A male ballet dancer’s journey: Ballet Austin II/Butler Fellows dancers share their experiences
Written by Leilani Tian
Every professional ballet dancer has a different story of how he or she began dancing. Often growing up as the odd one out in a sea of girls in ballet class, male dancers have an especially unique artistic journey, facing certain experiences and pressures pursuing an unconventional athletic endeavor.
Ballet Austin Butler Fellow Craig Freigang started ballet because the director of his sister’s ballet school came to their house offering classes to Freigang, tuition-free.
Ballet Austin II dancer Maxim Bleeker’s mother dropped him in ballet classes alongside his sister, believing that it would help him with his sports playing abilities — developing dexterity, flexibility, and fine motor skills. Bleeker, an avid soccer player at the time, liked the thought of using ballet to supplement his ability on the field but ended up finding similarities in the two.
“Ballet has a very athletic aspect to it. To me, being athletic in a studio is very similar to being in a field and being athletic and competitive. The difference is that, in ballet, you get to work in a different and beautiful way.”
Starting in a studio right by his house in El Paso, Texas, Ballet Austin II dancer Dylan Hesser found his passion to move in jazz and hip hop classes. With few rigorous dance training options nearby, Hesser joined the Lone Star State’s intense competition dance team scene, participating for three years in his high school’s dance team and then, as a high school student, being invited to and becoming captain of a college dance team.
While they all began with curiosity, not knowing the significant role that dance would play in their lives, each has turned something that was once a hobby into a full-time commitment and lifelong passion.
Though Freigang, Bleeker, and Hesser are now young up-and-coming artists under the guidance of Ballet Austin’s artistic staff, it wasn’t an easy journey getting there. Dancers face numerous obstacles on their path.
For Hesser, that obstacle was finding the right place for him. After immersing himself in the competition dance scene in high school, he continued his dance and academic training at the University of Arizona.
Going from the competition dance scene and few rigorous training opportunities in El Paso to a program with an intense dance and academic schedule and less individualized attention, Hesser found the transition difficult and struggled to find his worth as a dancer amidst others who seemed to fit right in.
Returning to El Paso, taking college classes and holding three jobs, Hesser took a break from dance. It wasn’t until his second time returning to Ballet Austin’s summer intensive program that he was fully committed to this path. After an arduous journey, he received a contract with Ballet Austin II.
Though Hesser’s relationship with dance wasn’t a linear path, the continuous rekindling of his love for dance only strengthened it.
While finding the right training institution may be one obstacle dancers have to navigate, facing social pressures, especially as a male dancer, is another.
Freigang reflects on the time he was teased as a middle schooler in Germany for being a dancer, His peers viewed it as a more effeminate endeavor. However, even at a young age, Freigang understood not to take it to heart as that reaction was rooted in misconception and stereotypes. From executing difficult steps like high jumps to possessing the strength to lift female ballet dancers, male ballet dancers embody masculinity, virtuosity, and athleticism that takes years to master.
While ballet training starts early on, there comes a point, especially after high school, when ballet dancers decide if they want to go all in and pursue a professional ballet career, often forgoing the traditional four-year college experience. While strong college ballet programs are valid options, trainee (such as Ballet Austin’s Butler Fellowship Program) and second company programs (such as Ballet Austin II) are more valued by directors of ballet companies as effective preparation for the professional dance world.
The notion of making a career out of ballet seems unrealistic to some. Freigang talks about his extended relatives’ concern of the insecurity of the job. However, he sees this view of insecurity in the arts as a stereotype as well.
“I think the reality of it is no job really has security,” Freigang notes. “Any company can collapse — there are always layoffs. It’s not like our job is any less secure than other jobs.”
Hesser talks about the importance of having a mother who knew that if this was a career path that he wanted to seriously pursue, he would have to be proactive about it. Though she was supportive, she wasn’t there to hold his hand.
“In high school, I was driving at least 30 minutes across town to take the best ballet classes. I would take three or four ballet classes in a row because I felt so behind and I really wanted to work on the basics from the kid classes all the way to the adult ballet classes.”
Despite the challenges that come with being a male ballet dancer, all three find what keeps them grounded in this art form.
Freigang loves the constant challenge, how the nature of the art form is a constant strive for perfection. Bleeker is interested in the aspect of portraying an emotion or character and working with other people.
“If someone tells you to pretend that you’re angry, there are so many ways you can interpret that and make that it into something, into a dance with another person. That only intensifies with a group of people. When you have everyone’s different input, that’s when it becomes really interesting. You work together to create, to create something whole.”
Hesser talks about the freedom to be playful with choreography to bring his unique experiences to a role.
Whether it is the constant challenge, bringing a character or emotion to life, or working with other dancers who are equally passionate about the work they do, Freigang, Bleeker, and Hesser each find what they love about ballet and hold on to it, especially when the profession gets tough.
To the dancer struggling to find his way in dance, Hesser advises, “It’s okay to take a step back. A lot of people I met who have been doing ballet for years get burnt out. It’s okay to step away from dance and find what dance brings to you.”
To those trying to stand out in the ballet world, Bleeker offers, “It’s very important to really analyze your unique qualities and strengths as a dancer. Don’t try to have everything. Don’t look at the celebrities and say ‘I can’t pursue this career because I don’t have that’ because everyone is different. Once you identify your strengths, work on it so that you can bring something to the table that no one else has.”
To that boy who’s getting teased for being a dancer, Freigang encourages, “Any pushback you’re getting from others will be so insignificant in the future. Pursuing a lifelong passion and being able to have that as your job one day outweighs anything you could hear from others. If anything, it should serve as motivation, to prove those people wrong if they don’t think you can do it. Build your own self-confidence and know you can do what you set out to do.”
