Reece Sharp

Back to Ballet!

When I was younger, I was a ballet dancer. From the ages of two to twelve, it was all I knew. I did every Christmas show, every end-of-year recital, and (almost) all the practices in between. But in 6th grade, I quit unexpectedly and never thought I would return to dance, let alone ballet, ever again. All that changed when I came to Dartmouth. 

Two weeks ago, I found out that Dartmouth had a classical dance club called Dartmouth Classical Ballet Theatre (DCBT); on Fridays and Saturdays, they held ballet classes. I didn't think much of it, but then my friend and dorm-mate, who also happens to be an experienced ballet dancer, invited me to a class. For some reason, I decided to go, and I have no regrets.

When I first got the text inviting me to class, I was scared because it had been years since I last took a dance class. I was worried that everyone in the class would be super experienced, and I would be lagging behind, but I quickly learned that that was not the case. 

To start, most of the classes are taught by students, so the whole experience was very relaxed and casual. The teachers—fellow Dartmouth students —were also very approachable, and they gave me corrections when asked and helped clarify some moves. Additionally, DCBT holds multiple classes for different levels—beginner, advanced/intermediate, intermediate+, contemporary ballet, and open class—so you can pick which ones you want to attend. 

I went to the open class on Saturday afternoon, and had the best time. 

Coming to Dartmouth, I never thought I would restart dance, so I didn't bring any of my old leotards, tights, or shoes. I thought it would be a problem joining a ballet class without any gear, but it wasn't. I showed up to class in shorts, an athletic shirt, and socks, and it ended up working pretty well. In most beginner classes, people wear similar athletic gear, and it's not a problem. 

We started class on barre, and I quickly realized I was way more out of shape than I realized. 

Even though it had been seven years since I last took a class, I still thought I would retain some muscle memory skills. While that was the case for some of the steps we did in class, for the majority of class, I still struggled to understand what was happening. Yet, despite my troubles, I would still go back again.

Any time I was confused, one of the other students wouldn't hesitate to help me. It was such a nice community, and everyone was so incredibly kind.  

After barre, we moved on to center work and did a jumping combination. Like barre, I thought I would be better than I was, but I still enjoyed the combo regardless. After jumps, we started learning an across-the-floor combination, and that was how we ended the class. 

All in all, I had the best time at the dance studio. After seven dormant years, Dartmouth did the impossible—revitalized my love of ballet! If you can't find me in the next few weeks, I'll probably be at the studio!