On Ballet and Perfection

We had a farewell party for one of the bosses today, and the discussions reminded me of some thoughts which came to mind a while ago.

One of them is that although I'm more fascinated by Latin ballroom and salsa than I am by classical ballroom, the truth of the matter is that I'll probably be a better dancer of classical ballroom due to my ballet background.

While I'd long harboured the secret hope that I'll one day learn and get fairly good at the more sexy Latin dances and jazz, I think the summer masterclass in contemp/jazz had rid me of all delusions.

Things really are different when you're seeing a professional in action and trying to mimic the moves he does. Someone once said to me, using ballet as an example, that she doesn't know how to appreciate ballet as she has no background and doesn't know what it means or what it takes to execute the moves. And I totally agree. It seems like the more I learn the more I'm able to appreciate ballet greatness as well as identify what could be improved upon by the dancers on stage.

Also, it occurred to me that ballet leaves no room for anything that's not perfection. While Latin ballroom has competitions for dancers based on their standard (e.g. amateur competitions vs semi-pro ones), competitions in ballet are by age categories. That is of no consolation to learners of ballet though, as there are 13 year olds who can outdance those far older than them with their numerous fouettes en pointe.

While I may have reached major grade and only, on paper, have four grades left to pass, this means nothing when passing exams is just the tip of the iceberg. And really, without strong pointe technique, minimally 120 degree arabesques and at least 16 fouettes (and perfect triple pirouettes), you're nothing in the ballet world.

A long way to go in the strive towards inching closer to perfection.  

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