Mention 'ballet' to the average man (or woman) on the street and they will say Billy Elliot, Swan Lake, men in tights and tutus.
And while they're all valid observations, there's lots more to this form of dance, which is far more accessible than many may think - whether you're a would-be performer or follower.
Most young girls will first taste ballet around the age of five or six, often at a dance school which teaches it in a programme which also includes tap and jazz - and according to Birmingham Royal Ballet's Marion Tait, if you are to make it as a career, you need to be thinking about it seriously by the age of ten.
"In my particular case I started just before my third birthday, but that's not necessary," says the BRB's Ballet Mistress. "Teachers will pick up on who has natural ability; good posture in the body, musicality, sense of line - which is something ballet has that other forms of dance don't have," says Marion.
"Co-ordination is the first thing you spot in a young person - if they can't time their arm bending when performing a plié then it's a sure sign they're not made for ballet. Love of performance is also key; I was lucky - at my dance school there was an annual performance which was the highlight of my year - other kids would be throwing up before it."
Whilst girls will traditionally be introduced to ballet at an early age, Marion admits more and more boys are taking to dance - thanks largely to the success of Stephen Daldry's film Billy Elliot.
"We're getting more and more 'ordinary Joes' coming into the profession, which must stem from more 'normal' kids now getting into it," says Marion.
Bursaries and scholarships are available for talented youngsters, so the notion that ballet is only for the privileged is wrong, Marion adds: "It's always worth going for it, because if the child's talented all places will move mountains to get that child into their school."
Elmhurst School in Edgbaston is one example of a good local dance school, while BRB also run their Dance Track scheme, which brings dance to schoolchildren who would not normally come across it in their lives.
As well as hours spent practising pliés and entrechats (see Sound Like A Pro below), you must of course see the professionals in action; The Nutcracker, which makes its annual return to Birmingham Hippodrome this month, is an excellent introduction for kids, says Marion:
"Some parents will take their children along to Swan Lake or Sleeping Beauty - they're both three hours long, whereas Nucracker is only two hours and has lots of visual interest, with the likes of the rats and the fireplace scene," she explains.
* BRB's production of The Nutcracker runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from November 30 to December 13
SOUND LIKE A PRO Entrechat: Not, as Alan Titchmarsh would have you believe, the French for catflap, but a ballet jump which involves moving the feet in the air several times; an entrechat six means there are three changes, entrechat huit = four changes - while an entrechat with an odd number (eg, trois) means you change feet in the air but land on one leg. Grand jeté: A long horizontal jump, starting from one leg and landing on the other. It is most often done forward and usually involves doing full leg splits in mid-air. Pas de chat: Literally means 'step of the cat'; here, the dancer jumps sideways, and while in midair, bends both legs back to touch the feet to the buttocks, with knees apart. The Dance of the Cygnets from Swan Lake involves 16 pas de chat, performed by four dancers holding hands with their arms interlaced. Pas de deux: A dance for two, usually a man and woman. Pirouette A controlled turn on one leg, starting with one or both legs in plié. Plié: Literally means "bent". A smooth and continuous bending of the knees. Tutu: Ballet skirt.
