In the world of professional ballet, it’s not uncommon to feel overworked and under appreciated;  We rehearse long hours in cold, dirty studios, wearing uncomfortably tight clothing and death traps on our feet, and all the while a large percent of a our target audience seems completely unconcerned.  The very definition of the job practically lends itself to a feeling of constant inadequacy.  Even with the most supportive work environment available, it’s not aberrant for dancers to succumb to the pressures of this insufficiency complex and fall into a self-pity spiral.

But it’s in these moments (some of which seem to span on for hours, days,…an entire week), that we must rise above and see the bigger picture.  We must avoid the tempting snare of throwing our hands up in a diva-style pity party of one.  We must remember that it is exactly this point- all of the hard work happening behind closed doors and the apparent effortlessness with which the show is put on- that our audience loves.  Only when this realization has been achieved can we properly do our job, and consequently bring a little magic to the community.

photo of Kate Moss via Pinterest.