dancersteven Posted May 3, 2004 Share Posted May 3, 2004 OK, folks, I need your help. I am doing a month long school outreach program and I need to have a list of male, professional athletes who have studied ballet. I know, I know, but the classroom teachers seem to think that is the only way to catch the interest of the boys. Of course, what is really going to interest them is my enthusiastic approach and passion for the art form, but I have to give the teachers what they want too. So I would really appreciate it if you could mention any athletes or teams you have heard of that use ballet as part of their training. Thanks a lot! PS If you have links, or if we have had this topic before on this board, let me know! Thanks again. S. Link to comment
Mme. Hermine Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Football player Lynn Swann. He got a lot of publicity for it, so there must be a fair amount on the web somewhere. Link to comment
Mel Johnson Posted May 4, 2004 Share Posted May 4, 2004 Why not google "athletes ballet" and see what you find? After all, you've got a month. You'll probably have to wade through a lot of similes - "dancers are like athletes" - but you'll find some usable material. I know that the 1962 Army football team at West Point was given ballet training. My teacher taught it, and I was her demonstrator. Link to comment
dancersteven Posted May 5, 2004 Author Share Posted May 5, 2004 I tried that Mel, it is a good idea, and I got a few, but mostly it was anorexia articles! The Army football team mention is a good one, nothing is much more masculine than a soldier. Thanks. . . S. Not doing what you love is neither good sense nor common sense. - Daniel Nagrin Link to comment
Alexandra Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 The best I can do is that there have been Chicago Bears drafted to dance in local performances. I remember the news stories at the time, but not the names. Also, Lynn Swann (sp?) did a TV show with Peter Martins and Twyla Tharp. Link to comment
ToThePointe Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Boxer Muhammad Ali. I don't know if you would consider body building a sport but Arnold Schwarzenegger also took ballet. During the 70's I believe the Dallas Cowboys were taking ballet as well. I tried to research this subject myself a while age and did not have much luck. Link to comment
Helene Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Jean Claude van Dam also took years of ballet when he did martial arts, even before he made films. Link to comment
Cabriole Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 Willie Gault is one of the Chicago Bears who danced with Ballet Chicago for a benefit. I believe that later he also did some work with Paul Meija's company. He was a terrific partner :grinning: Link to comment
Treefrog Posted May 5, 2004 Share Posted May 5, 2004 How about broadening the search to (male) celebrities who have taken ballet -- I assume it is the males in whom you are interested? Not that I can help with any names. But athletes aren't the only people that boys admire. Can you nose around the population you'll be teaching and find out who their other role models and idols are? Sometimes one good, surprising example is more powerful than a big list. Link to comment
dancersteven Posted May 6, 2004 Author Share Posted May 6, 2004 I knew about Patrick Swayze, but didn't think of adding him to the list that is a very good idea. All of the rest of your responses are very helpful as well, thanks I knew I could count on all of you! S. Link to comment
ToThePointe Posted May 7, 2004 Share Posted May 7, 2004 Wasn't it five or six years ago that some football players participated in an Oakland Ballet performance? Link to comment
sylphide Posted May 7, 2004 Share Posted May 7, 2004 I am sure a lot of Olympic caliber figure skaters, gymnasts and divers have had to take ballet...as for specific names, I can't help although I somehow remember of an elite gymnast who turned out to be part of the corps de ballet of an American company.. Maybe if you tried calling to the respective sport's federation? Hope that helps... Link to comment
Clara 76 Posted May 7, 2004 Share Posted May 7, 2004 In the fuzzy spot where my memory used to be , I seem to remember an issue of Dance Magazine within the last few years (the one where they profile new talent to watch) where there was a football player who'd been told to take ballet for strength and balance but loved it so much he quit football and is now a professional ballet dancer. Maybe you could e-mail them or try a search on their site?? Clara Link to comment
Funny Face Posted May 8, 2004 Share Posted May 8, 2004 Let's not forget wonder boy Rasta Thomas. His father, a Taekwondo instructor, began giving his son martial arts lessons at the age of 3, but the child misbehaved so much in those classes that he was taken instead to ballet for "punishment" -- and the rest is history. (I attended the IBC competition the year he won -- it's a very exciting competition to watch). For more information on Lynn Swann, visit his web site (it's lynnswann.com). He's been quite a force in the arts in Pittsburgh for some time. In 1984, he started the Lynn Swann Scholarship Fund with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and has given over 110 scholarships to children to take ballet class since its inception. Willie Gault has some moves, but his teammate, the late Walter Payton, also did. He made a national tv appearance on "Soul Train," doing the "Cock Walk," a move he invented. It may not be along the lines of what you are looking for, but it would be remiss not to mention that the greatest diver in history, Greg Louganis, studied dance throughout his childhood, and did do some guest appearances with professional companies. Finally, I think you would find some of the debate/discussion about this issue on www.dance.net very interesting. Also -- a wonderful article written by a parent on www.suite101.com. Hope this helps. Link to comment
Ed Waffle Posted May 8, 2004 Share Posted May 8, 2004 Herschel Walker was running back for the Universtiy of Georgia and the Dallas Cowboys. He was on the bobsled team for the United States in the 1992 Olympic Winter Games. While at the University of Georgia he was one of the top college sprinters in both indoor and outdoor competition. He appeared with the Fort Worth Ballet in one production during the late 1990's--II think that Dance Magazine had a picture of Walker and a female dancer from the production. It was a one-off deal probably to raise money and make the company more visible--I would imagine he had to come to class and rehearsal. I typed Herscel Walker ballet into the Google search window and got a few hits, including this one, which is quite nice for several reasons: http://www.theeagle.com/community/012804bubba.php In the lead the author writes that he part of "a new program called Bringing Underexposed Baby Boomers to the Arts (aka BUBBA)". The last sentence of the article is,"Here’s the one thing my Bubba experience has taught me: The ballet is for everyone!" Link to comment
dancersteven Posted May 13, 2004 Author Share Posted May 13, 2004 Thanks everybody! The outreach was earlier this week, and I think everyone had fun. They enjoyed the movement sections more than me talking (of course), but evveryone was happy at the end, so my goals were reached! S. Not doing what you love to do is neither good sense nor common sense. -Daniel Nagrin Link to comment
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