I started ballet as an adult. No dance background. No flexibility. No idea what a relevé was.

Here are 5 things that would've saved me months of frustration:

1. You don't need to be flexible to start. Flexibility comes FROM ballet. You build it week by week. Waiting until you're "flexible enough" is like waiting until you're fit enough to start exercising.

2. Your feet will hurt — and that's normal. The muscles in your feet have probably never worked this hard. It gets better within 2-3 weeks.

3. Forget the mirror for the first month. It'll make you self-conscious and mess up your alignment. Focus on how movements FEEL, not how they look.

4. Plié is not a warm-up — it's the foundation of everything. Every jump, every turn, every step starts and ends in plié. Take it seriously from day one.

5. "Too old" is not a thing. I've taught students who started at 60. Your body will adapt. The only requirement is showing up.

I built First Position Studio specifically for adults starting from zero. If you've been thinking about it — stop thinking and start moving.