Friday Fun: Where's your bun?

You're a ballerina so naturally, you wear your hair in a bun, oui?

Oui!

Okay, so...where do you wear it? High, mid, or low?  Well, not to get too personal but how old are you? Unless you're performing on-stage and there is a specific design to your hair for a role, the general rule of thumb is:

The older you are, the lower the bun.

Young kids, from toddlers through young teens, maybe 12 or 13, can wear their buns very high.  Like this:

Photo from The Best Fashion Blog

Partially, this high bun stems from a parent's viewpoint. He or she is standing over the child to do the bun and inevitably it's easier to pin it high atop her head. It also emphasizes the fullness of the face, which on a young girl, is very sweet.

But once a dancer matures and has the ability to pin her hair herself, from the age of 12 or so, the mid-level bun is a preferable style. Like this:

Photo from The Huffington Post

The centered bun helps for multiple pirouettes (which little kids are usually not performing anyway!) and is a flattering style for most faces.  It pulls the hair back and away and emphasizes cheekbones and chin. For dancers through, perhaps, the age of 30-35, this is a good choice.

Once a dancer reaches the age of 35-40, she should start lowering the bun toward the nape of her neck. This is not to say she isn't performing or working any less hard than younger dancers but a lower bun is a softer look, not quite so severe. Like this:

Gelsey Kirkland photo from Daily Dose of Lies

Mind you, this is my opinion only, based on years of experience and observation. There are no hard and fast rules for anything in ballet and that includes hair!

Happy dancing~