Oftentimes, their parents and coaches would be diagnosed with a 'control-freak' complex, disallowing their children or students from spending time with their friends because they need to attend rehearsals instead, while controlling their diets to the very last calorie so they would maintain a 'healthy' anorexic weight. These ballerinas are under a lot of pressure to perform well at the competition. I have personally witnessed one of them crying over a small unnoticeable misstep made during her performance backstage, flanked by her stern-faced coach and paranoid mother. Unfortunately, it may not always be the case that these ballerinas would have a chance to do their parents proud. The stress each dancer is under shows up on their faces disallowing them from letting go and performing their best, costing them undeniably precious marks. Nonetheless, the dedication and effort these dancers expend into their art is highly commendable, and though not the very best, they still belong to the upper tier of competitors.
Belonging to the second category are the dancers with slightly less pressure than the die-hard ballerinas- the kids who know nothing at all. These competitors are most commonly denoted as the 'recreational' ballerinas. Hailing from unrecognized schools with coaches that do not really give much thought to whether their students win or lose, they just join the competition to gain exposure and experience. Although these competitors may only choose to do the competition once in their lifetime and no more, it does not mean that they do not put much time and effort into rehearsing their routines. All ballerinas are unfortunately blessed with an innate determination to work hard in pursuit of perfection, regardless of their various circumstances. Even so, these dancers are said to be completely oblivious as it is usually their first times at a competition. Personally, I have encountered them alone by themselves either sitting in the dressing room doing their makeup or in the holding room warming up.