About Ballet Misfits

Ballet Misfits is a inspirational and transformational platform for adult ballet starters who somehow don’t meet the typical ballet ideal. Mainly because starting ballet late in life already goes against the typical ballet ideal. But it’s about more: Challenging the idea that ballet can only be filled by petite, white, “pretty” girls with super flexible bodies and thin limbs. Ballet Misfits is living proof that the idea of ballet can be reflected in all shapes, builds, physiques, and prior backgrounds. But more than that - that where you start is only where you start, and that your body and brain are capable of significant change and improvement until the end of your life. Ballet Misfits challenge the idea that there is only decline past the age of 30. We are here to grow, outperform, surprise, and heal.

Build a deep Friendship with your body and Yourself

Somehow we got the idea that there is either: obsessive self-improvement and whipping + starving yourself into shape, or: being complacent, not doing anything to improve and settling for less-than-your-potential. Ballet Misfits encourage a curious, compassionate, daring, and delicious process of self-discovery and making your body your trusted home. Training, eating, and daily habits are such fascinating and rewarding vehicles of getting to know yourself, connecting with others and the world around you, and living a deeper and more peaceful life. A beautiful ballet physique, radiant health, and confident presence are nice - but they are actually just a side-effect of a deep friendship with yourself.

Ballet Misfits is for changemakers, world-improvers, and soulsearchers who want to become good at ballet and in the best possible shape for doing the impactful and transformative work they are called to do. Who needs pack bain, feeling too heavy, or memory loss when you could instead make this world a better place or have your first stage performance at 48 or 72. Also remember that you might have to date again in your sixties, or have another child at 45, or start a new business in your eighties. So it would be safe to say that looking, feeling, and moving the best would help a bit with that. Who doesn’t want a second half of their life that’s kicking the first one’s butt :)

About Patricia

(MSc in physics (Technical University of Munich), Bachelor’s of Sports and Leisure (Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki))

Here is where you can read about how I found my way into ballet at age 37.

I want you to get the essence of me, so you can decide whether this is up your alley or not. So let’s go backwards: I am now in my mid 40s and more flexible, way better coordinated, and more radiant than I was in my youth and young adulthood. And I am by no means special but rather surrouned by many others that look young AF. I never had the explicit goal of maintaining a young body and spirit. It sort of happened as I explored my physicality, mind, and spirituality and discovered some pretty cool stuff along the way.

I guess I was always a bit disturbed by the idea that there is a point in life where everything just goes downhill: That your body would deteriorate once you hit your thirties, that you would develop a belly and have less energy the closer you get to midlife and beyond, that you would look less vibrant, that your thinking would get slower, that you would get medical issues that needed constant or regular attention, that you would stop learning any new stuff. That you would kind of just follow the trajectory that you set in motion with your education and first job, and the lifestyle that was familiar to you since childhood. And then take it all the way to retirement, when all the fun would begin - except you would be too stiff to party. Especially for women, there is the notion that once you hit mid life, you kind of lose your permission to be attractive, physically active, and ambitious about it. Seriously, who would want to volunteer for all that crap??

I have a history of not fitting in and starting new things at a later age, or when you are not supposed to do it any more: I started playing varsity basketball as a total newbie to basketball in grade 11, I took up hockey in my early twenties and played competitively for awhile; I went back to university after already having a full-blown degree and first job in physics - to get another full-blown degree in sports and coaching. But I think it really hit me when I became a mother to a child with a disability, AND when I took up ballet (with no prior dance experience whatsoever) at the proud age of 37. Both of these crucial experiences inspired me to dive deep down into the working of the body and brain and made me realize on how many outdated beliefs around movement learning, mental growth, and physical health our society operates. I mean, it’s insane when you think about it: It’s still commonly accepted that you can’t learn anything movement-related properly once you’re past childhood. Or that conditions like cardiovascular diseases, overweight/obesity, and dementia are the normal consequences of getting older. I mean, science and shining examples everywhere in the world teach us MUCH otherwise!

The disconnect is that much of that more recent knowledge and evidence hasn’t made it into mainstream medicine or everyday conversations yet. Also, let’s be real, there are also a lot of crap information and urban myths out there and it can be overwhelming to decide what to take seriously. Often, science is still inconclusive - the body and brain are very complex entities! At the same time, and this is the real dealbreaker for many of us, it can be tough when new information challenges or even contradicts the knowledge and belief systems that you have grown up with - it can feel super uncomfortable and identity-threatening when you discover that you CAN change, heal, learn, grow, and transform the way you look and feel.

So this is how Ballet Misfits (formerly Late to the Party Ballet) came into my life. My hope is that this blog will be an eye-opening and wondrous source of information for you, and a trusted companion on the wild journey of change and growth. And if you want to take it beyond reading and trying, if you want to create a new body reality that supports you in all the crazy stuff that you’re here to do, there are also ways that we can work together. No matter if you’re craving to lose weight, learn technique, move with the grace of a ballerina, improve your performance in ballet, or get over decades sitting on chairs (and all the pains and cracking that that entails) - there is always a simple (not always easy!) and very clear progression to take you there, with all the compassion for where you are now. If you are willing to break with old ineffective habits and beliefs - and I won’t lie, it won’t always be a limo ride - our work together can absolutely take you to the moon - that’s something I promise and take very personally.

I am so happy to have you! Enjoy :-) And make sure to follow along on Instagram or by subscribing to the newsletter!