A Discussion of Racism, Sizeism, and Classism in the Industry

By Madison Huizinga, DWC Blog Editor

Anyone who has danced for an extended number of years has heard the age-old mantra about ballet: that it is the “foundation of all dance.” Youngsters that have complained to their dance teachers about their disinterest in ballet have had this drilled into them. The idea that ballet is crucially supplemental to other dance genres is common knowledge to dancers around the world. It is information that is rarely questioned or scrutinized. But if we study the origins of ballet, we can see that it perhaps isn’t as universalized as it’s thought to be. The benefits of ballet technique cannot and should not be divorced from its problematic founding ideals that still influence dancers today.

Ballet was born during the Italian Renaissance of the 15th century and became intensely saturated and codified in France over the following hundred years. It was a coveted source of entertainment for elite aristocrats and King Louis XIV performed many popular dances himself before professional dancers were hired to perform at court functions. Storytelling ballets like Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker developed through the 19th century and quickly gained traction. In the years that followed its conception, ballet spread throughout the globe, gaining popularity and prestige in Russia and later in the United States. In the 20th century, pioneers in neo-classical ballet, like George Balanchine, experimented with the medium by merging styles and creating contemporary works that warped ballet’s traditional rules. Though its style and aesthetics have been tweaked throughout time, ballerinas have remained a constant symbol of beauty, grace, fragility, and strength. And the concept of what type of woman should be allowed to symbolize these ideals has stayed relatively the same.

The visual standard of what a ballerina is supposed to look like has continued to be narrow and exclusive. There is an expectation that ballerinas are tall, thin, and white. This standard was arguably cemented and perpetuated by prominent choreographers like George Balanchine, who was famously critiqued for only hiring women who were tall and thin. This is the same expectation present on fashion runways, in magazines, TV shows, and just about any other form of popular media in Western culture. This adverse ideal immediately excludes an abundance of individuals, including dancers of color and plus-sized dancers, and swiftly praises dancers with flat-chests, pale skin, and Eurocentric features. Around the world, young girls are being spoon-fed an ideal that most of them cannot achieve, leading to body shame and insecurity (read more here).

A variety of entertainment enterprises have made attempts to showcase a wider range of individuals and tell eclectic stories. But ballet is not one of them. Yes, some ballet companies have taken small steps. For example, in 2015, when Misty Copeland became the first African American principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, people were rightfully ecstatic. Many marked that as a huge leap forward for the ballet world, in terms of promoting diversity and altering the whitewashed ballet standards. But it would be ignorant to praise Copeland’s individual achievements and think ballet has achieved equity and appropriate representation on a systemic level.

For example, in the United States, about 62% of dancers and choreographers identify as white, 11.3% identify as Hispanic, 11.7% as Black, and 6.11% as Asian. Like all art, dance is meant to express emotions, transport audiences to different worlds, and explore unique narratives. However, when white people make up two-thirds of the American dance industry, we cannot expect dance to be a comprehensive art form that communicates widely shared anecdotes.

“Challenge the idea that “ballet is the foundation of all dance,” by offering other styles and training elements that can support dancers’ growth in nuanced ways. This could include offering mental health workshops, cross-training classes, or master classes in different cultural folk dances. Give your students exposure to every corner of the dance world.”

It is universally implied that the lead roles in nearly every ballet belong to white women. And if any roles depict people of color, they are often extremely racialized and sometimes still played by white dancers. This is evident in the extreme case of blackface in the Bolshoi Ballet in 2019, but also characters routinely depicted by ballet companies around the world in the holiday classic The Nutcracker. The “Chinese Tea” role is often played by white girls in black wigs, often with eyeliner drawn to represent an offensive caricature of Chinese people. The “Arabian Coffee” is often depicted as sultry, exoticized, and wearing little clothing, sometimes even carried onto the stage in a cage or basket, like an animal. Meanwhile, the sparkly, often Anglo “Sugar Plum Fairy” floats around the stage like a princess. Yet, The Nutcracker is the most successful and long-running show each year at most ballet companies, usually showcased from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Eve. Each year, thousands of upper-class families splurge hundreds of dollars to see these stereotypes play out on the big stage with impressionable kids in tow.

Along with the blatant sizeism and racism that ballet perpetuates is clear classism. Since its origin, ballet has been a medium for the wealthy to enjoy. Today, not much has changed. Not only is ballet often extremely expensive to view, but it is also expensive to learn and practice. Dancers can begin wearing pointe shoes as early as ten years old and often start burning through them weekly. Pointe shoes alone (not including necessary accessories such as ribbon, elastic, sewing materials, padding, etc.) cost anywhere from $80-140 and when young dancers start practicing more frequently and intensely, their pointe shoe expenditures add up. This combined with ballet academy tuition, costume and performance fees, and supplemental physical therapy and cross-training creates a financial strain on many families.

Despite this perverse history and these persistent stereotypes and barriers, many dance teachers still preach the significance of ballet to their students without acknowledging any of the harmful values it perpetuates. As a dancer who experienced rigorous ballet training, I admit that ballet has allowed me to achieve excellent posture, ankle strength, and stamina. However, there are other genres of dance I have been unable to master due to my ballet technique hindering me. My intense ankle strength and rigidity have kept me from having the loose ankles essential for tap. My tendency to hold stiff ballet positions has caused me to struggle to “sit in the pocket” while dancing hip hop choreography.

This is likely because there are aspects of many dance genres that have roots in styles that aren’t ballet. For instance, tap involves elements of “African-influenced shuffle dances, English clog dancing, and Irish jigs.” Hip hop and breaking have roots in the hip hop culture born in New York City in the 1970s and 80s, specifically the Bronx, and is directly influenced by African American culture. A variety of cultural folk dances have roots that expand past the United States and Europe, such as Indian folk dances and Japanese folk dances.

The origins of jazz dance are traced back to African and African American dance styles. White entertainers stole and falsely claimed elements of the jazz style after years of parodying African American styles of dance and music, often using mediums like blackface. African American performers like Pepsi Bethel, JoJo Smith, Fred Benjamin, and Frankie Manning have often been denied credit for their contributions to the jazz style, while white performers are widely recognized and celebrated instead.

Thus, saying that ballet is the “foundation of all dance” is entirely inaccurate. All movement didn’t begin in 15th century Europe and claiming that it did is dismissive of many different styles of dance. Moving forward, dance teachers must be thoughtful when educating their students on ballet and its significance in their dance training. It’s time to start taking strides to change this antiquated art form for the better. Here’s some ways we can get started:

Educate students on problematic ballet history

As more studios and ballet schools add dance history lessons to their curriculum, we must offer critical context to students about the racism, sizeism, and classism that’s prevalent in the ballet industry. Making sure that students have an awareness of the systemic problems that have existed in the dance industry for centuries is the first step for them to become agents of change. Here are some helpful books to gain education on the problematic aspects of ballet and how to move forward teaching dance at large:

Revise offensive and archaic ballets

As I mentioned earlier, many iconic ballets like The Nutcracker have portrayed marginalized groups, particularly people of color, offensively since their conception. However, many choreographers like Donald Byrd, have revised these works so that they center the perspectives of non-white individuals, whose stories have rarely been brought to the forefront in ballet. Eliminate the racist caricatures in your studio’s annual production of The Nutcracker and other works, and collaborate with fellow community members to create shows that uplift all dancers.

Create a more well-rounded curriculum

Challenge the idea that “ballet is the foundation of all dance,” by offering other styles and training elements that can support dancers’ growth in nuanced ways. This could include offering mental health workshops, cross-training classes, or master classes in different cultural folk dances. Give your students exposure to every corner of the dance world.

Support creators who are challenging harmful ideals in ballet

Seek out choreographers and dancers who actively challenge racism, sizeism, and classism in the dance industry and support them in any way you can. Buy tickets to their shows, hire them to teach a master class at your studio, collaborate with them on a piece, and more. These are the types of creators we need to see more of in the dance industry.

This isn’t a matter of loving or hating ballet. I have taken ballet classes since I was five years old and have fallen deeper in love with the art form throughout my life. That’s why I want to see changes made in the industry. It’s a matter of challenging this dance genre that we’ve all grown to cherish and creating needed systemic change.

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Is Ballet Really the Foundation of All Dance?