Don't Think, Dear: On Loving and Leaving Ballet

by Alice Robb

trim body.” And Sills disputed Helen Shaw’s characterization

swan-like definition,” she wrote.

that thinness and beauty meant attention and success; and that,

an adult, that lesson was reinforced by critics, fans, and lovers in the real world.

“If you want to make your appearance irrelevant to criticism,

wondered how I had fallen so

“26 and 2.” (Formerly

(Barre remains one of the most popular workouts today, with

My teacher was right. Ballet is not fun. It’s meditation; it’s a physical prayer. It’s striving for perfection and then giving in to the moment.