I took a picture of a ballerina submitted by /u/HunLevcsi92 to r/itookapicture
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ITookAPicture #
FromReddit #
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ballerina #
woman —
A former dancer who's married to a dancer, here. Dancers are poorly supported by society. There isn't a #
union, and there isn't consistent #
work, there isn't any #
safety net. Unless you're a top tier artist, performing on one of the highest stages, you have to work 2+ jobs to support your dance career. It's like those weekend warrior weightlifters, except a #
dancer begins training for it when they're 3 or 4.
This leads to them being very insular with other dancers. The average person can't relate. It's self-prescribed #
suffering. For something that the general population doesn't really care about.
Commercial/competition dance is a bit different, as it's "less" intensive. Therefore the kids grow up with a more normal social life. Commercial dance also tends to lay better on the entry-level. There isn't a large overlap between commercial dancers and classically trained artists. They don't really interact. In fact, there tends to be infighting more than anything. (commercial/competitive dance tends to be more open and flexible, while traditional dance is unwavering. Tradition would be ABT or NYCB. Whereas commercial dance typically terminates in youtube videos or back up dancers)
I saw someone here say "tread lightly" and refer to dancers and neurotic. It's not an inaccurate statement, but it does a disservice to the artists. They're overworked, underpaid, underappreciated. Many dancers are so used to their field rigors that they can't recognize an abusive relationship. It seems normal to them. It compounds the already existent problems because the person who should be there for them is often taking advantage of them.
There are a great many ballerinas and danseurs, and most of them are incredibly fun people. Typically a great wit and no short supply of self-deprecating humor. They tend to stick to their industry or spend their time alone.
There are plenty with healthy #
social groups outside dance, but you probably don't notice them. They won't talk about dance with non-dancers, because you can't relate. They won't dress to impress, because they do that every day for dance. Every dancer I know spends their entire free time in oversized sweats.
Sorry for the #
ramble. I just woke up; pair that with my southeast US education, making me incapable of writing. I just get annoyed by these pics of dancers. The dancers are never fairly compensated, they're used to working for free, yet they're still excited someone wants to take their picture. You can't take a bad picture of a good dancer. Dancer pictures are easy.
*edit: grammar
