Reflecting on the various subcultures within the company reminded me of the common culture we all share: ballet.  You see, there are certain struggles only those of us in “the ballet world” would truly understand/accept…

1. Biscuits, sausages, and muffins…in a completely non-breakfasty way.

2. Fat days and non-boob-friendly leotards.

3. The “its” (itchy tight syndrome- once it’s there, you’re stuck with it(s). see what I did there? har, har.).

4. The importance of claiming your barre spot, and the forever-haunting shame of accidentally standing too close to a principal’s aforementioned ‘spot’.

5. “Who wants to repeat the Adagio en dehors?”  …crickets.

6. The tragedy of a lost warm-up.  Most depressing are the deaths of the worn-in, hole-ridden, perfectly muffin-top-hiding, stinky ones.  RIP.

7. Never knowing your work schedule until halfway through the morning when it is finally posted, and feeling genuinely excited and lucky when it’s posted a day early.

8. Openly discussing bodily functions with colleagues/friends.  At times in (too much) detail.

9. When you forget to pancake your shoes and it’s the day of the show.

10. The difficulty in finding a thong that can’t be seen under a unitard.  Seriously.

These are the issues we ballet dancers are faced with day to day.  I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again; It’s a tough life, but someone’s gotta live it.