General conditions for a ballet dancer?

Question:

General conditions for a ballet dancer?

there are lots of things a ballet dancer needs to have to become any good, in these are weight, height, body shape age range and so on. i actually want this stuff to compare it to myself. no, i'm not a profesional, i'm going to start ballet classes (eventually) and no matter the answers i'll still do the best i posibly can. so please tell me:

1-what is the best age to start ballet?

2- how much should you weigh?

3- how tall should you be?

4- what type of body shape is ideal for this?

5- are there any measurements (or a range) that show the ideal body?

6- at what age do most dancers begin dancing profesionally, and at what age do they retire?

thanks in advance for all of this...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: General answers - there ARE exceptions, but not many.

1) Age 9 or younger. No later than 11 for girls and age 14 for boys if they want to have any hope of turning professional.
2) Not a question of weight per se, but what is the body fat% - it should be low.
3) Girls should be 5' or taller (adult height)
4) Body type should be slim/athletic - look at the dancers parents for clues. Flexibility, turnout and "line" are also huge considerations.
5) No, not really ideal body type is a subjective judgement made by artistic directors for dance companies. Standards for men are more flexible. An idealized ballerina would be 5'6" (1.68M) and 110 lbs (50 kg). There are WIDE ranges for this so don't take it as gospel.
6) Most young women are pro by age 18 and dance for 6-10 years - sometimes longer. Most men are pro by the same age but can dance for a lot longer up to 20+ years.