Not All Ballet Variations Are Appropriate for Kids. | Pointe Shoe Fitter Reacts to Ballet Tik Tok 98

Comments · 702

• ME

  @meredithstearns9119 · 7 months ago

  How refreshing to see a man in a position of influence making a point of ensuring age appropriateness for children.

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• TE

  @Tetradeka · 7 months ago

  It's like those beauty pageant competitions with little girls. They have them doing these dances and songs that are way inappropriate for their age. It's awkward to watch.

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• MA

  @mamabear7605 · 7 months ago

  I COMPLETELY agree with Mr. Du's points about the character and making sure the student understands what they're trying to portray. I feel like a lot of dancing movies just focus on getting the steps right and not the internal and emotional aspects of what the character evokes.

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• CH

  @ChicagoPeasant · 7 months ago

  A nine year old doing the Esmeralda tambourine variation is not appropriate in the same way that it wouldn't be appropriate to have a 9 year old do Roxie Hart's big solo (🎵"the name on everybody's lips is gonna be Roxie"🎵) from the musical Chicago. It's not wrong that the piece exists, but it's an adult story that children aren't ready to tell. There's plenty of time for that later;  let them be kids in the meantime.

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• RI

  @RijackiTorment · 7 months ago

  I really admire the statement that if you cannot explain the role to the person in a way they can understand it, or because the role is not 'age-appropriate', then that person shouldn't be dancing or performing it in any way. Yes, you can coach the dance without any connection to the role, but is that really performing it fully?

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• ZE

  @zemaralucious · 7 months ago

  Back when I danced, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake was only allowed as variations until we reached 15-17 with a parent's permission. I'm glad to finally understand why the restriction happened.

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• TA

  @Talentedtadpole · 7 months ago

  So agree about suitable roles for children. It's important in developing artistry which is badly lacking nowadays.

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• TH

  @thatariii · 7 months ago

  <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SFlS3pa0Js&amp;t=535">8:55</a> this is so real in honestly any performance art. i had a vocal coach who told me about a song she sang at 12 about a grieving mother burying the body of her infant that was killed. she was like “yeah i had no business singing that song at 12, i did very well but it just wasn’t fit for a girl”

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• JA

  @jacquelinek5036 · 7 months ago

  Here&apos;s another vote for Mr. Du! &nbsp;Those roles can wait until the child&apos;s emotional maturity is ready for them.

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• SK

  @sk8rboi47 · 7 months ago

  This is important to talk about; I only did ballet from 4 to 8 and I never did any solos or competitions but I remember being so uncomfortable with the music they chose and being told to act sexy!?! And the parents just thought it was funny but I’m still grossed out by it. I did dance again in middle school and same deal but I wouldn’t go all out bc why would I want to act sexy in front of my parents and peers etc so I got laughed at and bullied by my own family on tape for being uncomfortable. Great memories!

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• SO

  @soyundorito8259 · 7 months ago (edited)

  I fully agree with Mr. Du. Not a ballerina, but as an opera singer, I don&apos;t want to see a Queen of the Night under 30 in a professional production, and for student productions or competitions, it still has to be a fully grown adult rather than a prepubescent child or even a teenager. I don&apos;t care if that child can hit an F6, that child is 1) not getting the tone quality needed for the Queen, and 2) utterly unconvincing as an enraged mother demanding her daughter kill a man. I genuinely think it&apos;s bad for a young artist to perform roles that are too mature for them. maybe train with those pieces to learn the technique if you want, but otherwise I feel like it gives a very distorted picture of what is needed in performing something so complex.

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• SA

  @sachaAlex · 7 months ago

  Runqiao Du has one of the best takes in ballet. Everytime I listen to him I get a new perspective that no one ever mentioned before. <br>I am so happy Josephine reacted to more of him!

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