Ballet major describes physical challenges of his art

For about six hours every day, 44 determined and dedicated students plié and relevé at the Musical Arts Center. These students, majors in ballet in the IU Jacobs School of Music, most likely have been working their whole lives toward a dream of dancing with a major ballet company. \nFreshman Tony Flannigan is one of three male freshmen in the ballet department. He has been dancing since he was 3 years old, because his mom loved ballet, but wasn't able to do it professionally.\n"People who dance devote their whole childhoods to ballet," Flannigan said. "A dancer's career only lasts until their 30s, at the latest 40. Guys retire earlier because it's harder on their bodies."\nHe plans to dance with a professional company once he graduates from IU. \nHe said IU's Department of Ballet is the best university program of ballet in the country. \n"It's more like a company than a school," he said. "There are classes, but most days they are rehearsals for the shows."\nFlannigan recently performed in the IU rendition of "The Nutcracker" as the Rat King. \n"He was the star of 'The Nutcracker.' I heard more about him than anything else," said Doricha Sales, a ballet department administrator, of Flannigan's performance. \n"I had a really big tummy and they were lenient with the part, so I kind of got to make up my own choreography," Flannigan said. \nHe said he loved IU's version of "The Nutcracker" because it was different from the version he performed in at home. He danced with two professional ballet dancers, Julie Kent and Jose Manuel Carreño. He said it was exciting to see them from a backstage perspective.\nFlannigan noted that he has to be organized to balance ballet with schoolwork.\nFreshman Tema Sall, a friend of Flannigan's, said that she has witnessed Flannigan's dedication, emphasizing his solid time-management skills and work ethic.\n"Tony is great," Sales said. "He's exactly what we look for in a male dancer. He does everything we ask for and more. I've never seen him fold under any pressure." \nAs a male dancer, Flannigan has experienced the difficulty of lifting the female dancers, which Sales describes as being hard on the male dancer's body. \n"Our male dancers work as hard, if not harder, than any student athlete on the IU campus," Sales said. \nThe Spring Ballet, at 8 p.m. March 24 and 25 in the MAC, will display the strength of the male dancers and the grace of the ballerinas, with a three-piece performance covering the history of ballet. Flannigan is dancing in the "Pas de Six," which is a part of August Bournonville's "Napoli"