Watch Isabella Boylston Hilariously Put a Refinery29 Editor Through Ballet Boot Camp

July 26, 2017

To be honest, we never tire of watching non-dancers tackle a day in the life of the pros. From athletes to average Joes, these videos always give us a good laugh, and they remind the rest of the world that a whole lot of work goes into every dance performance you see. But often times, these dancer-for-a-day videos don’t fully understand the importance of training (i.e., you can’t just throw on a pair of pointe shoes and give it a go).

That’s why we’re especially loving this video by Refinery29 that actually gets it. Lucie Fink, host of the R29 YouTube series Lucie For Hire , got a private lesson from American Ballet Theatre principal Isabella Boylston, and it was endlessly entertaining.

Boylston gave the YouTube-er a series of challenges. Starting off with stretches and barre work, Fink took a break to learn how to master the look—perfect ballet bun included. And while Boylston showed her how to put on pointe shoes, Fink didn’t actually dance in them, making a special note in the video that, “It takes years and years to learn how to move in them properly.”

For her final challenge, Boylston taught Fink a (modified) excerpt from Swan Lake. Trying out bourrées, arabesque and even a saut de chat, Fink didn’t exactly nail it in terms of technique and performance, but it was impossible not to admire her positive attitude and commitment to trying.

“This experience gave me a new-found respect for the sport,” Fink wrote on R29. “It’s more physically and mentally challenging than I could have ever expected.” (Don’t worry, Fink referred to dancers as both athletes and artists earlier in her written post.)

And if Fink’s Instagram is anything to go by, we can expect her to give dance another go. Next up, hip hop!