“I have felt tricked and misled by the encouragement I received, that while you would suffer greatly, it would be worth it, because your career would be spectacular and unlike any other. My teachers’ faces and realities told me otherwise, but I went on. When I reached the professional level and fully realized that I would have to go on unemployment every summer for the rest of my life to survive and keep dancing, I felt isolated and vulnerable. I was irresponsible, “young and in love” with an art form that would never give me back even a portion of what I gave it. Feeling special, being “happy”, and doing something for the sheer love of it within the context of ballet can have damaging impacts on you mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially. For very few, the sacrifices made for ballet will manifest in a successful career. For most though, it will not. And that’s ok.”
-Anonymous
