Ballet isn’t a REAL sport?

Posted on January 20, 2013 by elizabeth

“Guys at school say ballet isn’t a real sport. They laugh at me and say, “Look, she even RUNS like a dancer!” Well, I’d like to see them TRY one pirouette. On pointe.” –Jewel

Don’t worry about the haters, baby. Believe me, Mama knows alllllll about that. Here’s what you do: don’t listen to the nay-sayers. They’re not worth your energy or your time. Listen to the voice within you. Listen closely. And follow what makes you come alive.

Jewel got wait-listed for the Boston Ballet! She didn’t even make the wait-list last year, so she’s pretty excited. This weekend, she auditions for School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre (she got into ABT last year). Keep dancing, sweetheart!

photo credit: Sharyn, At Play Photography

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  • jen

    Jewel, haters gonna hate. I’ve heard of football trainers using barre work to strengthen the muscles of the players as well as pilates to strengthen the core muscles. I’d love to see football players control their muscles as well as most ballerinas do.

  • http://www.facebook.com/kathy.yew.cosham Kathy Yew Cosham

    I once read a newspaper article that said that ballet dancers outperformed football players in strength, endurance, flexibility and speed. Go, Jewel!

  • Linds

    Plenty of top sportsmen – like football players – do ballet classes to build their strength and muscles – dance on and ignore them all!

  • irws

    Their ignorant comments can be very hurtful eh!! Ballet is more than a sport…..it is an art :-)

  • Anonymous

    Those people are “cray cray”, as they say on Bunheads. :) Ballet is kick-butt difficult. Sure, it *looks* easy, but something as “simple” as a releve on demi-pointe sans barre is HARD to the vast majority of people. We know the truth. ;-)

  • Anonymous

    I’m trying to think of how “you run like a dancer” could possibly be a bad thing…sounds like a compliment to me! These guys clearly have no idea. Go on, Jewel! We’re all rooting for you and know that you’re strong and beautiful.

  • sarahlcc

    What they are really saying is: “You’re so hot. Please date me.” Poor little fellows. They never got past the dipping pigtails in an inkpot stage.

  • http://twitter.com/eflask flask ehrlenmeyer

    ballet isn’t a sport, period.

    same as baseball isn’t a dance form and chemistry isn’t an art.

    it doesn’t have to be a sport to be worthwhile.

  • Lucie

    I’d like to see one of those boys do the pose in Jewel’s second picture. Your girl is lovely and talented and I hope she has a great dancing future ahead of her.

  • http://www.wineandmarble.com/ Hännah

    Full of awesome.

  • Anonymous

    That’s a *great* comeback! Congrats to Jewel!

  • Cathfisch

    Congrats to her and onward ho! So glad you got those new shoes.

  • http://twitter.com/SandraHeretic Sandra

    My 15yo is a swimmer. She swims really hard and really fast and really well. She also runs like a swimmer–which is to say, really slowly and really awkwardly. Her gym teacher gave her a whole year’s worth of bullying about how athletes should do better in her class, my daughter obviously was not really trying and milking her injuries (a broken wrist and later a broken ankle that needed surgery. And a sprained knee in between).

    What is it about people who think the skill sets should be transferrable? And people who bully and belittle for any reason?

  • ES

    1. “run like a dancer” typically means that she does does modified grand jetes – think running with sloppy splits in mid-air – its hilarious in a sports context to see someone run this way.

    2. I fixed my brothers and all their friends bad attitudes by daring them to do a grand plie without anything to hold onto and mocking them as they stuck their butts out – they would all fall over. I would then explain that it was just the warm up. I would have really had fun if I had known what a spiral pirouette was at the time.

    To Jewel – best of luck in your auditions.