--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was so comfortable with my ballet…" description: "\"I was so comfortable with my ballet power, my dancer power, that to have a voice, the comfort with having a voice, is slower to come to me.\" — Wendy Wh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg" --- # I was so comfortable with my ballet power, my dancer… ![“I was so comfortable with my ballet power, my dancer power, that to have a voice, the comfort with having a voice, is slower to come to me.” quote by Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg) > “I was so comfortable with my ballet power, my dancer power, that to have a voice, the comfort with having a voice, is slower to come to me.” [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights the difficulty of finding one's voice after mastering physical skill. **In simple terms:** Physical mastery can mask personal expression. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner voice alongside technique. Themes dance self‑expression confidence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - performing - teaching - creative workshops - personal coaching Key Concepts embodiment identity formation Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt your voice lag behind your skill? - How can you balance technique with authenticity? A Different Perspective Physical skill alone may not guarantee authentic voice. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) [Ballet Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet-power-2807586/) [Come](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come/) [Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Comfort Having](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort-having-2632734/) [Comfortable Ballet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfortable-ballet-5106682/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dancer Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dancer-power-5106683/) [Power](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/power/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/) [Voice Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice-comfort-5106684/) ## Related quotes > [Flawless . . . Tightly choreographed . . . Shipstead gains entry into exclusive worlds and trains her opera glasses on private social rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-corrigan/flawless-tightly-choreographed-shipstead-gains-entry-into-exclusive/) [Maureen Corrigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-corrigan/) > [The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/the-comfort-of-having-a-friend-may-be-taken-away-but-not-that-of/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Technology and comfort - having those, people speak of culture, but do not have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/technology-and-comfort-having-those-people-speak-of-culture-but-do/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [At the end of the day, we all just want to be happy, live stress free and have someone to comfort you without having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aalaynah-thompson/at-the-end-of-the-day-we-all-just-want-to-be-happy-live-stress-free/) [Aalaynah Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aalaynah-thompson/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) [Peter Martins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-martins/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) [Fernando Bujones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) ## More by Wendy Whelan > [I've always felt like a different kind of ballerina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-ve-always-felt-like-a-different-kind-of-ballerina/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [The moment is everything. Don't think about tomorrow; don't think about yesterday: think about exactly what you're doing right now and live it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/the-moment-is-everything-don-t-think-about-tomorrow-don-t-think-about/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [I have a lot of energy, a lot of interest, a lot of desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-have-a-lot-of-energy-a-lot-of-interest-a-lot-of-desire/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [Sometimes I miss being en pointe, but not a whole lot. Every once and a while, I would love to float for a minute…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/sometimes-i-miss-being-en-pointe-but-not-a-whole-lot-every-once-and-a/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [You have to decide when it is time to move on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/you-have-to-decide-when-it-is-time-to-move-on/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [I feel the ticking clock. And at times, I've said if I don't dance, I'd rather die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-feel-the-ticking-clock-and-at-times-i-ve-said-if-i-don-t-dance-i-d/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [A lot of my career and my drive and my passion and my striving to be better and better was built on insecurity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/a-lot-of-my-career-and-my-drive-and-my-passion-and-my-striving-to-be/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [I really miss dancing all day long. But something I really love is not dancing all day long. I love that I can't rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-really-miss-dancing-all-day-long-but-something-i-really-love-is-not/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [There are many ways to lead a life. It would always be ideal to have a paycheck coming in. But I really love this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/there-are-many-ways-to-lead-a-life-it-would-always-be-ideal-to-have-a/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [My art form is my child, and that's what I give my focus to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/my-art-form-is-my-child-and-that-s-what-i-give-my-focus-to/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [When you are a kid, you find so much comfort in dancing. I was comforted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/when-you-are-a-kid-you-find-so-much-comfort-in-dancing-i-was-comforted/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [I look back, and I have no regrets, truly. Everything led me to the place where I am now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-look-back-and-i-have-no-regrets-truly-everything-led-me-to-the/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [I think the leotard for me became, after I retired, a sort of a symbol of the confines of still fitting into the ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-think-the-leotard-for-me-became-after-i-retired-a-sort-of-a-symbol/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [We are constantly revealing ourselves to each other through our movement; learning from and teaching each other without even trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/we-are-constantly-revealing-ourselves-to-each-other-through-our/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) > [As ballerinas, we don't use our voices. Our voice is the body and the movement quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/as-ballerinas-we-don-t-use-our-voices-our-voice-is-the-body-and-the/) [Wendy Whelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) [Explore all 30 Wendy Whelan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/) ## More Ballet quotes > [“Afterwards Isabelle often wondered if the moments themselves were greater or the memory of them. At least the memory did not pass, while the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-bentley/afterwards-isabelle-often-wondered-if-the-moments-themselves-were/) [Toni Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-bentley/) > [One can be a great artist without being a great technician. There have been many famous ballet stars who did not have the ideal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-bujones/one-can-be-a-great-artist-without-being-a-great-technician-there-have/) [Fernando Bujones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-bujones/) > [So I'm studying ballet every day and really training so people will see me as a ballet dancer, which no one's seen before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/so-i-m-studying-ballet-every-day-and-really-training-so-people-will/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [No matter the style, the farther one goes the more obstacles increase, and the more distant appears the object it is desired to attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-georges-noverre/no-matter-the-style-the-farther-one-goes-the-more-obstacles-increase/) [Jean-Georges Noverre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-georges-noverre/) > [What I love most about ballet is being able to express my emotions through dance, and to be able to bring others joy through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/what-i-love-most-about-ballet-is-being-able-to-express-my-emotions/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [It is not a question of who dances but of who or what does not dance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-st-denis/it-is-not-a-question-of-who-dances-but-of-who-or-what-does-not-dance/) [Ruth St. Denis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-st-denis/) > [Ballet is pure and demands that you serve something larger than yourself, whether it be beauty or art, or a combination of both. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-martins/ballet-is-pure-and-demands-that-you-serve-something-larger-than/) [Peter Martins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-martins/) > [Even though I am a professional, and I know what the steps are, I don't quite know how I'm going to do them, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-farrell/even-though-i-am-a-professional-and-i-know-what-the-steps-are-i-don-t/) [Suzanne Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-farrell/) > [I'd rather be a guy that can build a house or fix a car than be able to walk like a ballet dancer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-fimmel/i-d-rather-be-a-guy-that-can-build-a-house-or-fix-a-car-than-be-able/) [Travis Fimmel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-fimmel/) > [When I was 16, I moved to Torrance, California to train at a more advanced studio, and by 19, I joined the American Ballet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misty-copeland/when-i-was-16-i-moved-to-torrance-california-to-train-at-a-more/) [Misty Copeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misty-copeland/) > [Bob's work gleaned from hoofing, from vaudeville, from ballet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-reinking/bob-s-work-gleaned-from-hoofing-from-vaudeville-from-ballet/) [Ann Reinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-reinking/) > [You can imagine me as a kid growing up in redneck Texas with ballet shoes, tucking the violin under my arm. I had to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-swayze/you-can-imagine-me-as-a-kid-growing-up-in-redneck-texas-with-ballet/) [Patrick Swayze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-swayze/) > [I only started writing in the latter days of Spandau Ballet. I didnt know I could write because all had our roles within the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hadley/i-only-started-writing-in-the-latter-days-of-spandau-ballet-i-didnt/) [Tony Hadley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hadley/) > [All ballet, all reading, all music. That was my world, my inner world,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalia-makarova/all-ballet-all-reading-all-music-that-was-my-world-my-inner-world/) [Natalia Makarova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalia-makarova/) > [I can dance. I like hip hop and stuff and jazz movements, but I'm horrible in ballet. I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keke-palmer/i-can-dance-i-like-hip-hop-and-stuff-and-jazz-movements-but-i-m/) [Keke Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keke-palmer/) [Browse all 1,227 Ballet quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ballet/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was so comfortable with my ballet power, my dancer power, that to have a voice, the comfort with having a voice, is slower to come to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wendy Whelan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-power-my-dancer-power-that-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ballet" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-power-my-dancer-power-that-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d00/wendy-whelan-20763_ballet_i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-powe_3056193.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was so comfortable with my ballet power, my dancer power, that to have a voice, the comfort with having a…” — Wendy Whelan", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Wendy Whelan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-whelan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was so comfortable with my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-power-my-dancer-power-that-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-whelan/i-was-so-comfortable-with-my-ballet-power-my-dancer-power-that-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```