The Struggles of a ballet dancer

The struggles of a ballet dancer

By Maxine Tewsley 6^th grade

In the book Bunheads by Sophie Flack it describes 19 year old Hannah and her struggles while training to be a professional ballet dancer.  If your dream is to become a professional ballet dancer, you have to work extra hard. Not one low key ballet class a week, but hard core practices nearly every day.  Barre work, French terminology, center floor work and technique. You have to work every muscle in your body. From your head to your toe.  Concentration is huge.

One way it shows how being is a professional ballet dancer is hard is when she takes all of her ballet training on top of hard core work out classes. In the world of dance, sweat is a good thing.  Hannah is very aware about her shape and size. She learns that she needs to have the perfect body of a ballet dancer and starts to work extra hard. And practice is everything to her.

Another way is when it talks about how having a social life is very hard. No collage no friends outside of the academy. There is hardly any contact between you and your parents if you have to move away. And there is hardly any time for a new companion, Jacob. Having a normal life is very awkward.

So now you know how the life of a professional ballet dancer is probably very different than yours. I would recommend this book to those who love dance or consider dance as a career, especially ballet. I think readers will love the book. From the first line to the last. It’s an amazing tale of struggle, stress, ballet and just the right amount of French.