Tutus, pink slippers and gracefulness are only a few of the unique objects and traits that characterize a ballerina. One can only imagine what it is like to be a ballerina. Contrary to most students at PHS, sophomore Kristen Gergely does not have to.“I have been taking ballet since I was five,” Gergely says. After having watched a video of the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker, she was intrigued by the dancers’ costumes and gracefulness. “I just thought the dancers were doing the most beautiful thing a person could do, and I wanted to do that,” she states. It was then that she began taking classes in the hopes of becoming a professional ballerina.

This, however, was more difficult than she anticipated. Ballet, a form of dance which originated in the Italian Renaissance, focuses much on detail and technique. According to Gergely, the objective of ballet is to give audiences the sense that dancers are moving effortlessly, which they do by creating illusions with their body. But, accomplishing such a goal requires appropriate technique and muscle control, which can be a challenge. “It is often very hard to understand the proper way you are supposed to move and position your body using the correct muscles,” she admits.

In spite of all this, her love for ballet helped her to overcome the obstacle, and at the age of 11, she decided to attend a pre-professional ballet school’s summer program to further pursue her dreams as well as see what life was like in the slippers of a ballerina. Yet, as fun and educating as her experience was, it was there that she realized that becoming a professional in this art was not for her. “I realized just how much training, time and sacrifice goes into becoming a dancer, and I learned that I didn’t love it enough to seriously ever consider it as a profession,” she explains.

Although becoming a professional ballerina is no longer in her future, it is certainly still a passion of hers. “It is something I really love to do and have fun with.  The joy that comes from performing and dancing is still there,” she says. Having taken ballet for so long, she continues her classes at the Lifeplex once a week. Practicing for ballet is much different than practicing for a sport. Rather than focus on agility and doing running drills, she and her class primarily focus on stretching to increase flexibility. On the other hand, similar to sports, they do work on toning their muscles. Gergely explains the typical practice by saying, “Classes usually begin with stretching and warm up exercises at the bar to strengthen and lengthen muscles, and they usually end after a few exercises or combinations center floor.”Yet becoming more fit is not the only benefit in continuing lessons in ballet. She is furthermore able to receive the same perks ballerinas do, perks such as getting to wear the elaborately designed costumes, specifically the tutus. “I love very classical Ballets, so my favorite costume of course is the classical tutu,” she claims. Tutus aside, Gergely enjoys ballet for a much bigger reason than the costumes. Her favorite part of ballet is simply being able to perform for an audience, as it enables her to show others the love she has for this art. Additionally it has taught her the value of hard work. “I just love how accomplished I feel when I have grasped a concept that enables me to look effortless with a movement, and I love performing for people as well.”

While Gergely is not aspiring to one day dance for the Pacific Northwest Ballet as she had when she was younger, it is clear that ballet is a hobby of hers that has benefit her in more ways than one. Whether it be for the sense of accomplishment it gives her, the creative outlet it offers or the tutus, ballet is something she will always love. “[I’m just going to] continue doing it for as long as I enjoy it.”