Hi Colin,
I’m 13 years old and 5′3″ tall. My mum does weight training and she is encouraging me to start doing it, as she thinks I’ve reached my ideal height and it might help me slim down and get stronger. Is weight training safe for someone my age or will it stunt my growth? Do dancers do weight training? I’m concerned that if I do start weight training that my muscles will become bulky and I won’t have a slim streamline dancers’ figure! What else do dancers do in their training regime?
Thank you!
Tess

Dear Tess,
At 13 you may not have yet reached your full height.  As the height of all our dancers is much more than it was ten years ago (our tallest ballerina is 5’9”) you need not worry about growing too tall to be a dancer.  As long as you are under the supervision of a professional for your gym work it should not be a problem.  A good website for you to visit for diet and training tips is the Australian Institute of Sport website.
All the best,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Karen Nanasca. Photography Jeff Busby

Dear Colin,
I am 18 years old and I stopped ballet at the age of 13 (I started when I was six or seven), but I have totally forgotten the techniques and the moves. I was just wondering if it’s possible to restart ballet at my age; I was planning on working really hard and taking on four courses a week. Can I be a professional one day?
Many thanks,
Sabrine

Dear Sabrine,
Yes, it is possible to come back from a long layoff and regain the ballet technique but it is very difficult. It relies on the resilience of your body, its natural flexibility, and gaining the right help. The choice of teacher is very important as you need someone who can inspire you to work technically and productively. It is most important that you’re working toward achieving your goal. Although ballet companies are often age-conscious, there are a huge range of companies in Australia that you may find interesting – modern dance, jazz, commercial dance and ethnic dance companies can now be found in most major cities. Go for it! You will never find out if you can, unless you try.
All the best,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Image: Sarah Thompson. Photography Jeff Busby

Hi Colin,
I’m an 18-year-old professionally trained dancer. I have just been accepted into a performing arts company, but I have taken three months off and start in one month. Do you have any tips for getting back into shape, especially in terms of flexibility? I am also coming back after having knee and back problems. What can I do to help this?
Regards,
Emma Blare

Dear Emma,
I am surprised you have lost your flexibility but, no matter, both strength and flexibility can be regained. Because you’ve had problems with both your back and knees it is essential that you recommence training under the watchful eyes of a professional trainer. Until you know exactly what you can do, and what you shouldn’t do, it’s important that you have personal attention. The good news is that dancer’s bodies have muscle memories allowing us to spring back into full form very quickly.
All the best,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Image: Sarah Thompson. Photography Jeff Busby

Dear Colin,
My daughter loves ballet and would love to be a professional dancer one day. However she worries her dream may never come true, because she has fallen arches (flat feet). She works very hard to correct them through strengthening exercises, wearing orthotics in her shoes, etc. Do you know of any professional ballet dancers who have this problem?
Kind Regards,
Kate Salmon

Dear Kate,
Yes, The Australian Ballet does from time to time have dancers with fallen arches.  One of our current coryphée dancers wears orthotic supports in her street shoes and, like your daughter, works hard to strengthen her feet. Although it is a problem, she is now more aware of how she uses her feet at all times. I would think this is an advantage in the long run. So encourage your daughter to continue following her dream.
All the best,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Photography James Braund

Dear Colin,
I really want to become a good ballet dancer, I really do. My parents won’t put me in a school but I would like to learn from home. Could you please suggest some websites to visit to learn some dance steps?
Thanks,
Janelle

Dear Janelle,
Unfortunately it is not possible to learn how to dance from books or via the internet. Dance has to be taught one-on-one. If you do not learn the basics correctly you run the risk of injuring yourself and picking up bad habits, which will limit your future dance ability.
Best wishes,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Sarah Thompson. Photography Jeff Busby

Dear Colin,
My granddaughter is 14 and has been dancing since the age of four years. Her parents are moving to Sydney and she would like to do ballet full-time during the day, as well as keep her school work up. Our dilemma is where to enrol her.
If you have any suggestions for her I would be most grateful.
Thank you,
Lois McGuinness, Bathurst

Dear Lois,
All full-time dance schools have some arrangement whereby their students can continue their studies. However, I suggest you check out the details before you enrol your granddaughter. There are also schools like the High School of Performing Arts in Newtown, and McDonald College in North Strathfield which are academic schools that specialise in performing arts subjects.

As every school has its own philosophy, it is important to make sure you know exactly what type of dancer they are trying to produce. The best way to ascertain this information is to attend a performance by the school. Phone the schools that you are interested in and ask for performance details. If the graduating students look like the dancer your granddaughter is aiming to become, you have found the right school.
Best wishes,
Colin

Kristy Corea. Photography Jeff Busby

Dear Colin,
For as long as I can remember I have been dancing. My favourite styles are ballet and modern expressive, as I enjoy telling a story through movement. Although, like most of the dancers in my group, I sometimes struggle with the acting and theatricality that is required for modern expressive and some ballet performances. We’re coming up to our eisteddfod season, and our teachers are stressing the importance of these skills. They always say that a quarter of the dance is the steps; the rest is your stage presence and expression, which I totally agree with. What advice would you give young dancers on how to develop the skills needed to successfully portray a character or emotion through dance? What processes do the artists of The Australian Ballet go through when preparing for a role, such as Giselle or Odette?
Kara, 24 Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Colin,
I wonder what you do when young people tear tendons in the ankles, groin or upper leg when doing splits repeatedly. Does physiotherapy always resolve the problem or is the dancer left with a weakness forever?
Helen

Dear Helen,
By taking the advice of a dance physiotherapist the problem can be resolved. A recurring muscle tear produces a tight band of scar tissue which prevents the dancer from moving freely and must be slowly broken down before returning to a strengthening regime and full dance training. If the young dancer is still in a growth phase, stretching is very dangerous and should never be attempted unless it has been approved by a dance physiotherapist.

Flexibility should not be regarded as a competition between dancers. Each body is different which means the range of motion of a joint is affected by the architecture of the joint which cannot be changed (about 85%), elasticity of the surrounding muscles (10%) and other factors such as age, gender etc. (5%). You should also note that tired muscles are also more prone to tightness, so choose to stretch only when the body is thoroughly warmed and relaxed. And please remember when stretching: being more flexible does not necessarily make a better dancer.

For more information visit the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science website.

Best wishes,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Vivienne Wong. Photography Jean Francois Campos

Dear Colin,
How do I maintain strength while trying to keep my weight in check?
Hiromi

Dear Hiromi,
Smart eating habits are a necessary component of achieving peak performance. The right foods protect health, boost energy, improve stamina, strengthen bones, and speed up the healing process of dance injuries. An essential part of any weight management programme is to include all food groups in your daily intake. The ideal dancer’s diet is composed of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.

Eating a balanced diet with sufficient calories helps to preserve muscle mass, prevent fatigue, illness and injury, so check out the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science’s resources on nutrition.
Best wishes,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com

Photography Jeff Busby

Dear Colin,
I was fascinated to read about the term ‘chookas‘ to wish dancers good luck, and wondered if you have come across ‘pinch you for luck’? This is something we learned at ballet school in London and was very popular – we would just give the receiver a little pinch on the lower arm. Does it happen in Australia, or is it a UK thing which might just have been popular within a small group of us dancers some years ago?
All best wishes,
Julia

Dear Julia,
The number of superstitions which are still believed by theatrefolk would make an interesting study by themselves – not allowing black cats to cross your path, not walking under ladders, no whistling in the dressing room, not mentioning the name of Shakespeare’s Scottish play, tapping three times on the back of scenery with a licked thumb before making an entrance – the list goes on.  I must say that I am unfamiliar with a pinch for good luck, but it makes sense if you remember the old habit of ‘a pinch and a punch for the first of the month’, which originated in England when some people thought that witches existed. People believed that salt would make a witch weak, so the pinch part represented the pinching of the salt, and the punch part was to banish the witch.  So your pinch must represent banishing bad luck – perhaps you need to add a punch!
Best wishes,
Colin

Brett Chynoweth and Kristy Corea. Photography Jeff Busby