Ballet, like amateur brain surgery
In 2001, the Washington Post ran an article on amateur ballet. I bookmarked it years ago and still find this analogy so funny and accurate:
“The common denominator,” writes critic Robert Greskovic in his encyclopedic and entertaining guidebook “Ballet 101,” “is perfection of participant and of execution.” Which may be why, he notes, for New York arts critic Clive Barnes, “the notion of amateur ballet came a little too close for comfort to the idea of amateur brain surgery.”
Brutal but true. Past a certain age, it seems that taking ballet lessons involves a constant confrontation between “better late than never” and “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” I push for the former!
January 19th, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Thoroughly impressive. Here is hoping that your ballet moves become as smooooth as your writing.
January 26th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
I couldn’t have put my own fears to paper better than this. Love it!!