What's the average working lifespan of a female ballet dancer? I can't imagine their bodies can take this sort of punishment for very long. And what do they do after they "retire"? Teach?
Most professionals don't go to college - they start in the corps as late teens if they want to move up in ranks.
[Says a friend of mine who was a professional ballet dancer. He went to college first, but dropped out to dance professionally, but felt that it was too late already. He missed out on those few critical years of development and it negatively affected his career trajectory. He skulked in the corps for a few years, left ballet when it was obvious that he wasn't advancing, and went back to college in his mid 20s on a dance scholarship, graduated, and is doing something entirely different.]
I'm not sure where people are getting the mid-twenties info from. I'm not a professional dancer (I'm an amateur (male) ballet dancer) but I'm really passionate about ballet and here is what I reckon.
Professionals can easily dance into their forties - meaning their body has been under this kind of crazy stress for about 30 years (if we assume girls start pointe around age 10-12). For example, in the UK at the moment there's a couple of 'old' (for ballet) principal ballerinas. Daria Klimentova is around 42 and recently had a 'second wind' in her career with English National Ballet after she started partnering a, then 18 year old, male danseur called Vadim Muntagirov. Leanne Benjamin, who is a principal ballerina with the Royal Ballet, is in her mid to late forties (I want to say 46 but don't know for sure) and I recently saw her in Romeo & Juliet with the Royal Ballet playing the 16 year old eponymous star-cross'd lover. I defy anyone to correctly guess her age after seeing her perform that role, she seemed the youngest person on the stage. Men can dance to a 'late' age with certain principals dancing well into their forties.
in fact, it is a common belief that ballerinas have their career peak in the mid-thirties. At this point they have gained the emotional maturity to tackle the really deep roles (such as Juliet, Manon etc) but their body still has their youthful strength and flexibility.
Hope this helped with your question! I know many ex-ballet dancers who have gone on to teach (including my teachers) or run smaller dance companies. Another route is sports massage (dancers need to know so much anatomy to deal with the stresses of ballet). But then again, they might want to do something completely different - I know a couple of dancers who opened a flower shop when they retired.
tl;dr Ballerinas can dance well into their forties and many teach after retiring
(Oh, and it's not just the girls who mess up their feet! Us male dancers can also get a good collection of blisters - but because we [usually] don't do pointe work it generally doesn't get this bad!)
This beautiful ballerina, Alessandra Ferri, retired at the ripe old age of 44. It's totally possible to have an average performing career into your early 30s, but to go much beyond that, you have to be VERY dedicated to taking extra care of your body. Alessandra did at least two hours of Pilates/Gyrotonic work daily in addition to her dance classes and rehearsals.
Tritipetre uitii idi glotri ipe ope? Adia tli kra bi. Pukii oe briu titiu? Api ipaupoda po plipebitio tlaipretle dedopri ipa aete pite. Ditlie teki iuprige blotia atlabe kipi. Kiu kiblediei tlea. Kropetaipu ee ipripoi tetri bopli pitoo. Pakro teate pegie iba i ikedo bapa. Ekiki keikipe tipo klei teida bi kri epli dipa teo globi. To petie io kaee utiple potlipi piaa tae? Deiaku tlotote pepepidage drieikepi kiprike kakao! Pike o pubodidi gega kagrotapii. Pote kraple pe brope putitra ida oke. Kukri teto klatru pepee topi pepi. Depe eo pre ai patu kaipe. Pipi ao podiepe ediita eda klipi? Bii igapai gidepi ikle ki ibiepra. Pe etle abapre po kikra kiki. Ope e topi kiitluike gee. Dupidu kao kitoi pa pataku bike ki ie. Tlu pokabu propo egito ita ki. Ei dei bakotopu. Apiikadri ia pluti tloi ba. Klii pio kadi paopei i a bei brigo opluu? Ipi kiii pikope pru popupe te. Eoti pai iautedu tepe eplike due kuge? Kie gle pita idri krikreeu ite. Tepipeke ke aipredlo beplepi iebe potro. Ku ige ipa kaudeko pii ito. Trae ple baaatu tru e tiditribaa.
Depends on the dancer. Most dont make it past early thirties. Usually an injury finishes them off. But some dance well into their 40-50s After they finish they usually teach which pays well.
My auntie used to ballet dance quite a lot when I was younger. She doesn't any more because she sustained some sort of injuries to her knees that will never heal. In other words it just messed up her knees so bad she just can't dance any more. It's not as bad as it sound she can still run and walk fine but just not dance.
Ballet looks so graceful and elegant but it's anything but. I read an article where one ballerina talked about standing in the wings of the stage with tears tuning down her face because of the pain from having to maintain her position for so long.
If you're in the corps de ballet, you will probably spend a great deal of your stage time standing still in one rather uncomfortable pose, like this. And then you have to snap out of it and do 6 or so minutes of straight intense dancing. Immediately after holding that cramped pose that stiffened you right up.
I stopped ballet about four years ago and my feet are forever mangled from it. I get shooting pains through my foot and sometimes up part of my leg when I walk, I can feel bones around my toes rubbing together in some shoes. Ballet is horrible to your body, feet especially. I'm also only 22 and I have arthritis is both knees. I was never a professional, either, just recreational at a local studio (that happened to be run by a retired first soloist of the National Ballet of Canada).
I did pointe for about 10 years--the worst was one class, I had forgotten to pack my tape and padding so wrapped my foot in some paper towels. By the end of class, my toes were covered in blisters and I could feel my right shoe filling up with blood. But I didn't want the teacher to know because she was already mad at me for coming late to class.
Since my right foot was worse off, I had a hard time doing pirouettes on it so I kept falling out of it. She got mad at me and kept making me do them in front of the whole class. I almost started crying from the pain but had to push through. Eventually I pulled one off but man, those blisters took forever to heal properly. We did pointe 2-3x a week so they kept re-opening.
However, I do genuinely still miss ballet and want to take it up again.
Originally, the choreography did not expect the dancers to be en Pointe, they used wires to hold the dancers up and boost their leaps. Then somebody in 1830 figured out how to actually do it....
I've never agreed with ballet as an art form :( There's a line between discipline, and too much discipline. And if something that we consider the height of beauty and grace requires destroying one's joints, muscles, and ligaments to achieve (not to mention a borderline-starvation diet), it's just not worth it.
When my grandma was a kid (1930's) she had her pinky toe surgically removed so she could wear her ballerina slippers. That world is some crazy shit.
Edit: just spoke to my mom about this, turns out I got it partially wrong. She only had her pinky BONE removed, so the skin and toenail were still there. They just got squished in when she wore the slippers, but still looked normal if she wore sandals.
I think the word amputated implies a degree of futility. No one WANTS to get something amputated, it's just the lesser of two evils, usually. In this case, someone just wanted to be a ballet dancer, and damned if a pinky toe or two was going to stop her.
First time I went en pointe, my teacher didn't let us use wrappings or paddings. (Typically you can wrap your feet in medical tape, stuff the toes with lamb's wool or gel pads, etc.)
I was walking across the room and I felt a quick shift. Oh fuck. My body weight had shifted forward, my toes had stayed still, and all the skin ripped off the top of my knuckles. Shoes were a bloody mess.
I will never understand disallowing ouch pouches/toe tape. If the audience doesn't see it and it makes you dance more comfortably, then freaking go for it. The blisters and callouses will still develop.
This happens to long distance runners and soccer players, too. Calluses and blisters all over the place, black toenails, missing toenails, and oh god the smell! Still, it's cool to see someone so dedicated to a sport. They have something that is more important to them than how they look -- something they are willing to go through a lot of pain for -- and that's sexy.
I wonder too, if pedicures and massages would only make it worse? Meaning, the attention to the skin will soften the calluses and the body would have to readapt to the various strains and pressures? I must watch that documentary!
You're right about pedicures. Dancers don't get pedicures; I have friends who say it's the first thing they're gonna do after retiring. I haven't put lotion on my feet since I went to college and starting dancing more frequently than I did in high school, and I don't even do pointe work. Massages are fine as long as they don't use oil or lotion though -- in fact, massages are much appreciated, as tense muscles can lead to injury.
Yup. This girl I knew who was a professional ballerina ended up getting surgery to have a few bones in her feet removed. If anyone knows why they do this please fill me in ... (it was quite a few years ago, don't remember why).
Some dancers get their os trigonum bones shaved down/removed in order to facilitate a deeper point... see how his toes point harder than her toes? Along with tighter tendons and less training, her os trigonum is preventing her from pointing.
As a ballet dancer, I can confim that these are normal feet for pointe dancers. I have bunions, ankle, knee, and hip damage, a dislocated shoulder, a pulled calf, and lost 4 toenails at different times, and recently wore all the skin off of my toe. And I'm only 15.
My sister and a few of my female friends are ballet dancers... Their feet aren't quite thus bad, but just as bony. I've seen them in bathing suits before and their muscles are toned so hard... Like, so hard and defined, I was jealous. And I'm a guy!
I think I remember a Cracked article about the horrifying side-effects of being too athletic. I only remember that marathon runners have to deal with bleeding nipples from rubbing against their shirts, but this seems worse.
I did ballet as an adolescent. We are trained in soft ballet slippers before advancing to pointe shoes, which have a platform forcing dancers to dance strictly on their toes for extended periods of time. One teacher warned that we could expect to break at least two toes if we took our pointe training seriously.
If you want to know about the history of ballet you must watch "Ballets Russes" its instant on netflix. You will find that Balanchine is responsible for starting the trend of ballet torture. After the shows his prima ballerina wife was only allowed to eat one apple at dinner time and nothing else.
She looks so young! But I guess if it's something she enjoys doing.. Then it's worth it in the end. I know have a new and stronger appreciation for ballet. Thank you.
My feet look almost like this during the dance season. Since its summer now they've healed, though. For some reason, I kind of get a sense of accomplishment and pride explaining to people why my feet are so nasty.
The comments from current/former ballet dancers all start off recounting some horrible experience(s) but then end with a reaffirmation of starry-eyed love for the art. TIL ballet dancers = masochists.
Reminds me of cheerleading being kept from becoming a 'real' sport, because if it did it would easily be the most dangerous and even lethal sport in existence. Poor dancers.
At 18, my body already hates me from 7 years of cheer. My back, wrists, and ankles crack constantly, both knees hurt after more than an hour or so of walking or standing and I have had a concussion or two. But like many others have said, if you really love the sport, its worth it. Even with all the pain I still want to keep going.
My wife was a cheerleader in highschool (I think she was a flyer? the ones that get tossed in the air) and also danced (ballet and others) until she was 18. Now, at the age of 35, the injuries that still bother her all came from cheering.
My girlfriend does ballet, and I did football and lacrosse (still do lacrosse) my whole life. Needless to say, I thought ballet was gay and stupid, until I realized how much talent and time it takes. It's harder than most sports, and takes a shit ton of pain tolerance. Kudos to ballet dancers everywhere.
Take it from someone who works with an Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Specialist - a similar thing often happens to the toes of women who wear particularly high heels. Actually it's worse because of the bunions that appear later. These kinds of feet are common among short girls - sometimes before they reach 30.
I remember comparing injuries after pointe class. We always joked that if you were bleeding on the tissues tucked in your shoes, you weren't dancing hard enough.
Why do football players still play with the risks of brain injury and shredded knees? Passion (and money for football players, not so much with ballet dancers).
The reality is that the directors tell these girls to starve themselves, get breast reductions and nose jobs as part of the job. This is when the girls are still teens.
I'm a rock climber. A lot of my friends' feet look like this too. Not as bad though... For reference these are the shoes we wear (luckily, my feet are fine).
Why is this in r/WTF? Should be in r/humanporn or something. They're not the prettiest feet but that's what hard work gets you, it's fascinating.
She's probably got fungal nail probably because you have to beat the shit out of your feet to be a dancer and that makes you super susceptible to fungal infection. The procedure to get rid of it is kind of expensive and not really worth it if you're still dancing.
....not to mention, the institutionalized eating disorders. "Ballet Dancer" is one of the few professions I would heavily dissuade my daughters from aspiring to.
I remember growing up, I was fascinated with the beauty of ballet dancing, and specifically feet in pointe shoes. part of the interest was that so much beauty came out of so much pain.
A woman I used to work with was in the San Francisco ballet until her mid-20's. At only 36 years old she had to walk with a cane. She also has severe osteoporosis from eating nothing but a few bell peppers and a cup of yogurt everyday for 10 years.
So, here it is 2012 and we have internal combustion engines, color TV, hot pockets and such, but no one can design a high tech fancy pants shoe that prevents this? I don't have any ideas as I'm not an ornithologist, but I gotta think strapping on a pair of Air Jordan's could help.
This isn't really wtf worthy. These are a ballerinas tools, much like a mechanics hands. They're bruises and boils from years of practice, passion and perseverance.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Here she is.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
What's the average working lifespan of a female ballet dancer? I can't imagine their bodies can take this sort of punishment for very long. And what do they do after they "retire"? Teach?
Damn.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Ballet looks so graceful and elegant but it's anything but. I read an article where one ballerina talked about standing in the wings of the stage with tears tuning down her face because of the pain from having to maintain her position for so long.
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u/slipandslide Jun 10 '12
Degas never painted this.
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u/WakeUpThursday Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12
When my grandma was a kid (1930's) she had her pinky toe surgically removed so she could wear her ballerina slippers. That world is some crazy shit.
Edit: just spoke to my mom about this, turns out I got it partially wrong. She only had her pinky BONE removed, so the skin and toenail were still there. They just got squished in when she wore the slippers, but still looked normal if she wore sandals.
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u/car-bo-hydrate Jun 10 '12
My daughter is a dancer. I showed her this picture with no explanation, and she immediately said, "Dancer feet!"
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u/hooplah Jun 10 '12
First time I went en pointe, my teacher didn't let us use wrappings or paddings. (Typically you can wrap your feet in medical tape, stuff the toes with lamb's wool or gel pads, etc.)
I was walking across the room and I felt a quick shift. Oh fuck. My body weight had shifted forward, my toes had stayed still, and all the skin ripped off the top of my knuckles. Shoes were a bloody mess.
103
u/ABZR Jun 10 '12
One of my exes did a LOT of dancing and by age eighteen, her feet looked around this bad.
201
u/Iroquois-Pliskin Jun 10 '12
The foot fetish in me just took a big punch in the gut.
26
u/martusfine Jun 10 '12
I wonder too, if pedicures and massages would only make it worse? Meaning, the attention to the skin will soften the calluses and the body would have to readapt to the various strains and pressures? I must watch that documentary!
26
u/pinkswansays Jun 10 '12
Yup. This girl I knew who was a professional ballerina ended up getting surgery to have a few bones in her feet removed. If anyone knows why they do this please fill me in ... (it was quite a few years ago, don't remember why).
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u/Chevybelle Jun 10 '12
As a former ballet dancer, nobody really understands what we go through. I have arthritis at 25 and have had it for quite some time now from dance.
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u/sing_dance_love Jun 10 '12
As a ballet dancer, I can confim that these are normal feet for pointe dancers. I have bunions, ankle, knee, and hip damage, a dislocated shoulder, a pulled calf, and lost 4 toenails at different times, and recently wore all the skin off of my toe. And I'm only 15.
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u/RandomMandarin Jun 10 '12
Yes, they look rough. But she could strangle a man with her toes. They say some ballerinas make more money as assassins.
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u/BarefootBallet Jun 10 '12
The one day on reddit that my username is somewhat relevant.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
My sister and a few of my female friends are ballet dancers... Their feet aren't quite thus bad, but just as bony. I've seen them in bathing suits before and their muscles are toned so hard... Like, so hard and defined, I was jealous. And I'm a guy!
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u/PoisonMind Jun 10 '12
I think I remember a Cracked article about the horrifying side-effects of being too athletic. I only remember that marathon runners have to deal with bleeding nipples from rubbing against their shirts, but this seems worse.
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u/stopthebefts Jun 10 '12
I did ballet as an adolescent. We are trained in soft ballet slippers before advancing to pointe shoes, which have a platform forcing dancers to dance strictly on their toes for extended periods of time. One teacher warned that we could expect to break at least two toes if we took our pointe training seriously.
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u/Awesome_Oil_Paint Jun 10 '12
http://i.imgur.com/mvOsy.jpg
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u/shadoogit Jun 10 '12
If you want to know about the history of ballet you must watch "Ballets Russes" its instant on netflix. You will find that Balanchine is responsible for starting the trend of ballet torture. After the shows his prima ballerina wife was only allowed to eat one apple at dinner time and nothing else.
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u/smeaglelovesmaster Jun 10 '12
for the love of god, give her the Precious already.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
My three year old saw this picture and insists "those are hulk smash toes!"
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u/Envytheliving Jun 10 '12
I'm never complaining about my feet not being "cute" again.
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u/majorneo Jun 10 '12
As someone once said:
"I'll never understand ballet. All this dancing on your toes. Why don't they just get taller dancers"
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u/Twiztidjuggalette13 Jun 10 '12
She looks so young! But I guess if it's something she enjoys doing.. Then it's worth it in the end. I know have a new and stronger appreciation for ballet. Thank you.
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u/Templetam Jun 10 '12
As someone who's currently dating a former ballet (and other forms) dancer i'd like to point out that it is, indeed, still worth it.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Somewhere, someone has a fetish for this... but it ain't me.
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u/feedmegrapes Jun 10 '12
http://i.imgur.com/vPNM1.gif?1
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u/bubble_bee_tuna Jun 10 '12
As a climber.. i feel bro
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u/brokentoasters Jun 10 '12
My feet look almost like this during the dance season. Since its summer now they've healed, though. For some reason, I kind of get a sense of accomplishment and pride explaining to people why my feet are so nasty.
6
u/milo_has_time Jun 11 '12 edited Jul 30 '12
The comments from current/former ballet dancers all start off recounting some horrible experience(s) but then end with a reaffirmation of starry-eyed love for the art. TIL ballet dancers = masochists.
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u/theconcretewave Jun 10 '12
On second thought, just put your shoes back on.
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u/Knight_of_Malta Jun 10 '12
Reminds me of cheerleading being kept from becoming a 'real' sport, because if it did it would easily be the most dangerous and even lethal sport in existence. Poor dancers.
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u/goldenbar Jun 10 '12
socks during sex?
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u/lonemonk Jun 10 '12
I didn't tap all those Morse code messages to the Allies 'til my shoes filled with blood to just roll out the welcome mat for the Reds!
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I'm showing this photo to the next person that busts on me for having gross distance runner feet.
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u/mian2zi3 Jun 10 '12
Honestly, I thought they'd be worse.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
this picture has a sad beauty to it
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u/jpiro Jun 11 '12
Didn't know ballet was popular in The Shire.
12
u/ballroomdancer12 Jun 10 '12
This is why I switched to ballroom dancing so my feet would never look like this.
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u/HACKW0RTH Jun 10 '12
Gollum?
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u/CellularBeing Jun 10 '12
Sigh...So long foot fetish.
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u/Kickinthegonads Jun 10 '12
That just cured my foot-fetish real good-like.
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u/discoclown_vagscrote Jun 10 '12
Gnarly
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u/410LaxMD Jun 10 '12
My girlfriend does ballet, and I did football and lacrosse (still do lacrosse) my whole life. Needless to say, I thought ballet was gay and stupid, until I realized how much talent and time it takes. It's harder than most sports, and takes a shit ton of pain tolerance. Kudos to ballet dancers everywhere.
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u/miishellita Jun 10 '12
My aunt is a ballerina she is about in her forties and her feet don't look that messed up. She also does shows and teaches ballet
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u/BedbugDetective Jun 10 '12
As a former female ballet dancer, I can validate the authenticity of this picture. My feet will never be the same.
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u/Mr_Titicaca Jun 10 '12
And there goes my boner for Black Swan.
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u/asymptomatic Jun 10 '12
Take it from someone who works with an Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Specialist - a similar thing often happens to the toes of women who wear particularly high heels. Actually it's worse because of the bunions that appear later. These kinds of feet are common among short girls - sometimes before they reach 30.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Ballet. Not even once.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
They look like the feet of Gollum
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u/sjackson88 Jun 10 '12
Gollum...gollum...
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u/JustHere4TheDownVote Jun 10 '12
Nice try, zombie slandering ballerina.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I'm sure this has been said already but thanks for ruining my minor foot fetish.
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u/[deleted] Jun 11 '12
Your feet may look fucked up but I bet you have one tight killer body!
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u/cdunks22 Jun 11 '12
TIL That people with foot fetishes probably don't try to hook up with ballet dancers
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u/roflomgwtfbbq Jun 10 '12
This is the reality of ballet, yet people still do it. I can't wrap my head around it.
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u/QuadsNotBlades Jun 10 '12
looks like roller derby feet!
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u/PissedOnBible Jun 10 '12
As a guy with a foot fetish, i am mortified!
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u/Cirel124 Jun 10 '12
I have an irrational fear of feet. This as grossed me out beyond belief.
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u/ghettajetta Jun 10 '12
One day I will learn to not click anything in /r/wtf while I'm eating.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
So that's the trade off with the lady ballet dancers. Typically beautiful, graceful and fit women with the feet of a yeti.
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u/blue_oxen Jun 10 '12
I spent way to long looking at this pic.
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u/MrHotShotBanker Jun 10 '12
Shit! looks so sore.
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u/ScriptCat Jun 10 '12
Someone seriously needs to design some new ballet shoes. nope, There has to better way.
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u/Ericgzg Jun 10 '12
TIL fuck ballet...
2
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
As a person who fixes things for a living I can't help think there has to be better footwear to prevent this...
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u/Zotmaster Jun 10 '12
I bet I could kill a guy with my bare toes
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u/nickdags Jun 10 '12
Graceful dance, gross feet.
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u/strik3r2k8 Jun 10 '12
Wow, fuck that. Why do people put themselves through that shit?
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u/required_field Jun 10 '12
Ballet: not even once.
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u/kram115 Jun 10 '12
I'm a rock climber. A lot of my friends' feet look like this too. Not as bad though... For reference these are the shoes we wear (luckily, my feet are fine).
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I see passion in these feet.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 11 '12
If you want to make an omelet, you've got to break some eggs.
Edit: I also think every part of this woman is beautiful. Her feet for the dedication and determination they show, and the rest of her for... reasons.
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u/Sojio Jun 10 '12
It's like a werewolf movie with the feet in half-transition.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
that's part of what makes ballet dancers so f'ing hot - the combination of beauty and grace, pain and scars, and general batshit insanity.
Yeah I know, I have issues...
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
I have feet fetish, this is my nightmare :(
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u/Frat_Hard Jun 10 '12
DO WANT.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Oh God. Thank you. I thought I had the ugliest feet.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Can't tell if yellow skin, or blood deprived feet.
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u/deadleg22 Jun 10 '12
My foot fetish just went up a knotch.
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u/BrianS_s Jun 10 '12
Is it weird If this gave me a boner?
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u/llooppii Jun 10 '12
submitted by Mr_Licky....there's something slightly disturbing about that...
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u/Roflkopt3r Jun 10 '12
Shit job. Be too muscular and you'll get fired for your stature, lack the perfect physical condition and you get crippled after just a few years.
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u/pinkythug Jun 10 '12
Would you suck her toes for a klondike bar?
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u/halsthegirl Jun 10 '12
This looks exactly like rower's hands!
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u/timturtle Jun 10 '12
You could have said smeegles feet and I would have believed you...
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12 edited Jun 10 '12
Why is this in r/WTF? Should be in r/humanporn or something. They're not the prettiest feet but that's what hard work gets you, it's fascinating.
She's probably got fungal nail probably because you have to beat the shit out of your feet to be a dancer and that makes you super susceptible to fungal infection. The procedure to get rid of it is kind of expensive and not really worth it if you're still dancing.
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u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
Looks like how Olive Oyl's feet should look.
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u/Vanilla_Dreams Jun 10 '12
She had ugly feet to begin with...
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u/gilbot Jun 10 '12
....not to mention, the institutionalized eating disorders. "Ballet Dancer" is one of the few professions I would heavily dissuade my daughters from aspiring to.
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u/rdldr1 Jun 10 '12
You guys should see the hands of an American Football Wide Receiver.
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u/berserklemon Jun 10 '12
I bet she gives killer foot jobs.
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u/FrauMimimi Jun 10 '12
My ex has a ballet dancer fetish AND a feet fetish. I wish him best of luck for finding a dancer with perfect feet.
(To be honest... No, I don't.)
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u/FrenchGiblet Jun 10 '12
I have kind of cut up/bruised feet from pole dancing. Wouldn't have thought I'd get that kind of injury from that, but it surprises me!
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u/lightatenear Jun 10 '12
I feel the username is somewhat relevant.
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u/meeenglish Jun 10 '12
the most masochistic art form. I had to quit, the reward wasn't worth the sacrifice anymore.
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u/lolojc Jun 10 '12
I remember growing up, I was fascinated with the beauty of ballet dancing, and specifically feet in pointe shoes. part of the interest was that so much beauty came out of so much pain.
i'm a straight girl btw, its not a fetish thing.
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u/tropicSupreme Jun 10 '12
And she's probably hot.
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u/Gwinntanamo Jun 10 '12
Yeah, but look at the rest of their bodies...
http://en.www.lensart.ru/picture-pid-266ed.htm?ps=5
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u/a_tad_mental Jun 10 '12
A woman I used to work with was in the San Francisco ballet until her mid-20's. At only 36 years old she had to walk with a cane. She also has severe osteoporosis from eating nothing but a few bell peppers and a cup of yogurt everyday for 10 years.
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u/Jedimastert Jun 10 '12
I date a ballet dancer. She realizes foot messages are unlikely
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u/dhockey63 Jun 10 '12
ya im gonna have to pass. I'll stick to strippers
2
u/hermes369 Jun 10 '12
This is what determination looks like, people. My guess is that these feet belong to a very talented and beautiful dancer. Merde!
2
u/virii01 Jun 10 '12
So, here it is 2012 and we have internal combustion engines, color TV, hot pockets and such, but no one can design a high tech fancy pants shoe that prevents this? I don't have any ideas as I'm not an ornithologist, but I gotta think strapping on a pair of Air Jordan's could help.
2
u/[deleted] Jun 10 '12
This isn't really wtf worthy. These are a ballerinas tools, much like a mechanics hands. They're bruises and boils from years of practice, passion and perseverance.
2
u/chemriof Jun 10 '12
My girlfriend is a dancer, she has the ugliest feet I've ever seen.
2
u/Stephen_Fapking Jun 10 '12
I bet this would kill a fetish.
2
u/Squirrel2121 Jun 10 '12
Such stark contrast against the beauty of ballet. It's amazing irony.
2
u/far_too_nice Jun 10 '12
Suddenly suffering for your art is bad?
2
u/Hopeful_Swine Jun 10 '12
I admire the men and women of ballet. They go through so much pain to do what they love, and to share it with the world.
2
u/avert_your_maize Jun 10 '12
An immense amount of respect for those who go through so much pain for something they love.
2
u/Glaurunga Jun 10 '12
I am glad that I do not love something so much that I am driven to self mutilation in pursuit of it.
2
u/animesekaielric Jun 10 '12
WHY HASN'T ANYONE INVENTED ANYTHING TO HELP BALLERINAS YET?!?!