Should we stop supporting ballet after Panorama?

[Suffolkgal]

The much missed Lynn did include quite a lot about her weight in her autobiography, really interesting. Also I was thinking about Mukhamedov, Nureyev and Baryshnikov... very strong, quite stocky, in mukhamedov’s case really a big man. But unique and I actually moved to London in 1991 so as not to miss anything from him at RB. I do think ballet has perhaps gone down a very athletic, gymnastic, sylph-like route. But there were always slender men as well as heavier built ones! Oh I don’t know. Hopefully this controversy might bring a happier future for our young people. 

[Pas de Quatre]

Tamara Rojo was also criticised for being overweight!

[Lizbie1]

I've personally heard a ballet-goer talking disapprovingly a couple of years ago about a very prominent dancer having put on weight. The only difference to her dancing that I could discern was that her port de bras looked lovelier than usual (and it was pretty great in the first place!).

[Susie Crow]

Have read this thread with great interest.  I have written about the programme on Oxford Dance Writers with some thoughts about the factors that contribute to these sad and shocking individual stories.  As has been said, it is a shame that the schools seem to prefer not to engage with wider discussion about ballet training and culture, but also that there is so little informed coverage of dance matters in the mainstream media.

https://oxforddancewriters.wordpress.com/2023/09/13/the-dark-side-of-ballet-schools-bbc1-panorama-11th-sept-23-susie-crow-reflects/

 

[Jan McNulty]

Hello @Susie Crow and welcome to the Forum.

[LinMM]

I’m so glad you have posted your article here Susie Crow. 

[Kerfuffle]

Such an excellent article exploring the causes and reasons for the problems faced by young dancers. 

[dance fan]

On 16/09/2023 at 09:51, AnnabelCharles said:

I completely agree with this, LinMM. As with art more generally, I want to see and experience traditional ballets and also those that reinterpret classics or explore contemporary themes and attitudes. 

 

I also agree with your comments about the word 'woke'. It means concern for racial and social justice - and is something I find it hard to imagine anyone not thinking was important. Its use as a perjorative epithet is often inaccurate and can be unhelpfully divisive.

I used "woke" on purpose because I too believe that it has been taken over by conservative.  Unfortunately, my experience formed in that woke fortress called NYC is that many ballet fans, while professing to be liberals and progressive, they want their ballets to be war horses created by dead white men and dance by stick thin women.  For them, the reason why NYCB, ABT, Met Opera, NY Phil are all not doing well and season subscription numbers are low is due to all of these organization catering to the woke agenda.  They want their trusty classics back, performed in the classical manner.  While professing to be liberal, they would say that the newer works by women and people of color are unfortunately not good enough and should be perform elsewhere but NIMBY called the Lincoln Center. 

[Anna C]

5 hours ago, Susie Crow said:

Have read this thread with great interest.  I have written about the programme on Oxford Dance Writers with some thoughts about the factors that contribute to these sad and shocking individual stories.  As has been said, it is a shame that the schools seem to prefer not to engage with wider discussion about ballet training and culture, but also that there is so little informed coverage of dance matters in the mainstream media.

https://oxforddancewriters.wordpress.com/2023/09/13/the-dark-side-of-ballet-schools-bbc1-panorama-11th-sept-23-susie-crow-reflects/

 

Thank you so much for posting your excellent and thoughtful article here, @Susie Crow, and welcome to the forum.

 

Another one of the Psychologists featured on the File on Four programme, Dr Alison Stuart, has posted in the “sister” thread, over in our “Doing Dance” subforum, and her thoughts are similar to yours.  I wasn’t sure whether you’d seen that thread but if not, you may be interested.

[EVWS]

Luke Jennings has just published an article in response to the Panorama programme, a very good read I think 

 

https://thirdcast.wordpress.com/2023/09/19/if-i-had-a-knife/?fbclid=PAAaZZpM20Iboib6ggZVxWIL26w9IBAsyvUpTRUb_loT5Psea1AVl3TAfgFxQ_aem_AYnxViBdJe8lfbg21ZGNeK4YtKiIdfIJt7E6y5NERmf--QvH4sn3aewuOdwQQOBNwVo

[Ondine]

28 minutes ago, EVWS said:

Luke Jennings has just published an article in response to the Panorama programme, a very good read I think

 

Luke Jennings has also posted it on the 'Post Panorama' thread on the 'Doing Dance' forum.

 

And yes it is a very good read isn't it?  I feel so sad for all the young people whose lives have been affected. It's a very complex situation, not all who want to dance professionally will make it, however, the intentional cruelty from some is difficult to understand.

 

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Ondine

[Baker45]

Where do you stop if you think that not supporting ballet is an answer to anything. Ok so ballet disappears, which sport is next because they all have those issues when we talk about the top of the pyramid. Gymnastics, football. The answer is to find and stop these things happening not removing whole sports and arts from children's lives because of the behaviour of some people

[dance fan]

6 hours ago, Baker45 said:

Where do you stop if you think that not supporting ballet is an answer to anything. Ok so ballet disappears, which sport is next because they all have those issues when we talk about the top of the pyramid. Gymnastics, football. The answer is to find and stop these things happening not removing whole sports and arts from children's lives because of the behaviour of some people

I no longer support Russian ballet.  Does this mean Russian ballet is disappear?  Back in the 80's I supported divestment of South African companies.  These South African companies didn't disappear.  The question is whether each of us think that each of us have to make a decision as to whether we, an an individual support something.  The only thing that seems to work is to vote with our wallets.   This isn't "cancel culture" or "the woke mob".  If we don't like something, often times, the only thing that we can do is to stop spending money on it.  Until it hits them where it hurts, organizations and people within these organizations will not care and will not feel the need to change.