No, it’s not too late for her!

People sometimes think ballet training is like classical music training (meaning, starting early, and young, can be a tremendous boost) and they might inadvertently dissuade a niece or a young family friend, who longs to dance, but is already in middle school. I answered this question over at my Q&A page, and thought the information … Read more

Why I don’t miss dancing en pointe

Night three of Nutcracker performances when I danced Sugar Plum Fairy, back in the day. Ow. Must confess to more than one bout of crying and “I’m not sure I can go up on pointe – it hurts too much!” rant. But of course I did. With a smile. Oh, my. I do not miss … Read more

How to make (or not) a ballet bun

It shouldn’t matter but it does. In my 40’s my hair thinned and split and didn’t regrow so plentifully. Vitamins, special shampoos and conditioners, special creams have yielded few changes. Genetics speaks louder, in the end. So. Each year the hair gets shorter, shorter, thinner. This last cut, I couldn’t even pretend to corral my … Read more

Beginner’s Remorse

Congratulations, you’ve done it. Whether for the violin or for ballet or [insert name of creative endeavor you’ve been talking about doing for years now], you signed up for the class, maybe even paid for the first month. Yay! Congratulations! Except that now, the start-date looming closer, closer, maybe the prospect of showing up for … Read more