Sad but True
- It's sad but true, I really did quit ballet because I couldn't understand the weird ballet terms or my teachers pronunciation of those ballet terms.

Ballet Terms Killed My Dream
As we age we tend to get a little nostalgic about our lives, ex-specially on a rainy afternoon. It’s a great time to reflect on not only our successes and failures but also our regrets. There are a lot of regrets in my life some greater than others, but occasionally I like to reflect on the what if’s.
One such what if goes something like this. What if I could have actually pronounced those weird french sounding words in Ballet class? I might not have felt so embarrassed and shy. Heck, I might even have continued taking the classes. Yes, I could have been a prima ballerina, if only I could have pronounced “pas de bourree”. As a young girl, I dreamed of twirling around a stage on my toes and being lifted in the air by a handsome prince, but alas like many other young girls, my hopes and dreams were dashed by those cursed words. It’s true, Ballet Terms have sidelined many a young girls dreams. My teacher would would stand at the front of the class looking oh so graceful, wave her arm with such poise and say something that sounded like it was coming from Pepe le Phew the cartoon cat. I would stand there looking totally confused, frozen in my spot, while the rest of the class began leaping and twirling around the statue that was me. The Ballet class that I had incessantly whined for and connived for soon became my weekly lesson in humiliation. It wasn’t that I didn’t try. I just couldn’t understand the language. Ballet became torture for me and the many young girls like me, who felt lost in the shuffle. It wasn’t long before Ballet Terms killed our dreams.
I did however, read of one such women who actually over came the torture of not being able to pronounce Ballet Terms and went on to be a great Ballet Teacher. She recently channeled the pain of her early ballet years into an awesome training course called “The Complete Ballet Bible”. In this Online Video and Audio Course, she not only teaches proper Ballet Technique but actually takes time to give you audio recordings of the correct pronunciation of the dreaded Ballet Terms.
All kidding aside, Anita Leembruggen is really on to something with “The Complete Ballet Bible”. According to her “95% of people who start Ballet will fail miserably”. That’s a pretty scary number. I know if I were just starting out, or if I had a daughter or son in Ballet, I’d want them to have every chance to succeed. So my recommendation, (that’s the recommendation of an over-weight 52 year old Prima Ballerina wannabe) would be to make sure you and your child have every opportunity to learn the correct pronunciation of all those weird, confusing and yet beautiful sounding French Ballet Terms.
And while you’re busy learning how to say “battement jette” you might also learn some wonderful Ballet Technique.
Anita’s Course is actually an awesome deal and you can tell it comes straight from the heart. She knows how to teach and truly cares about you and your child’s success. This is a must have for every furture prima ballerina.
Now go forth and conquer the BALLET TERMS.
On my toes,
Ono Notme
Don’t Quit and you’ll never Fail!