How tough is ballet?

Answer 1

Its tough if you have never done it before but if you have been doing it for years you will find it quite easy!

It also requires concentration, practice, flexibility, and grace.

Answer:

Let's compare Ballet to something that everyone thinks of as "tough" (in both senses of the word) - Martial Arts.

Ballet and martial arts both require:

• both male and female participants are held to equal standards of excellence
• years of study to become familiar with techniques
• unending hours of training in movements and positioning
• unending hours of strength and flexibility training
• outstanding aerobic endurance
• pain tolerance to ignore warnings from abused muscles and joints while performing techniques flawlessly
• submission to "masters" who will tolerate nothing but excellence
• students to be familiar with a variety of instruction terms in foreign languages
• lifestyle and dietary regimes to assure good health,weight and energy levels
• a sense of tradition and the aesthetic combined with physical prowess

The observation that most of the people who start either discipline quit because it "doesn't interest them anymore" (translation: It's too hard and I'm not praised for my half hearted attempts) is a further indication of it's toughness.