Ballerina physique?

Question:i dont get it, if one is ahellufa dancer, why do they judge dancers by their physique?! specially ballerinas...

anyway, i was just asking. thank you!

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: i dont get it, if one is ahellufa dancer, why do they judge dancers by their physique?! specially ballerinas...

anyway, i was just asking. thank you!

In addition to what the previous responder said, there's the desire for ensemble. If you have a line of ballerinas dancing in unison, the effect is a bit diminished if one of them is 5' 2" and curvy, and the next is 5' 11" and thin as a rail.

It's also true that ballet is all about the legs, and taller, thinner dancers are leggier.

Is it unfair to judge by physique? It's normal in a wide range of occupations. Body builders assess champions by talking, in part, about their genetics (they use precisely that term). Actors are accustomed to being judged by appearance (though, in acting, there are roles for all appearances--however only the good-looking get to the very top pay levels).

If you really want to dance, but you don't have a ballerina's genetics, then why keep hitting your head against the ballet wall? There are lots of styles of dance that don't have such strict standards for physique; you could go into modern, or jazz, or latin, or ballroom, or tap. Go to college and earn a degree in dance (and you'll probably pick up some acting too; as a respected theatre department staffer noted, dancers can fake acting far better than actors can fake dancing). You could be the next Ginger Rogers--and more people know her name associated with dance than ANY ballerina's!

I know what you mean. I'm very curvy myself. But it's all about line. And in ballet, the women need to be carried, so if one weighs 120 vs. 100, thats a big deal for the guy. And if you don't have the turn out, the feet, too many curves even if you do only way, let's say, 90 lbs, they still judge. That part I don't really like.

~Lisa

I have a friend who owns a dance studio in the town we live in and she gets the same thing. I can't understand it. There's more to them than their physique. She has a great personality and a wonderful sense of humor.