Ballet related Old wives' tales

[Xena]

Recently there have been a few threads where someone has brought up a saying or an Old wives' tale related to ballet.

For example, Lola_doggy (on the Adult dancers board) says "I have heard it said that the more you dance the wider your feet get,"

and then there was the thread on the young dancers forum from Katrina about how sitting cross-legged can ruin your turn-out.

I was wondering if anyone has any other Old Wives' tales or sayings related ot ballet? I find them fascinating.

Jeanette

[LMCtech]

Here's one.

Cross-training is bad for you.

'Course they didn't call it cross-training back then, and now we encourage it.

[BW]

Hmm, let's see, the most outrageous one that I've heard recently was that if one always wore their hair pulled tightly back in a pony tail, one's "side burns" would grow in dark and heavy!(Speaking here of females!?) :rolleyes:

[Xena]

Oh that reminds me of anotehr one, about always having your hair in a bun will cause you to go bald.

Are there any truths in any of these?

[vagansmom]

Well, it IS true that if you pull your hair too tightly into a bun, the hairs around your hairline might thin out. It's commonly seen in adolescent girls who've just learned how to do their own buns. The hairs get pulled out from the stress. Not permanent, of course.

[LMCtech]

How about this one...If 8 is good, 88 is better.

Ouch.

[Xena]

sorry LMCtech, that was has gone whoooosssh ..straight over my head...:confused:

[beckster]

I think LMCtech means like, if 8 plies are good for you, then doing 88 must be even better.

And my addition to the thread is that pointe shoes have blocks of wood in the toe.

[Mel Johnson]

Actually, some British shoes after WWII did have a bit of balsa right at the platform, but that only lasted as long as war surplus balsa held cheap!