Envisioning Intersectional Feminism in the Dance Industry

Madison Huizinga has been dancing for 13 years, and her favorite styles are ballet and contemporary. Currently, she attends the University of Washington and is studying Communications, Business, and Dance. Madison is presently a company member with Seattle-based dance company Intrepidus Dance. Dance has always been a positive creative outlet for her to express her emotions—so it’s always nice to meet members of the local dance community that relate!

Outside of dance and work, you will find Madison exploring new cafés and restaurants around Seattle, hiking, reading, and traveling.

By Madison Huizinga

What do you think of when you heard the word “feminism”? Perhaps you envision women protesting in the streets and outside government buildings. Maybe you picture historic milestones, like women receiving the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th amendment or Kamala Harris becoming the first female vice president of the United States. Some of you may even think of all of those promotional products companies produce for Women’s History Month, like form-fitting t-shirts that say “this is what a feminist looks like” in rhinestone letters. These different pictures of feminism proliferate throughout our culture and serve as models for what feminists should look like and stand for.

That being said, our general view of feminism in the U.S. tends to be pretty unitary. Most people assume that “doing feminism” requires breaking the “glass ceiling,” increasing female participation in male-dominated workspaces, and making women feel safer walking home at night. These are all admirable goals that feminists should strive to achieve. But while we work to achieve these aspirations, it’s important to consider whether all women’s lives are being advanced. For example, a major goal of the mainstream Western feminist movement is closing the gender pay gap. As of 2019, senior executive women earn approximately 84.6 cents for every dollar a man earns. However, this gap isn’t the same for all women. While white women earn around 82 cents for every dollar earned by a white man, Black women only earn about 65 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. For Latina women, the gap is even wider, as they on average earn about 58 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. In addition to considering what must be done to bring about gender equality, we should also ask if our efforts are serving all women. 

These disparities are not just visible when analyzing the gender pay gap. When looking at nearly every industry, in every sector, there are disparities in discrimination based on women’s race, sexual orientation, ability, and every other facet of their social identities. While it can be useful to view the feminist movement as a completely unified campaign against sexist oppression, it can also cause disillusionment. When embarking on the journey to end patriarchal injustice, not all women are starting at the same place. Assuming that all women experience the same maltreatment is misguided. Rather, we must re-envision how we view and enact feminism in every space in our lives so that all women’s lives are progressed, not just a select, privileged few. To accomplish this, we must adopt intersectional feminism. 

Intersectional feminism was coined by lawyer and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. Crenshaw introduced this term as a way to examine “overlapping, concurrent forms of oppression” to better understand the depths of inequalities in given contexts. Intersectional feminism acknowledges that the impact of various crises or inequities isn’t always the same, as our different marginalized identities interlock with one another to create unique challenges. In this way, “all inequality is not created equal,” according to Crenshaw. The impact of hardships like sexism won’t be the same for women of all ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, religions, and nationalities.

Using an intersectional lens does not just apply to specific social justice movements. Such a framework can and should be applied to all areas of our lives, especially the dance industry. Many people assume that the dance industry is a female-dominated space, which is fairly accurate. However, while about 65.9% of ballerinas in the U.S. are white females, only about 2.27% of ballerinas are African American females. In professional companies around the world, white females dominate, while women of color hold far fewer spots. When women of color are depicted on stage, they are often presented in roles that are extremely racialized and stereotyped, such as the “Chinese Tea” or “Arabian Coffee” roles in The Nutcracker. Sometimes white women will even pretend to play women of color on stage, such as in the more extreme case of blackface in Bolshoi Ballet’s 2019 production of La Bayadère. Also, when women portray lead roles in ballets like The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, their characters tend to be involved in romantic relationships with heterosexual men. Same-sex pairings are absent in nearly every popular ballet. And when we look at the body types that are presented on stage, they are almost always tall, thin bodies, as those are the only types of bodies that have been historically celebrated in the dance industry.

Sure, large strides have been made for diversity in the dance industry. Misty Copeland becoming the first female African American principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre is a huge milestone, as well as Charlotte Nebres becoming the first Black dancer to be cast as Marie in NYC Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Across the country, choreographers are re-imagining the traditional depictions of women in ballets and creating new works that uplift a wider array of girls and women. But the work can’t stop now. It’s not enough to look at a women-dominated industry and think that it’s somehow “achieved feminism” by simply having female participants. For this Women’s History Month and onwards, consider the ways your studio is depicting women of all races, sexual orientations, ages, and body types and hold your instructors accountable. We won’t truly eradicate sexist oppression until all women are treated with respect.

Here are some ways we can all practice intersectional feminism in the dance world:

Educate yourself and others

Conduct research on the ballets and other dance works you’re participating in. Consider who created the original choreography and how their biases may impact how different groups of women are portrayed on stage. Communicate the information you learn with those around you, whether that be through face-to-face communication or social media posts.

Be a good listener

Listen to the stories of those around you, particularly groups of dancers that possess social identities that are marginalized in American society. Do not dismiss or minimize their experiences and understand that you shouldn’t always do all of the talking.

Make a deliberate effort to not be isolated

Actively seek out the perspectives of dancers who possess different social identities than you and who dance in different communities than you. Find ways to interact and collaborate with them, either through viewing their dance works, co-choreographing a dance, or simply exchanging contact information and discussing your experiences in the dance world.

Be critical of the dances you view

When watching various dances, think critically about what you are watching and how it may be perceived by different individuals. Consider the changes you would make if you were a choreographer and how you will avoid reifying negative representations in your creations.

Provide constructive criticism to people in your dance community

If you are a dancer, talk with your studio owners and dance instructors about changes you would like to see in the curriculum, studio policies, and choreography. Point out the ways in which certain groups of women may be hurt by certain aspects of your studio’s culture and co-create solutions. If you are a studio owner or dance instructor, be open to feedback from your dancers on how to make your studio an equitable environment for all individuals.

Create your own work!

If there are stories out there that aren’t being told, find ways to tell them through dance! This could involve choreographing a new work on your own, revising an older production in a more appropriate way, or collaborating with other members of the dance community to bring important, untold stories to light.