This is a very scary year for me, being my last year of high school. Where I live, a lot pressure is put on students doing their HSC exams. When you realise that passing every subject can often still mean you don't receive a high enough mark for University strikes terror for most students. It's a pretty big year. And I start to wonder how much time and money I should be investing into ballet.
I've written a post touching on this briefly before, but every now and then I have a small freakout and think I should be doing over 20 hours a week. But not only is it difficult to obtain a mere 10 hours a week in my situation ( meaning my location and level of training coupled with age) but it's expensive, in terms of money as well as time.
Then I tell myself to chill and just go with what I can get. The girls in my class don't do more than I do. But I can't help but want to take as many classes as possible following the 'make up for lost time' philosophy. Part of me wants to take this new adult class that my teacher is offering to work on breaking some bad technique habits, but the other part is telling me I may just not belong or it'll be too basic or I don't know.
In contrast, part of me wants to attend the advanced pointe class so I can do more pointework, however the other thinks it'll be a breeding ground for bad habits.
Many people are suffering from having to choose between friends and ballet. However my issue is choosing between having money or ballet. I have to choose between ballet or part time work. Ballet or having a car. Ballet or saving up to move out. Ballet or having lots of nice clothes. It's hard to find the middle ground.
I sorta know how it is :( I pay for all of my dancewear, summer dance, but my mom pays for my lessons and recital fees. After switching studios, I had to go from 3 classes a week to just 1 a week, which is disappointing of course, but I know she can't afford any more. Next year I hope I can get a job to help out. It is hard to choose.
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel. It's a tough decision, but I try to have both. No matter what you pick, I hope you continue to post because your blog is good, and I enjoy reading your post.
ReplyDeleteThank you both for your comments! I'm not going to quit ballet! I'm more reminding myself again to make room for life as well.
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