My ballet class requires me to be underweight!!!!!

I am a teenage ballerina who has a bust and an almost full-grown body. I have a small bone structure, but I am a regular weight for 5'5". My dance studio requires me to be underweight in order to go on pointe (a ballet term for dancing on the tips of your toes), and its always been my dream to go on pointe. I am soooo confused right now!

My friend is a bellet student and has been for 7 years. She just received her first pair of pointe shoes. She is slender but not underweight (e.g., around 120 pounds and 5-foot-7). I think your dance company may have a distorted view of the requirements to go on pointe. However, my friend did say it takes a lot of hard work to earn your pointe shoes, but I unfortunately know very little firsthand about ballet.

oh no... i've always heard of ballerina's who develope eating disorders. thats a tough situation... :(

I know there are some professions that do demand strict adherence to being "underweight."

but what reason do they give for it?  what about that particular ballet requires being underweight?  is it because the toes cannot support normal weight?

how much underweight would you have to go?  What do your parents think? 

That is insane.

If you want to go on pointe then you DO IT. Its your body! They have no right to encourage you to be underweight.

My new rule is if you want to skip you have to be underweight..

Do you see how little sense that makes?

Leave that school- practice on your own.. find a personal instructor.. etc.

Do you want to be a professional ballerina? Prove the industry wrong- show them that girls who are healthy are just as wonderful in the art as those who are underweight.

Its that kind of behavior that causes people to become anorexic.

Do you want to make a difference in the world? Every action has a positive or negative reaction-- if you give in to them you will only reinforce their misconceptions. Stand up against society!

I do want to be a professional, but at the expense of straving myself or even developing an eating disorder! I see dancers on television and in movies who hav beutiful HEALTHY bodies and they are ballerinas too, but my studio believes that those ballerinas who are going to be lifted should be 90-95 pounds! I have considered going to a new studio (but its over the hill from my house), and my mom doesn't even want me to be a dancer so she wont drive me there. THis is the worste situation!

ballerinanina-

Please read this carefully.  I have been dancing since I was 3 years old.  I am now 21 and a senior in college.  I just completed my minor in dance last semester.  I have always loved ballet the most and went on pointe when I was 12.  I have never had what is defined as the perfect ballerina's body.  I was 5'7" and 142 pounds.  Everyone always commented on how beautiful they thought I was but I never believed them-it is so hard to do when you have to look at yourself in a leotard everyday.  So when I came to college I finally "took control" of the situation and became obsessed with eating less and working out.  I was so excited when I started losing weight and finally getting that perfect dancer's body that I just couldn't stop.  I'm now 100 pounds.  My family and friends finally stepped in and I'm getting help (therapy, doctor, dietcian).  Putting myself, my family, and my friends through all of this stress, worry, and pain has NOT been worth that perfect dancer body.  I wish I had my old one back honestly.  Please don't let anyone tell you that you need to be underweight to go on pointe or even to dance.  In my mind, ballet should be about your passion for it and the beauty of it-not about competition and seeing how thin you can be.  Don't lose sight of why you are really doing it and PLEASE don't let anyone else ruin your love for it by telling you that you need to be thinner.

I think kcobb is on the right path and you should listen to her and everyone else. 

Take care of yourself.  Its your body that you will have for the rest of your life and dancing career....not the people insisting you be underweight.  

We make the decisions for ourselves in life, its up to us to make the right ones.

find a new company. I went en pointe when i was chubby.
I did just fine.

Don't go anorexic for pointe shoes. It's not even worth it. You can dance en pointe at a healthy weight.

Thank you all sooo much! I have to leave for dance class now, but today I am going to march up to my teacher and say "I'm sorry but if I have to strave myself to be on pointe, you can keep me in regular shoes forever!" I am NOT going to strave myself!

Good for you. :)

I am really proud of your choice. You deserve a giant hug!!!

My ballet studio did the same....and i became anorexic....5'8 and 100 pounds...so i stopped ballet..and now im 5'8 and 108 and going back to karate were i belong again XD

my niece is 15, a ballet student and teacher - she has curves but for her height (5'2") she is "average" weight - she does go on pointe and her instructor is so proud of her, and she continues to love ballet - cudos to the instructors that encourage young girls to strive for excellence without ever injuring themselves or their health - i'd look for a new ballet class because insisting that you be underweight is simply wrong, wrong, wrong - good health and a good self image always comes first

Can I add some levity here, I started ballet when I was 8 years old and all I wanted was to be one of the children who runs our from under the sugarplum fairy's dress in The Nutcracker!  I did ok at a really strict studio until, I turned 9 and guess what, I grew boobs!  Big 'ole C cups on a fourth grader! Not much fun but what could I do.  As I was bouncing around with my fellow dancers, all teensy tiney sprigs, I thought, what the heck am I doing here, but I tried to stick it out because if you dance for Ellis Dubelet, you had a great chance at the Nutcracker.  A year later and I had hips!  I felt like an amazon with all the little skinny girls and I was only 5'2" 110lbs.  I decided to love my new womanly figure and leave the ballet shoes behind.  

Be true to yourself!  Listen to your body and leave the rest of 'em in the dust!!! 

that is ABSURD. I am a ballerina, and I got my pointe shoes in winter 2005, at which time I was 5'1" and about 112 lbs, which is certainly not underweight. I can see where if maybe you were 5'5" and 250 pounds pointe would not be advisable, but if you're at a normal healthy weight, you cna pointe all you want! don't get sick for your distorted teacher, its not worth it!!!

My roomate in college once wanted to be a ballet dancer, but she was "too tall" for the ballet.  She also was considered too busty, even though she was not that busty.  So she turned to modern dance.  She is still dancing in a troupe that has done things like tour Europe.  She's also the most beautiful dancer I've ever seen.  Perhaps you should consider types of dance that don't have such unnatural body expectations.

You should seriously consider changing schools. There are some schools that do this sort of thing, and they are outdated and dangerous. It's the same with professional companies. There are plenty who want healthy dancers, but some are unreasonable, and should be avoided. Frankly, even if you were overweight, it would still be more dangerous to go on pointe anorexic. The weakness that comes from it is so much more dangerous than weight, and if you're a healthy weight anyway, then don't even consider starving yourself.
If you want to be a professional ballet dancer, you need to find a school that teaches healthier, or you'll end up with a very short career anyway.  Are there any other schools in your area that you can go to? If not, would you consider commuting a longer way or even boarding somewhere?

By the way, where do you dance, if you don't mind my asking? I've been dancing for 20 years now, and know some area's companies, so I might have some advice. Also, if you don't mind, I'm curious about details - how old are you, how much do you weigh, how much do they want you to weigh, and by when? Where did your director/teacher dance? (b/c their policies might affect the policy at your school) Is there anyone at your school who had or has an eating disorder you can cite to point out how unhealty this is? Anyway, feel free not to answer any of this if you'd rather not, or if you don't want to post publicly you can email me at epressman617@yahoo.com.

Stay strong about this = it's not worth your health.

One of my neighbors is a famous Canadian ballerina (Amalia Shellhorn if you follow ballet in Canada). She is NOT underweight and neither are any of her three daughters, all of whom dance.

Change schools. I can put you in touch with Amalia if you have serious questions.

Very well written kcobb.

I would seek a new studio.  Anyone who encourages you to be unhealthy or any reason is in the wrong.

I really do not think sacrificing your health, and the potential damage you can do to your body (and your mind!) when you are older is worth it.

Have you spoken about this to your parents ?

You go girl! You tell them that starvation is not the way! You don't have to be underweight to be a fantastic ballerina! You can do it!