The F means Freedom, not Fear

This is exactly how I feel.
I'm certainly not the only one on the planet who feels this way.
Most times, it is the FEAR of failing, or the FEAR of venturing out of our comfort zones that cripple us, or make us think that "the certain door/option" is shut.
Psychological barriers, they call it.

Well, ballet has taught me one thing.
Just do it! Keep doing it and I would get somewhere.
It's frustrating because you know that you have to work with limitations, and "discrimination" as teachers in Malaysia especially, do not see the "vast potential" in adult ballet - both as a viable income source, as well as talent.

Till then, it often feels like a lonely battle - because not many adults choose to break out of their norm, for FEAR of being ridiculed. Whether it is ballet, breaking out of accounting to do perhaps - travel, painting, changing course etc

Well, I really like what the director of everydancer says. It personifies the challenges that I feel, and I am sure what many feel.

Then again, we really should not beat ourselves up - try giving yourself a second chance. Just do it - go do it, whatever is your aspiration. You really only have ONE LIFE to live!

April 26, 2007 - Thursday
Director's Statement

"Achievement does something to you. It centers you in a way."

"Everyday Dancers" interview, June, 2006

The idea for this documentary came to me when I first attended the Adult Dance Camps in the summer of 2001. For me, walking into a dance studio at the age of 35 was a life-changing experience. It was the first step on the realization of a life-long dream and very possibly the first step toward the rest of my life.

You might think, "So what? Ballet? It's not like it's that big a deal, right?"

To step into a dance studio is an intimidating experience. It forces you to confront a host of issues, including peer pressure, image, physical and emotional issues, as well as the reality of aging bodies which can no longer do the things they used to do. It's deeply personal and often painful. And it can be life-changing.

Adults who pursue this youth-oriented art-form are often looked at as curiosities, people who're stuck in childhood, who want to recapture something they can no longer have. And yet, according to national studies, their numbers are growing. With just under a million people over 30 who study ballet in the United States, adult ballet classes in studios across the country are growing in popularity.

Just like a young adult or professional dancer, for these adults, walking into a dance studio can be filled with frustration, pain and unequaled hours of personal fulfillment. To chase the muse of dance at any age is just as valid, just as difficult and just as rewarding.

This film is really for anyone who's looked out the window of their office or cubicle and wondered if there was anything else. It's about the people you pass on the street without even thinking, or the older woman who takes her place silently at barre every week and disappears into her own, personal world for an hour.

It's about everyday people who gave themselves a second chance.