This may seem like a ridiculous question, but I am debating getting my hair cut really short, like not even shoulder length but much shorter. Before I go and hack all my hair off , I just wanted to ask: will ballet schools frown upon (or not even accept) girls who can't do their hair in ballet buns, even if the hair is secured back and out of the face? Will a short hairdo detract from the professional visage of a student?

Hello, ballerina91...It's not a ridiculous question. Quite a few of the Royal Ballet female dancers had very short hair in the past, I remember. But, they wore wigs for many of their roles. We are talking BIG budget here in a major company! I think that it depends, perhaps, on the school. If you are auditioning soon, perhaps you should wait and see what might be acceptable to the school you would like to study with. The disadvantage of cutting most of your hair off is that you have very limited styling ability with very short hair. In most ballet companies, all ballets have particular hair styles for particular roles. So, better carefully think before you cut your hair really, really short. Why don't you try a shoulder length cut (or even a bit shorter) and see how it feels? You would still be able to make a bun or french twist with hair this length. Then, you could make a decision a bit later when you have had a little more time to explore the possibilities. Hope this helps....

Thank you Gina Ness! I knew that some professional dancers had really short hair and some wore wigs, but I was unsure for students. Luckily, I won't be auditioning anywhere until January, so my hair will have time to grow out if there IS a problem. And I'm nowhere near ready for a career with a company yet, so I'll have at least three years to grow my hair long again before I audition for a company. But I think I'll follow your advice anyway and have my hair cut to shoulder length - any shorter might be a tad too crazy for me anyway!