Ballet and Me

My mom took classes when she was a kid, and when she met my dad in drama school in Enlgand, they both had to take ballet. And they thought it'd be a good idea to introduce me to it, as it can be a really great way to get fit. So when I was five years old, they made me take a ballet class at the Joffrey Ballet School in Manhattan. After that, it was up to me. So for years, I took classes a couple times a week with them, excepting ofcourse a brief time where I switched to the Alvin Ailey School. In 2005, my family moved to Ithaca, New York. So I started taking classes at the Ithaca Ballet. This was very different. And as a kid, it was a lot more fun. There were fewer people, so I got more attention as a boy. And I got to perform in shows like Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty. Party child, dwarf, village child, party teen, Nutcracker Prince, toy soldier, russian boy, villager, marzipan. I did three or four shows a year, and several roles in each. It was the most exciting thing to do as a child.

Admittedly, I was a normal, misbehaving little boy. I loved performing and rehearsals, but classes sometimes bored me and I would get into all sorts of trouble with the other boys, talking, etc.

When I was about 12, this started to change. I started to become more studious, and began liking ballet more. Johann Studier, once a dancer with the Houston Ballet, began teaching a boys class once a week. This was amazing. I got to work on boy things! Jumps, turns. It was so fun. And I began getting better roles in shows as I was older. And if I'm honest, having the competition of a couple other boys really helped to push me aswell. Then, sometime last year, Johann started teaching a partnering class. Rehearsals often pushed it to the side, but I got to take partnering once every month or two.

Then, one Wednesday, my dad drove me to the big city to take an audition class at the School of American Ballet. Just for the experience. It was more intense than any I'd ever had. I loved it. I wanted to pass out before petit allegro. My teacher, Mr. Jock Soto, offered me to sit down. I didn't take him up on this, and pushed through. I was exhausted, but I felt good. A week or so later, I got a call at school from my dad, letting me know that SAB had offered me a full scholarship to start their year round program immediately. At first, I leapt at the chance. Then I went back to class with my friends. And I went to ballet (by this point, I was part of the Ithaca Ballet Company, and had grown close to everyone there). And I suddenly realized what I would be leaving. And I didn't really want to be a dancer. So I was torn. After two weeks of "should I stay or should I go?", I decided to remain in Ithaca.

During the early winter/late spring of last year, I started watching documentaries about professional ballet.

And everything changed......