I would like to become a professional dancer. I have achieved grade 1 ballet form when I was a little girl. I have grade 5 piano and have really good rhytym. Is it to late to learn and make a living out of it. Any advice much appreciated

Hi lolabass, didn't want to leave your post unanswered.
Even though it is quite late to start to learn B/L when you're 21 it's not impossible. One of my danceteachers started dancing competitions when he was 24 and he was quite succesful internationally. His wife started when she was about 12 though and danced quite succesfully in NZ before they danced together. They turned pro when he was 26, and they danced in international championships.
They're now retired and own a popular dansschool and train very succesful dancers.

So it's possible but you'll need a good partner which is so difficult. It's also very expensive so before turning pro most dancers have a fulltime job and also have to train every day for hours. But if you're willing to do all this I'd say go for it.

I think Len Goodman was 21 when he started ballroom dancing. No, it is never too late. All the very best!

The higher the standard reached and the taller the girl, the harder to locate an unattached stable partner. Not for myself, but does anyone have anecdotes on how a suitable partner was found?

It isn't too late to learn to be a professional dancer, providing you accept your limitations. For example, realistically, it would be too late to think in terms of competing as a professional, though you could do so as an amateur, as there are competitions for beginners, medallists etc. of all ages.

However, if your aim is to make a career of dancing, you're not too old to learn to become a teacher, but again with limitations ..... Competitive dancers want teachers who are experienced, but there's always a call for teachers for beginners, and classes.

As - unless I have read it wrongly - you have no experience of ballroom and latin, you would be wise to find a good teacher and at least start learning the basics. Then you will need to find someone qualified to teach and train you to take your professional exams (you can't teach until you have taken first exams).

None of this is out of the question, but I would warn you, nor will it be cheap! If you decide to go for it, then I send my best wishes, and would be interested to know how you get on.

Didn't Anton start his ballroom career quite late (i.e. around the age you are now). He still managed to make a career out of competitive dancing, and look where he is now.

I think Anton was about 16 when he started.

Sometimes when a pro dancer says he/she started dancing at such-and-such an age, they can mean that is when they started taking their dancing to a new level - leaving medallist schools/teachers and going to coaches to train for the bigger "Open" competitions & championships.

For example, a coach once boasted to us how well one of his couples were doing... "and they've only been dancing for 2 years...." The coach got the hump when we pointed out to him that this particular couple had been dancing at least 10 years and we had pictures of them to prove it...... 'cos we went to the same medallist school as them...

In other words, quoted 'years danced' and 'ages' ----- when we first knew him, Len said he started dancing at the age of 18, now he says 21!!!!!!!!! ----- can often be taken with a hefty pinch of salt!

When women dancers spin incredibly fast, how much stress does that put on the knees, on the feet? Is there a case of the younger the start the earlier the burnout? How is the toll on the body in later life?

Donnie Burns and Gaynor Fairweather won 15 world latin championships undefeated, but the exception proves the rule.

Dancers usually have hideous looking feet, particularly Latin dancers because of the pressure into the floor. Ballet dancers too, of course - their poor poor toes!

Knees, for both latin and ballroom dancers, take a dreadful hammering as well - go to any competitive practice and you will probably find dancers putting protective strapping on their knees. Donnie used to wear his outside his trousers to practice - looked quite strange, but whatever works....

Never too late for anything

Quite right about the feet - was quite comforted the other week when I was sat front row at the Dutch Open to see mine definitely aren't the ugliest pair out there - and they are quite horrible!

Everybody's circumstances are different. I personally believe that it's a lot harder for a competitor if you haven't had a good run through junior and youth, at least. It definitely depends on how high your aspirations are for a start. My problem is that I want absolutely nothing less than the very best - I only started dancing at 13, and so I believe I'm probably too late to ever give myself any real chance of getting close to that. But you never know, if you work hard and are really focused (and super rich), and are prepared to cut practically everything else out of you life, then there's every chance.

I know what you mean, I had to go to hospital because of a foot problem. The specialist took one look and said "Mmmmm, clearly a dancer then?" I actually felt it was a compliment!

I believe idealistic young persons looking admiringly at an enchanting dance scene from a distance ought to be shown the realities, the high price paid by serious dancers, the toll on the body, the surgery, and the limited earnings for many before Strictly came along. Nor is there medical insurance cover arranged by an employer.

If they still want to go for it, by all means and best of luck. But let them go in with eyes open.

Spoken from experience, soulmate61?

A lot of people seem under the impression that bb/lat dancers who compete, will 'earn' their living from competing, like they do in other sports, whereas apart from a couple of world competitions - particularly Japan - the prize money is relatively tiny; even at top worldclass events, prize money doesn't cover the cost of expenses; and at smaller events it might be no more than £50 - £100. Plus, unlike other sports, dancers have to pay to enter competitions. (Imagine telling Freddie Flintoff he can play for England, & it will cost him £X to be in the team.....)

Even ballet dancers have a difficult time nowadays. Even the top ones no longer get long-term 'memberships' to a company, but more like a seasonal contract.