Bras Bas

After six months off, I finally went back to work. My brain was ready a long time ago, but my body is still not ready to dance again. I'm working on it, but in the meantime, I needed a job. Since those who can't do, teach, I'm now teaching ballet to children.

There has been a surge in dance schools over the last few years. I don't know why. Someone told me it was because of that Black Swan movie, but that was not much of a hit here, and I doubt it would have inspired very many children anyway. There was also that Ballerina cartoon last year, but I don't even know if that played in China. If it's not Disney or DreamWorks, don't expect to see it on screen.

I was offered a teaching job a few years ago, but I was busy at the time. And that was for adults. I don't really like the idea of teaching an adult class. Adults are not as serious, they miss more classes and it is more of a hobby than something they have a deep, internal drive to do.

Children are just better students, in general. They are used to being students all day, so whatever classes they take after school are just more of the same. Adults have to shift their focus and that can be hard to do when you are set in your old routine.

For the most part, children show up for every class. They usually don't have any choice. Their parents make them go, whether the children want to take the class or not. Adults can skip a class whenever they want, often for no reason at all. They simply don't feel like going. Children almost never have that luxury.

I also prefer students who take it seriously. I'm sure every teacher does, and I'm just as sure that I will lighten up after a while, but I would much rather have a student who wants to be the next great dancer than someone who is just killing time before their favorite TV show starts. If you want to be the best dancer the world has ever known, you have to start exceptionally young. Most students will never become great, and I'm not good enough to teach the best, but it is a million times easier to teach someone who has a burning desire to learn than someone who could not care less.

When it comes to ballet, most students will drop out. That is the way it is and that is the way it should be. Ballet is not for everyone. It is hard work in the beginning and even harder when you start to understand what you are doing. Even if you love it, you might not be right for the part. I wanted to be a ballerina when I was younger. I took as many classes as I could and I busted my butt, and more than a few toes. I had that burning desire. I was simply not good enough to be the principal or even the coryphée. At most, on my best day, I could join the corps.

Fortunately, there are other forms of dance. One of my first ballet teachers suggested I study lyrical and/or jazz. I can't be sure, but I suspect she knew I was never going to be a ballerina, but thought I had some potential somewhere. I was only a child, but in a lot of ways, she saved my career. I hope I can do the same for some of my students some day. I would be surprised if any of them become ballerinas in the distant future, but maybe one or two might become professional dancers. Even if they are terrible, I don't want to be the one who dashes their dreams. In life, there are always plenty of people waiting in the wings to do that.