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What is it your are wanting to achieve from dance? If you are wanting to take dance to help improve your flexibility, co-ordination, style, posture etc then go for it. Yes you probably will find the class difficult to start with but then anything new will always be hard and you will soon begin to make sense of little bits of it and then a little bit more will fall into place.

If you are looking at dance as a potential career then yes as you have probably seen from other threads 15, 16 is late to start and what most of us agree is that the odds are stacked against you, but none of us can really give an 100% opinion over the internet as we have not seen you dance. However I don't think whether or not you can have a career should a reason as to whether someone should start ballet as in the early stages I don't personally think it should be viewed as a career rather as something that has the potential to be life enhancing in many different ways and also an escape for a little while from everyday life.

I hope that helps you a little.

Hi OceanDream130

I just wanted to write a reply because up to a few months ago, I was in exactly the same position as you !

Like you, I'm 15 and I've always loved to dance and had been taking street jazz and modern classes for a number of years but knew I wanted to dance professionally. I was sure there would be nowhere that would cater for my age especially beginner but there were so many and yes, some of the students in my class had been taking ballet for a few years and they were better but, I realised that I wasn't expected to be perfect just to do my best.

This weekend I did a performance for my Academy at a local Theatre and it was amazing !!!!
So I suppose what I'm trying to say is that just go for it. You obviously want to do it as you said it's a life long dream and Rome wasn't built in day, it's not perfection its potential.
Learning to dance is a whole new learning curve so embrace it. They'll be days when you hurt and ache and think I can't do this anymore but you're love for dance will pull you through.

Have fun and keep us updated
Never Give Up x

OceanDream130,

i know what its like to be in that position, cos like some of the other people who've replyed, its a fairly common position. the only thing i can say is just give it a go, u never know what might happen, as i always say. if you're confidient enough then just get out there, find a dance school that offers classes thats right for u and give it a go. try a few different places to see which school best suits u. also start stretching, loosen up. while ur watching tv just sit on the ground and stretch ur legs, u'd be surprised at how quickly ur flexibility comes back. good luck with the dancing. xoxo

I'm a little dubious about you starting out in teen classes, with the other dancers having a lot more experience. Very few reputable ballet schools that I know of would do that. They will either start you out with 10-year-olds for a couple of years or, if that's not practical socially, start you out in adult beginner classes.

The basics are extremely important. You can't just jump in in the middle and expect to learn ballet safely and correctly.

Citibob's advice makes good sense. A friend of mine started ballet aged around 20 with a class of young beginners and thought none the worse of it becuase she knew she had to start at the beginning.

As some of the previous posters have suggested, one of the best ways to see if ballet is for you, is to try it! And as said, it's best if you can shop for the class and studio that's the best fit for you. There may not be a lot of choices in your area. The largest schools will probably have a beginning class for teens, while some of the smaller schools will need to put you either into a class with some of the younger set or with adult beginners. While the former may be preferred, being in with students not your age can be okay and rather fun and perhaps even inspirational.

Do keep in mind that it's learning a whole new language and it will take time to adjust to the new vocabulary. But what a language you'll be speaking!

Do you know what I think? If you want it, do it? Unless it is illegal or hurtful to others, if you have a passion to try something, do it!! Don't worry about where it will bring you. You will be where you are meant to be in life. Love dance, even if you don't become a dancer. Two of my most awesome teachers started as adults, and are incredible teachers. I also know of dancers who started late in life and still made a career. Some just dance for years and love it, doing amateur productions and such. JUST DO IT!

I know that this was posted long ago, but I haven't visited this site since then. Thanks so much for the wonderful responses from all of you! I will be starting in a few weeks, and I cannot wait to get started! The class that my teacher has placed me in has people who are about 9 years old in it and even a little older. I might even prefer being in a class with younger kids, but she has assured me that this group is ideal for me. Well, off to start my jounrey, I guess!...

Good luck OceanDream and enjoy yourself. Starting in a class with younger kids will be really enjoyable as they're not there to critisize or make fun (not saying that teens are) they are just there to learn and have fun. In fact, they'll inspire you and I'm pretty sure that you'll inspire them aswell.

They're right, Ocean Dream--go for it! And Citibob is right, too--get the basics. Once you've done a few classes, you might occasionally want to request a private lesson, to clarify whatever you don't understand or can't quite get. You'll improve much faster.

You might also try out some of the beginning ballet videos--they will help you learn the vocabulary and the names of the steps and positions, and show you how everything is supposed to look. (There's an old saying--knowing the name of something gives you a power over it.)

Hi! I think you should join dance. Many dancers, including some I know, have started at a very young age. I haven't though, I started when I was 14 years old. I went to a week long summer dance program at my local dance school. And from that I decided to take regular dance lessons. I was not placed in a beginner's class, I was put in a class that was more advanced. I would reccomend doing some pilates or yoga in your spare time to help you with flexibility, it's certainly helped me. And in dance class I remind myslef to stay focused. I hope some of my advice will somewhat comfort you.
-Audrey

<small>[ 08 February 2005, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: eyeheartdance ]</small>