Show me the way to the barre

By CATHRIN SCHAER

So you want to prance around in a pink tutu with your toes pointed and your arms overhead? And you're 40?

Well, believe it or not, you're not the only one. And you're not too late.

Okay, so you'll never make the grade as a prima ballerina - you should have started learning to do that when you were 8 - but your glorious day in tights might just come.

It's all part of classical ballet's new accessibility. No longer is this kind of dance set strictly to classical music, observed only by a po-faced audience of black-clad ballet fascists.

Good examples of the change include the success of the New Zealand Ballet's populist Dracula and Cinderella productions, as well as their Nationwide Road Tour, running from now until April 10.

During this tour the artists will perform contemporary dance and classical ballet to heavy metal, lounge-style jazz and tango tunes.

Add to this the proliferation of ballet-with-a-difference movies like Billy Elliot, now number one at the New Zealand box office, last year's Center Stage, and the upcoming Save The Last Dance, starring Julia Stiles as a ghetto-dwelling ballerina who learns to hip-hop and it's no wonder clusters of sad men and women huddle around cafe tables, wondering why their parents never bought them pink shoes and a nice leotard or sent them to ballet class when they were little.

"Many of the people who come to our adult ballet classes always wanted to learn as kids but never had the opportunity," says Judith Healey, ballet teacher and director of recreational dance at the Auckland City Dance Centre.

"And they're definitely not all 1.7m, tiny and dressed in pink. They come in all shapes and sizes."

Most of her students no longer have romantic fantasies about ballet. They know they won't be professional ballerinas, they just prefer ballet to going to the gym.

"It's more like an exercise routine," Healey says. "It's flowing and gentle on the body, great for stress-relief and stretching, and excellent for posture."

To find adult classes it's best to ask your local children's ballet school or teacher, who should be able to point you in the right direction.

In an adult beginners' class you will learn the elements of footwork and positioning, some balancing exercises at the bar and eventually more physical work, such as jumping.

Although you don't need to wear a pink tutu or a leotard if you don't want to, you will need to don something that's fairly fitting because the teacher must be able to see that the body is aligned properly. Bare feet are fine at first but you might want soft ballet slippers eventually.

Most of the adult ballet classes are composed of women. Men make up only about 10 per cent. "We had one guy who arrived in gumboots, which was quite unusual. He was keen for a while but we haven't seen him for some time now," Healey says.

"Another of our regulars is a scientist and he loves it. He says that when he's dancing he forgets all about the stresses of his work."

Logically the men who get into ballet early have a better chance of earning a living if they wish because there are fewer of them around. One of Healey's male students in his early 20s learned more within six months than most kids did in six years.

"Sometimes I think the adult students who really want to learn are better than kids who aren't quite so sure about it.

"By the end of the year this guy had worked as an extra for the New Zealand Ballet and now he's overseas, working toward becoming a professional dancer. So it can be done."

In reality, though, most professional ballet dancers start learning before the age of 8 - some even as young as 3 - and most of the ballet classes around Auckland are filled with schoolgirls slowly making their way through the British Royal Academy of Dance's grading system.

But if any boys care to do a Billy Elliot, they are welcome to join in, says Mrs Ehlin Young, administrator of the Auckland Ballet Academy, who has been involved with dance for almost 30 years.

"Most classes have one or two boys," she says. "And most boys seem to want to be in a class with some other boys so, for parents, it might be worth looking around to find one."

Parents could also get in touch with Boyzdance2, a national group that encourages males to dance. The group was formed because, at a certain age, the sons of the coordinators all wanted to drop out of dance class because they were being teased about it at school.

"But we found that if they formed friendships with other male dancers they were far more likely to carry on," says Jacqui Cesan, national coordinator of Boyzdance2.

Now, about 50 boys attend the blokes-only classes at the Dance Studio. "I'm of the firm belief that there are thousands of boys out there who want to dance," Cesan says.

"It's just that they want to see another bunch of boys doing it and being cool with it first."

Schools


* Auckland Ballet Academy: Children's classes only, boys welcome. Phone 523 1210. Cost, $105 a term.

* Auckland City Dance Centre: Adults' ballet and other classes. Phone 379 9944. Cost, $10-$12 for a casual class.

* The Performing Arts School Adults' Introduction to Dance course includes ballet. Phone: 845 0290. Cost, $104 for the first term.

* The Dance Studio holds boys-only dance lessons for ages 5-12, as well as girls' and adult ballet. Ph 620 6973. Cost, $90 a term.

Gear


* Leotards for adults and children cost on average $35. Slippers for adults are $40 and for children $35, and are available from the Dancers' Wardrobe, Ph 520 1197.

Events


The Auckland Dance Festival next month will provide opportunities for anyone who wants to try ballet.

On April 7 more than 20 local dance studios will hold open days.

On April 22 there will be free dance classes of all kinds in the Auckland Town Hall. Once again, ballet is included.

On April 28 there will be a boys-only dance jamboree at Avondale College featuring all kinds of dance, tutors, and the all-male troupe Black Grace.

* For further information call 476 4691 or follow the Dance Festival links at DanzNet