Back in Ballet Class

[Randee]

The reason I suggested to Balletbeautiful that you wear what you want from Day 1 is that it worked so well for me. Sure, having my girlfriend with me gave me support and my attire would be fine with them if it was fine with her, and I would not have to prove I wasn't gay though, alone, I would be more than happy to do so with anyone willing and desireable. And there were definitely some other lovely leotarded ladies who might have been interested had I not been spoken for. I think it best because easing into it later might make it look like you came to push boundaries and push a little forward toward crossdressing in steps, and with that maybe you did come more for the clothing than the dance. Like Jamie is pretty much locked into dancing in male dance clothes. But I was always able to attend as simply a guy in leotards and tights because that was what I had to start out in, even if they thought they were borrowed from my girlfriend. It was their domain that I entered and what I wore was never an issue going forward. When other men visited the class, they were encouraged to come back, but after they left, a couple of them would say for me to hear, "if he comes back, he'd better be in some leotards!" I don't know if they told the guys, but I don't recall any coming a second time.

I did call around like Linda suggested asking other studios what everyone wore to class and if the leotards and tights I already had would be OK. Every one I called said enthusiastically that "that'll be fine." They sounded more like they did not want to discourage men from attending class by making them think they were required to be in tights and leotards like the ladies, but happy to have them. It was a dream come true, one night a week for two years with my girlfriend and her lovely leotarded classmates making me feel like one of the troupe. I am glad that I didn't lose time trying to ease into wearing what I wanted so I could just dance and enjoy. Hope you have as much pleasure yourself.
Jamie, do you think now that if you wanted to start wearing leotards to class over your tights that you could just step out in them without it becoming a scene, or would it just be taken as a change in personal preference? Not talking makeup or fake tits, just the clothing. Probably nerve wracking the first time, but even then, ultimately acceptable.

[Linda E. Woodworth]

A few observations made with taking ballet for the last few years.

1. Not all studios will have a beginning adult class. While trying to find one I was treated at times like a pedophile for daring to invade the sanctum of the studio and asking.

2. Dress codes for adults are usually pretty relaxed. We're not there to become professional dancers, but just want to learn ballet. I would discuss with them what you would like to wear ahead of time. As I've advanced from beginner to intermediate level classes I have had to leave the "adult" class behind. Consequently I am in class with several children whose combined ages still don't equal mine. There is always the dancing Master or Mistress present. However; you don't want to excite or scare the parents if their child starts describing the "man in a tutu" in the class. That doesn't do anybody any good.

3. Those studios that do have adult classes were more than happy to have any men taking them. That being said, some are better than others at providing for both genders. In one studio there was no men's dressing room and I was directed to use the bathroom. Fine, I can handle that. My current studio has separate dressing and bathrooms for both men and women.

4. In all my years, nobody has even showed me 3rd position. I don't know if it is used for anything any more.

That's all for this one girls. I love the classes, even if I do look like a sea sick crocodile out there floundering around. One day I'll get it together. In the mean time I'm working my tail off and having fun!

[Sarah V]

@ Ms. BB: Here are my answers to your questions:

So I have a few questions:

1. Jamie, and the other ladies doing classes, have you considered doing exams in ballet? My class does exams and I fully intend to take them. It would really give me something to strive for.

ANS: Yes, I have. However the only good graded program I know of is RAD (Royal Academy of Dancing) and here in the US RAD is not as popular, at least I believe, than it is in the UK, CDN, EU, AUS, etc. Also at least in the San Antonio area, I do not know of a reputable ballet school that is doing RAD for adults. There are probably a few well off (non working) GG women living around here that can take graded class at one of local pre-pro schools that have full day time programs, but since I have become used to eating that means I have to work, and hence all my ballet that I take are all on strictly nights and weekends----------Thank God for my Retirement coming up now in about 3 more months give or take a few days.

2. Do you wear a dance belt to class? I don't really fancy the idea.

ANS: Yes, I do. I take my classes as a male (in my scratchy Capezio tights no less--Ms. Jamie :>) Trust me, unless you are really quite small, you will want one, esp. when you get to jumping in class. FYI for what it is worth, both my dance belts are all full seat M. Stevens ones and I just luv them. Much better than the way uncomfortable Capezio thong ones I have had in the past.

3. Tights. I wear female clothes whenever possible - but most of my wardrobe is androgynous - female clothes but fairly plain, so that nobody will know. I fully intend to take class in female T-shirt and leggings. But I'd love to work my way up to tights one day. Are there any female tights that are thicker, like the men's? I'd rather not wear men's tights.

ANS: No, female tights are not thicker (like men's) that I know of, and I have not ever seen or heard of any that are. However having said that, there are a ton of manufacturer's who produce tights.......so, never say never.

4. Would you say that ballet has helped to feminise you -both in a physical way in terms of toning, and in terms of poise and how you hold yourself?

ANS: Yes, absolulty!! And I love it! It has also helped me tremendously to get ready/in shape for some major orthopedic surgery I just had and from which I am now home recovering from....

------An aside (Jamie) I am pretty much out of class for this semester, but I finally had to have this work done before I retire later this year.

5. Are there any ballet moves I should learn before my first class?

ANS: I would recommend working (or just learning about) the five (5) basic positions of the feet, and the general port de bras of the arms. After that, let your instructor take it from there.

Hope that helps.

Ms. Linda, Jamie: We all really have to find a way to get together sometime. Any thoughts to looking into wanting to attend the Sun King adult dance camp ( as guys probably) next year? I'll be retired and have the time next year.

And Ms. Jamie-----I am dying to see those tutu's of your's one day!! You can see my practice one (with me in it no less) on Flicker---you should be able to find it. Sarah

[JamieG]

Jamie, do you think now that if you wanted to start wearing leotards to class over your tights that you could just step out in them without it becoming a scene, or would it just be taken as a change in personal preference? Not talking makeup or fake tits, just the clothing. Probably nerve wracking the first time, but even then, ultimately acceptable.

I'm not sure I'm at a place in my life where I would be comfortable with that. I believe if I were to do so (women's tights with the leotard on top), everyone would know that I am a crossdresser. I think for the most part the class would be fine it, but that's not something I'm comfortable sharing with them right now.

Ms. Linda, Jamie: We all really have to find a way to get together sometime. Any thoughts to looking into wanting to attend the Sun King adult dance camp ( as guys probably) next year? I'll be retired and have the time next year.

And Ms. Jamie-----I am dying to see those tutu's of your's one day!! You can see my practice one (with me in it no less) on Flicker---you should be able to find it. Sarah

Sarah, it would be great to get all of the crossdressers.com ballerinas and form our own ballet company. A Sun King camp is on my bucket list, but probably not in the near future. Money is a little tight right now, and there are lot's of family responsibilities. BTW, some of my tutus are on Flickr too, and I think a one is in the photo gallery here.

[CamillaCD]

News from across the pond. The new semester started 2 weeks ago. I'm attending two classes per week. One for adults that have danced before and one more directed at beginners. The latter turns out to be popular as we were 15 (14 ladies plus me). Some seemed to never have tried ballet before. The downside is its only 60 minutes.

Practising one hour at home every weekend makes a total of 3 1/2 hours of ballet every week. So you can see I am still a bit hooked on ballet :-)

[Randee]

And I thought I was the shy one here!
Looks like I am the only one here who has been bold enough to take class in leotards and tights like the other adult ladies in my jazz/ballet class. I knew I would attend as a male, especially since I was attending as the boyfriend of one of the ladies in the class. I will admit it was a little nerve wracking going to my first class, first that I was entering their world of ladies in a ballet class, and secondly that my gf and I had agreed that if I wanted to wear leotards and tights in class with her, I should start from the beginning. On the afternoon of my first class I came home from work and changed into my leotard and tights I would be wearing for my first class and wore them around the house for a couple of hours to get comfortable about being in them and calm myself down. That lasted until my gf came by to drive us both to class wearing my favorite outfit for her. But that is another story.
My confidence in attending class in leotard and tights came after a few phone calls to several dance studios and dancewear stores. The general consensus was 'wear what you want' and one comment 'it depends on how feminine you want to look' referring to whether I would be in a plain unisex black or single colored leotard, or a flowery print. When discussing styles with sales ladies, most said that the styles were basically unisex, but came in women's sizes only because it was mostly women who bought them. DUH. But for the long sleeve or turtleneck styles I desired, it would be a women's that she would be putting me in. I had even tried some of these on in dancewear stores. My leotard for the first class was a black Capezio short sleeve zip front V-neck which I had seen both men and women wear in dancewear catalogs, and my tights were men's Capezio that I had bought to wear for a costume, just a little thicker than womens tights. Having worn leotards and tights as base for some Halloween costumes over the years, I had some outfits on hand and a good reason for having them. Now that I had been in ballet with gf, I had even more good reasons. I had tried dance belts and didn't like wearing them unless I absolutely had to. Most of the time I got enough support from the leotards and tights without it. I did miss it one night when I attended class in a lycra unitard by itself, problem solved by wearing short sleeve lycra thong leotard under it.
So I don't think there is anyone here who wouldn't enjoy being the only guy in a class of ladies taking ballet and wearing leotards and tights with them. To that, from my experience, I can't believe I am saying to you, 'grow a set'. Actually the ladies likes that too, as my gf told me she often caught the other ladies checking me out while we were doing warmups together in front of the big mirrors.
You may have to be the first in your class, but you won't have to be the only one. Check out the product review by Mike of this leotard and see how good his masculine body looks in leotards and tights--
http://www.discountdance.com/dancewe...6#BVRRWidgetID

[NicoleballetTV]

*I have been dancing femme since I came out to my ballet teacher last year - I asked to learn pointe - when I showed up with sheers and shorts she took one look and said - honey - you can wear a skirt if you like! The other ladies (my age 40s)all said - babe if you can wear sheers and start pointe you're one of the girls! SO I turned up to the class next week femme (looking like a girl out an office) and wwore a leotard, nude shiny sheers, pink pointe shoes and a sheer dance skirt.
Im Nicole to them - I am delighted to be accepted as one oif them = and we have even had a heels master class - I was teaching them to walk in my 120mm louboutins!

[NicoleballetTV]

@nicolelondontv is my twitter!

*I have been dancing femme since I came out to my ballet teacher last year - I asked to learn pointe - when I showed up with sheers and shorts she took one look and said - honey - you can wear a skirt if you like! The other ladies (my age 40s)all said - babe if you can wear sheers and start pointe you're one of the girls! SO I turned up to the class next week femme (looking like a girl out an office) and wwore a leotard, nude shiny sheers, pink pointe shoes and a sheer dance skirt.
Im Nicole to them - I am delighted to be accepted as one oif them = and we have even had a heels master class - I was teaching them to walk in my 120mm louboutins!

[mechamoose]

When I did classes (I had a scholarship at the Hartford School of Ballet) I did a leotard & tights. I didn't think anything of it (hints of things to come??)

It all went well until the local paper did a news story on the school, and had a picture of the only scholarship male student.. me. I was in a Catholic HS at the time. I'm sure you can imagine the results.

- MM

[JamieG]

My ballet classes have started back up. There is one other guy in the class, and although he has come to many classes in the past, he's rarely wears tights, and when he does, they are more like gymnast tights. I wore my usual tights and performance tee. Class went well, although we had a new stretch that really pulled something that I had to work out for about 5 minutes before I could continue. My teacher called me "unmusical," but it was in good fun. I'm glad to be back moving again.

News from across the pond. The new semester started 2 weeks ago. I'm attending two classes per week. One for adults that have danced before and one more directed at beginners. The latter turns out to be popular as we were 15 (14 ladies plus me). Some seemed to never have tried ballet before. The downside is its only 60 minutes.

Practising one hour at home every weekend makes a total of 3 1/2 hours of ballet every week. So you can see I am still a bit hooked on ballet :-)

Glad to hear your still a ballet-addict like me. I wish I could do it as often as you, though.

*I have been dancing femme since I came out to my ballet teacher last year - I asked to learn pointe - when I showed up with sheers and shorts she took one look and said - honey - you can wear a skirt if you like! The other ladies (my age 40s)all said - babe if you can wear sheers and start pointe you're one of the girls! SO I turned up to the class next week femme (looking like a girl out an office) and wwore a leotard, nude shiny sheers, pink pointe shoes and a sheer dance skirt.
Im Nicole to them - I am delighted to be accepted as one oif them = and we have even had a heels master class - I was teaching them to walk in my 120mm louboutins!

Hi Nicole. That's a wonderful story. Do you have a pic to share of you in your ballet gear?

[Linda E. Woodworth]

Hi Jamie,

I finally found a pair of ballet slipper but they turned out to be too small. I've been wearing them in the hopes the leather will stretch out but no such luck so far. I've got a pair of canvas slippers coming from Discount Dance Supply.

I moved up to the Intermediate class starting in June but with family commitments I haven't made as many classes as I would have liked. Even so I found I was ready for the class and enjoy taking it. Last class I actually thought I looked graceful at times instead of a flailing whale.

Nicole, I'm envious of you taking pointe class and hope to some day. I'm in no way ready for that though.

Camila, I practice at the house about 1 hour a week and then the class is usually 90 minutes long. I'd like to take more classes but they're in the evenings and I don't want to tie up that many nights every week.

Sarah, thank you for the wonderful suggestion about dancing together with Jamie. Unfortunately I feel I'm a long way from being able to do that.

Unfortunately girls I must return to work and I'll be leaving the country for 2 1/2 months starting next week. I'll practice my barre work in my room when I can but center work isn't practical. Also, I don't have any access to this web site as the company controls all the computers while I'm on the job.

Enjoy the classes and I'll be back around Thanksgiving!

Love,
Linda W.

[Sarah V]

Ms. Linda: I am sure I can say for all of us, we will be waiting for you to get back in touch with us here after your work assignment. Do practice as much as you can, many hotels that I stay in for my business trips have a ballet barre' installed in their hotel gym/work-out room, and many also have mirror's on the wall so you can check your alignments. You might get lucky and have one too, so do check it out where you are staying. Do travel safely also.

[JamieG]

This week's ballet class went well. There were a few combinations that I was a little lost on at the outset, but figured them out before we finished them. Our work across the floor was very fast paced and I even got a compliment on one such combination, which is rare. The floor is where I usually struggle, especially with fast triple meter music as this was. We had a few new students in class, including one guy. Not much else to report. Til next week...

[JamieG]

Another week, more ballet.... As usual, after I missed a class, I took the subsequent jazz class as a makeup. Leading up to the classes, I was actually dreading them. I didn't sleep well the night before, and my work has been extremely hectic lately. I just didn't feel like 3 hours of dancing. Fortunately, I didn't lame out, because I had two really good classes, and left feeling much more positive and energized than going into them (dance has a way of doing that for me).

In the ballet class, the teacher pointed out how she didn't like the way that I "locked my knees" when she told me to stand on a "straight-leg," a complaint she frequently makes about my positions. However, this time she gave me clear instructions about what I should do, and I think I actually got it; at least she said so a few times. We had some new combinations, and although I erred a little at beginning of a few, I picked up quickly after that, and finished cleanly on every one. We did some changements (jumps up and change feet) and she said I have improved on them (I am now jumping more with my feet and legs, leaving my chest in place, and I am usually pointing my feet as the top of the jump). We ended with a fast polka across the floor in four groups, and I was specifically complimented on that as well. In the end, she told me I had a great class! Yay!

For the jazz class, they had been learning various pieces of a dance over the prior three weeks, so the teacher asked me to stand near the front she could make sure I picked everything up. For the most part, I got it when we did everything in pieces, but struggled a little bit as we chained it all together. We did the entire dance for about 10 minutes, repeating the combination about 4 times, and for the most part I was on step. Some of my details were clearly off, but I was moving in the right direction at the right times. Overall, I think I did good for dropping in on the middle of a session. We ended the evening with stretches. As usual, I did pretty well here, but due to a bit of a break from dancing at the end of the summer, I fall short of my maximum flexibility.

Hope all my fellow dancers are as happy with their progress as I am!

[Katey888]

Jamie dear...

I think all of this is hugely inspirational, but.... (and I'm sure others will agree..)

It is totally begging for a video clip...

Even just a short clip....?

Katey x

[JamieG]

Sorry, Katey. Our lessons aren't filmed. If however, I ever have the opportunity to show off my skills at a TG talent show, I'll be sure to have someone record it. In the meantime, you'll have to settle for some of my ballet pics in the photos section.

[mikee82]

Nicole I am so happy for you to be accepted as one of the girls is a win so take it and dance your ass off girl and I bet your outfit was stunning
-Mikee

[Sarah V]

Hi All!

Well, I had my 6 week post-surgical follow up the other day and my doctor's are pleased with my recovery and the progress I am making with my physical therapy.

At this appointment I asked my providers when I could return to being able to dance, and well then my ortho doc (really a 2nd yr student resident) asked "What type of dance?" and I told him "Ballet"........well let's just say..........the look on his young face was just priceless. He was speechless! He really didn't think a person who has just had a major THR surgery would ever even want to contemplate doing anything like ballet.

I told him, "I know, I know....,no more jumping, no more obviously big arabesques/attitudes" Grand battaments over 90d to the to the front and rear are out, no forced turn out of the operative leg, etc."

Well, he said, after thinking about it for a moment,....."Stay out of class at least through mid-November, and then o.k. to return to class (YAY!!!!)" "But be very careful!" he said (no kidding). He told me he is leaving it up to me to see what will and will not work.

My instructors have already told me they will make sure I do not get into trouble, they are just so happy to be having a guy back in class.

So, with Nutcracker season coming up by then, and then the holiday's fast upon us all after that, Realistically.........I am looking to go back to class at the beginning of the spring semester when classes start again on January 5th of 2015.

Keep on Dancin' ladies!!

[JamieG]

So, with Nutcracker season coming up by then, and then the holiday's realistically I am looking to go back to class at the beginning of the spring semester when classes start again in January.

Sarah, glad to hear that you'll be able to start back up in January. I just had my last class of the year, so it will be January before I'm back in again too.

Once again, I did a double class to make up for a missed class. Now that the weather is getting cold, I decided to wear my black long-sleeve unitard with white trouser socks. I "butched" it up a little with a white performance tee. My instructor smiled a little at my look, but didn't say anything. I did pretty well with ballet, although I got some one-on-one work regarding my grande battements (high kicks). In particular, I need to slide my foot more on the floor at the beginning and end of every kick.

My second class was jazz. I was a hot mess in that class! I guess I shouldn't be too hard on myself. It was the last class of the session, so everyone else had been working up to the material in it, while I was thrown in cold. But still, I got very frustrated. Especially with one combination we did in the middle of the class. The final combination I sort of got. I was always with the beat, although sometimes I stepped with the wrong foot or put out the wrong hand. We ended with stretches, and despite not having stretched for weeks, I was surprised that I was able to almost touch my belly to the floor while in a side split. Maybe my body is "remembering" my stretches for longer now.

Now comes a bleak winter of no dancing for two months. I really need to get a part in a Nutcracker production!

Jamie

[Joan_CD]

Hi Jamie,

Now that you got a little smile from the instructor on your outfit, will you push the envelope when you go back in January... A little makeup or a change in your outfit?

[Sarah V]

Jamie, and all: Jamie, thanks for the well wish's. My post-THR re-hab continues to go well. I am doing PT every day now and will be winding that up in two more weeks. I am doing alternating days of physio in the Gym (land), and then pool (water). What I have found in the water class is that I can now get my operative leg well past 30d abduction (which is supposed to be my lifetime restriction), and it looks like I have been able to retain my natural turn-out at least to where it was pre-surgery, though again, I am certainly not trying to force anything.

At the end of pool class our instructor has us do some self-stretching before we get out of the water. I have been doing a bit of careful cheating...just to see how things are doing, and I see that I can now get and hold my operative leg to just about 90d in a side battement. (Something I have not been able to do in years now.....and something I have missed very much.) I am also finding when I am home, I can now bend down easier to pick things up, etc,........so, I am encouraged that when I re-start class in January I will be able to do now to do more than I could in the last year when my OA really started to get worse.

The reason I say all this and how it relates to my taking ballet is that I purposefully had a Direct Anterior Approach (DAA) done for my THR, as I knew I wanted to try to continue with ballet again if it was at all possible. And so far I think it will be. DAA's are fairly new, and not a lot of surgeons do them. However, I read that a lot of dancer's are getting them, and this led to find a very small specialized website called "DancerHips".

On the Dancerhips site I read the stories of a number of ballet dancer's (and many well known one's among them) who have had to have THR's at a younger age (like me). I really liked the idea that DAA's are the way to go for people who lead active lifestyles, and esp. those who want to try to return to dance, as the post - THR recovery time is less, and the amount of discomfort I am in really is a lot less/more tolerable than from folks I heard of who had a normal posterior approach done......The DAA also has one other plus to it........the fact that I will not have a unsightly looking 6" vertical scar running along the back of my rear-end!!!!

[CamillaCD]

Last class for this term for us adult beginners. Also a class where friends and relatives can to come and watch. The instructor said jokingly that we should do the class in tutus, but it was fun to take her up on it.

wIMG_20141211_213758.jpg

[Alicia S]

Only just picked up on this thread thanks to the new posting...
Really interesting to hear it all. It reminded me of a fine day out to see Les Ballets du Trokadero - look them up on you tube if you haven't heard of them. Well worth a watch

[JamieG]

Camilla, that is awesome! You are braver than I (and look lovely in your tutu).

[Linda E. Woodworth]

Hey Girls,

I'm back in the country from traveling and work and have returned to my ballet classes. I really missed them while I was gone. I was just starting to feel like I was getting the hang of being graceful when I had to leave.

Jamie, it's taken me multiple orders of different sizes but I "think" I have a pair of slippers now that fit. Of course I still have to sew on the elastics and actually dance in them.

Camilla, I'm envious of the tutu. I've never worn one but my daughter keeps pushing me to get one. She gets to pick it out of course. That's to go with the bubble gum pink tights with yellow/green poka-dots she demands I wear. (no I haven't been able to find any so outrageous but I have a lot of phun looking in stores!) Keep at it and you'll be moving up to a more difficult class before you know it.

Sarah, I 'm glad the recovery from the surgery is going well. I hope to get that flexible some day and that's a major reason I started ballet 4 years ago.

To all the other girls, It's great to be back and connected again. I don't have access to this sight when I'm on the road. I'm enjoying the holidays at home for a change along with doubling up on ballet classes. I'm really enjoying the added complexity of the intermediate level classes I'm taking. I was definitely ready to step up and have a ball no matter how hard we have to work.