Dancers do not like missing class.

Class is the most important part of dance training, even more so than performances. Auditions (which are what will get dancers jobs and performance opportunities) are always classes. Class is how we stay in shape, and where we push ourselves to improve. Because of this, holiday breaks or other instances where we are forced to go without class are the subject of much ire among dancers.

One of the main reasons for this is that extended breaks are difficult to recover from. This is because dance really isn’t natural- the human body isn’t designed to constantly have our legs over our heads. Dancers have to put a lot of work into simply being able to stand up straight and turn out. When we take long breaks, it all kind of goes away. Even if we stretch and do other things during our break (which we should, but don’t always), it’s nowhere near as intense as an actual class. So by the time we finally return to regular class, half of us can barely stand up, which makes class a little difficult, to say the least.

Another reason that some dancers dislike breaks is that we simply don’t know what else to do. Like I said before, dance takes a lot of work, and we spend a lot of time in class. I’m usually at my dance school about 22 hours a week between class and rehearsal, so when a break rolls around, that’s 22 hours of free time I don’t normally have. Combine that with the fact that we normally have school off at the same time, and many dancers are left doing absolutely nothing. And when you’re used to working nonstop, that’s a very weird and uncomfortable experience.

Basically, it all boils down to the fact that once you reach a certain level, most dancers are workaholics. You can’t get anywhere in the dance world if you’re slacking off, so as you get older, the only people left are the ones willing to work. And when you take that work away, you’re left with a bunch of annoyed dancers complaining about feeling lazy on Facebook.