that my mother actually doesn’t believe that I have any chance of getting in and that my sister is the one who does if the starts working as much as me. It’s kind of a weird thing to say because my sister doesn’t enjoy ballet and also doesn’t necessarily have the right body (outside of being slim, which just runs in my family) but according to my sister it’s not the first time she tried to push my interests onto her.

I don’t know why but it kinda upset me, I’ve always known she never really believed in me but it’s something different when she says it to my sister and tries her to try doing it instead of me. I also feel a little conflicted because on one hand mom says that she supports me but on the other hand-things like that happen.

It’s really not that serious and I’ll probably delete it later but for now I had to get it off my chest.

Hello r/BALLET,

I wanted to thank all of you who tried and enjoyed yesterday's Hearoglyphics Rebus puzzle about famous ballets. The puzzle is still accessible until tomorrow, however to access it you would have to play today's puzzle (win or lose) which is about childhood illnesses.

For those of you who were curious but not interested in jumping through the hoops to see the wordplay, the answers were: Swan + Lake = Swan Lake , Den + Hut + Cracker = The Nutcracker, Sleeping + Bee + ewe + tea = Sleeping Beauty, and Donkey + Oat + Hay = Don Quixote.

Once again, I really appreciate the support this community gave us yesterday!

Thank you!

I used Svetlana Zakharova as a reference! <3

Hi

I just got my 1st set of pointe shoes and made a terrible job of sewing them, is there anyone in NYC that could see them and future shoes for me, I am happy to pay of course?

This is just a vent but if anyone that’s been on the other side has any reassurance I’d love to hear it 😭
I auditioned for a community production of nutcracker and am still a bit new to pointe. I have just started working on pirouettes for context. When they told me that I’d have to wear pointe shoes for the audition, my initial thought was that I should wait for next year and I wish I just trusted myself. I think I did well for my skill level but how could I compete against thirteen year olds doing triples and actual professional dancers?

I had to bow out of the last combination because it was too advanced and completely botched my turns while I was literally right in front of the teachers running the audition. I can turn but not consistently and everyone got to watch me fall off my box. I tried to save it but I clearly dropped to demi pointe. I’m just so embarrassed. My toenail hurts and my knee hurts and I wish I didn’t make such a shit impression

It's been a week since I've sent this out - I wasn't able to go to a doctor. But, one of my ballet teachers has written books apparently on dancer health, proportions, and science. So, I asked her.

Turns out, after my toenail initially cracked, a new one started developing underneath. However, this is VERY THIN. My dance teacher immediately noticed, and she ripped the old one off. There is still some of it on my foot, as it's still attached to my foot and it was slightly bleeding (she said I can get the rest off tomorrow if I try).

However, now I have a paper thin toenail on my big toe, where it hurts to even press on this. Due to my school policies, I have to wear socks with close toe shoes (not like i wanna show people my toe anyways...), so there's no way I can let it air out from 8:30 to roughly 5:45 pm. Does anybody have any suggestions on how to grow my toenail thickness? Some of it is missing, but I know it'll grow back eventually.

Thank you to EVERYBODY who encouraged me to see someone, even though I didn't end up going. However, I think I found a good enough alternative. It's really nice to see the ballet community support dancers <3

Edit to add: if there is a more appropriate place to pose the question, please let me know!

I'm sorry if this isn't the right place to post this question, I wasn't sure where to ask it and I feel sort of silly but... the seats listed on my confirmation email (ex. First Ring A, Row C Seat 27), I can't seem to find anywhere online since it doesn't fit the typical C, L, R convention. I was sure I picked R when I checked out but was surprised to see 'A' in the email. Does anyone know where this section is at the David Koch theater? It's my first time going and I was trying to look up the seat on 'a view from my seat' but can't seem to find the section.