The art of ballet dancing takes years of extreme dedication and discipline to perfect. Some celebrities learned ballet for movie roles, but there are plenty of celebs who did ballet when they were younger just for fun. Several famous actors, musicians and even athletes used to dance ballet. Some of these celebrities stopped dancing due to injury, while others simply lost interest. One of the top action stars of all-time spent years training in ballet!
Who is the most famous person who used to dance? Natalie Portman tops our list. Natalie Portman studied ballet and modern dance at the American Theater Dance Workshop after she graduated from high school. In 2010, she trained in ballet for five-eight hours a day for six months to prepare for her role in "Black Swan." Penélope Cruz studied classical ballet for nine years at Spain's National Conservatory. She is also trained in Spanish ballet.
Belgian martial artist, Jean-Claude Van Damme, trained in ballet for five years. He says, "If you can survive a ballet workout, you can survive a workout in any other sport." The Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, studied at the Evanston School of Ballet and The Joel Hall Dance Center. He also earned a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet, but he turned it down.
Are you surprised that so many celebrities used to do ballet? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Natalie Portman studied ballet and modern dance at the American Theater Dance Workshop after she graduated from high school. In 2010, she trained in ballet for five-eight hours a day for six months to prepare for her role in Black Swan.
"I trained four hours a day, seven days a week, for seven months. I had one day off on my birthday and half a day off for the Emmys and the Golden Globes," said Mila Kunis of her dance training in preparation for the 2010 film Black Swan.
