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Question: Ballet body!?!?!?
I'm 5'1'' and 110 lbs!. Do I have a ballet body!?!?
Oh, and I'm almost 12 BTWWww@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Most classical ballet companies look for body types for female dancers with the following measurements:

Height: 5’2” to 5’8”
Weight: 85-115 lbs
Long neck in proportion to rest of body
Small bust
Narrow hips
Small posterior
Slim thighs that appear to be about the same width as calves
Thin ankles and long feet
Small head
Slightly sloping shoulders that are wider than hips
Straight back with slim waistline, with torso neither too long nor too short in proportion to rest of body
Long arms and hands
Long straight legs with slight hyper-extension and minimal visible muscular bulk
Well-arched foot with all toes approximately the same length

Other criteria include:
Natural turnout
Long Achilles tendon for deep demi-plié
Flexible lower back for arabesques and backbends
Well-stretched hamstrings for high extension
Squared-off toes for better distribution of the weight en pointe

The ideal measurements of a professional male dancer are as follows:

Height: 5’9” to 6’2”
Weight: 135-165 lbs
Straight back and slim waistline
Narrow hips
Small posterior
Thigh muscles slightly larger than calves
Straight legs
Average head with long neck in proportion to rest of body
Wide shoulders, without overly developed trapezius muscles
Torso neither long nor short in proportion to rest of body
Long arms and hands
Leg muscles not overly bulky
Long, moderately arched feet

The same criteria that apply to women with regard to turnout and length of Achilles tendon also apply to men!. However, it is not as important for men as it is for women to have great flexibility in the hamstrings and lower back!. Men are rarely required to perform the extremely high extensions of the leg that are considered essential to a female dancer’s technique!. For most male dancers, stretching the legs to the point of extreme flexibility is considered counterproductive because it can hinder the development of the strong leg muscles necessary for grand allegro technique, the most important virtuoso aspect of male dancing!. Considerable upper-body, arm, and lower-back strength are also essential for men!. Auxiliary exercises (such as push-ups) outside the classroom are necessary to develop the extra strength needed for partnering, or pas de duex, work!. Weight lifting in excess is NOT recommended as it can produce overdeveloped, bulky-looking muscles with limited flexibility!.

Since men are not required to dance en pointe, the extreme hyper-mobility of the ankle joint essential for female dancers is not as important as a prerequisite for them!. Indeed, an overly arched foot is sometimes considered undesirable for male dancers, because it may appear somewhat feminine!.

Common Variations in Body Types

LEGS
The two common leg configurations, hyper-extended legs and “bowed” legs, may be corrected by exercising certain muscles and making adjustments in proper alignment and weight distribution!. A knowledgeable ballet instructor or a dance therapist should be consulted for the appropriate exercises to help overcome such structural problems!.

PROPORTIONS OF THE TORSO
IN regard to classical line, neither a short waist or a long waist is aesthetically preferable; but it is not uncommon for excellent professional dancers to have such proportions!. Neither type is considered a hindrance to the development of technical strength!.

TYPES OF FEET
Beautifully arched feet are not only crucial to a dancer’s line, but are also essential for relevé and/or pointe work!. In order to receive a vertical position of the foot en pointe, as well as to rise to a three-quarter position on demi-pointe, the combination of the ankle and the instep must be hyper-mobile!. This hyper-mobility is produced by three joints working together: the ankle, the subtalar joint beneath the ankle, and the midtarsal joint!. Hyper-mobility is something with which an individual is naturally endowed, and it is highly valued in the classical ballet world!. “Good feet” are always noticed in a ballet audition! It should be noted that little can be done to increase looseness in tight, relatively inflexible insteps; the study of classical ballet is therefore not recommended for persons with such feet!.

A simple test for evaluating the suitability of a person’s feet for classical ballet is the following!. Sit on the floor with the legs stretched out straight in front of the body!. Keeping the knees taut, point the foot, pressing the big toe down toward the floor!. If the ball of the foot can reach a point closer to the floor than the ankle bone, the foot is suitably flexible for ballet!. The left and the right foot should be evaluated separately!.

This is for PROFESSIONAL ballet companies!. If you're semi professional or anything other, you're just fine! Besides, if you're an amazing dancer, it doesn't matter!.

Good luck and hope I helped!.?Www@QuestionHome@Com

Since your 12, it doesn't matter what your measurements are or what your body is like!. You may be a good hight and thin, but you're 12!. You won't have the same body you do now when you are actually old enough to be a professional ballerina!. Just keep working hard at ballet so that when it actually matters, you are right for it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

depends on where your weight is!. you have to be proportioned properly!. and the size of your head is important!. really taller ballerinas are preferred!. at least in the new york ballet company and the ballet school!.

i think you are too short, but other people may not agree!. you would fit in neighborhood schools maybe because a lot of the schools i went to thought they should be short but short is really not preferred for serious ballerinas as my experience goes!.

i thought i was too tall when i was a kid, but then i learned i wasn't!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Your good :]
But you have to have a lot of dedication for ballet :]
I've been dancing ballet since I was 5 yrs old curently Im 14!
You should also pratice alot of flexibility?
Try it you'll you'll like it <3
& if you laready have just stick to it!
Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com

i think that you do have a ballet body and i think that you should try for and just listen to what your heart is telling you to do!. i think that it is telling you that you should go for it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

No!.
This isnt the typical ballet body expecially for your age!.
Im 5'4 and 105 pounds and Im 15 and Im a dancer!.
Usually dancers are between 5'2 and 5'10 and between 100 -120 pounds!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It's hard to say - your weight could be fat or pounds which makes a VERY BIG difference in the way "ballet company recruiters" view you!. Work on lengthening your muscles - building up strength but stretching lots too!. Bulky muscles are not wanted on female ballet dancers!. Good luck though!Www@QuestionHome@Com

its more about lines and how you dance!. like if you have good feet or high extention and have good stage precence but you are 12 and you have growing and wieght is important but its really a vissual thingWww@QuestionHome@Com

Ballet body is thin, small bust and big hips!. like a pear body!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

For your age, ya that's ok!. You have to be atleest 13 for this site though!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

no, that is the average weight of a ballerina in her mid-teens!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

you have to be tallerWww@QuestionHome@Com

Umm!.!.!.!.I don't think so cuz my cousin is a ballerina and she's 5'10" and she's 115 lbs!.Www@QuestionHome@Com