Am I Too Late to Start Ballet?

It's a common question - am I too old to start ballet if I want to make dancing a career?   There are professional male ballet dancers that started late, although it's rare.  But I suspect that rarity is not because it's so hard to do.

Part of the reason is that dancers are born, not made - it's unusual for someone to suddenly discover a love of dance in their teens.   Although of course, there are always people who love to dance as children but, for some reason, are unable to study it - especially men, who may have been discouraged from dancing as boys.

Another reason is that many ballet schools aren't welcoming to late beginners, which adds another obstacle to the would-be late starter.  After all, how many 15 year old boys would be willing to join a class of 11-year-old girls, yet that's what many ballet teachers will insist you do?

Finally, the average ballet teacher is likely to talk down your chances of success - not with malicious intent, but simply because they want to be "realistic" - especially if you don't have any obvious ability.

Dance is a very competitive career, regardless of when you start.   The fire in your belly to succeed is more important than your age, up to a point.   If you've done any sport seriously, especially gymnastics, you could probably take up ballet as late as 15 or 16 and still have a chance.  If you're aiming at almost any other dance genre, you can start still later.   For ballroom, flamenco or belly dance, you still have a good chance of becoming a professional even if you don't start until your 20's.

In the first half of the 20th century, late-starting male dancers were the rule, not the exception.   Men in dance were in short supply, so almost any man in tights would do, even if his technique was somewhat lacking!   So it's not realistic to look back in ballet history for examples of late starters who made it.  However, there are more recent examples, whom I'll look at in my next post.