Amateur Ballet

[johnno]

What are your opinions on amateur ballet**?

All ballet I ever see (not much, alas!) is performed by very competent and experienced paid dancers. Is there room for those performing just because they like to? I believe a Washington Post critic famously likened it to "amateur brain surgery". Considering how many people go through basic dance schools I wonder whether there should be more of a "popular front" in ballet, even if it offends critics. Resisting the urge to say especially if it offends criitcs...

** not to be confused with the annual shows of local dance schools featuring three-year olds in fluffy pink tutus!

[Mel Johnson]

What you're talking about is "civic ballet".

And there have been and are some civic ballet companies which were and are better than some paid companies.

[johnno]

Thanks for that, a web search has produced lots of US examples. I can't think of anything like it here in the UK.