I came late in life to ballet (like 48ish) but since then it has become more than just a pastime - its a passion!
While I have always appreciated ballet, it never occurred to me to participate and my parents never encouraged it or really even made me aware that it might be possible. I grew up in a family of opera singers and operaphiles and while I enjoyed it, I secretly enjoyed the corps de ballet even more. When they were on stage I no longer even heard the singers! I was entranced by the beauty and grace of the dancers and imagined what it would have been like to have been one of them - a ballerina in my case. Unfortunately I drifted off to more masculine pursuits (not because I wanted to, rather because I thought I was supposed to) and ballet faded into the distance.
Many years later I found myself in a horrible funk and mid-life crisis. I was trying to reconcile who I was with who I had become and while I could be judged as successful in many ways, I wasnt really feeling that way. I really needed some sort of change in my life. Long story short, with my wife's encouragement, I mustered up my courage and signed up for a ballet class and have never looked back. Without being dramatic, in some ways ballet was a life saver for me. Somehow it became the key, that once turned, freed me to talk more openly with my wife about transgender topics. It also provided an outlet for creativity, artistry and other traits generally regarded as feminine. In short order, the funk and crisis dissipated.
So how has ballet helped me?
1) Its physically and mentally demanding - it forces me to put away thoughts of work and normal every day life and relieves stress by changing my focus to something totally different
2) It has helped me be more graceful and move in a more feminine way
3) It has helped my balance - my skiing has improved exponentially
4) I meet such interesting people in the performing arts community
5) It has helped me review and balance my priorities in life
6) It has helped break down the painfully constructed barriers that separated my culturally appropriate male self from my real true female self
7) I get to wear tights, leotards, costumes and unitards!
So, to my question... is there anyone else out there that feels the way I do or at least has an interest in ballet? I would love to exchange experiences, tips and tricks, perspectives and such with others who do.
Thank you so much for wading through this!
Hugs,
