Ballerinas, pregnancy and motherhood

[alison]

Recently posted on the ROH website is this article and Radio 4 interview with Elizabeth Harrod and Laura McCulloch: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/ballerinas-with-bumps-elizabeth-harrod-and-laura-mcculloch-on-the-challenges-of-balancing-dancing-and-motherhood

 

The page also contains a link to the BBC iPlayer page featuring the interview.

 

That's quite a significant proportion of dancers, at the Royal Ballet at least, who have become mothers in recent years, I think.

[Sim]

Yes, there was a time where for many ballerinas they had to choose motherhood or a career.

[taxi4ballet]

Yes, there was a time where for many ballerinas they had to choose motherhood or a career.

This is also true of women in general!

[alison]

 And from today's Dance Links comes this article about a book on the subject:

 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/28/balancing-acts-lucy-gray_n_7129856.html

[Fonty]

Yes, there was a time where for many ballerinas they had to choose motherhood or a career.

 

I read somewhere that Ninette de Valois disapproved of her female dancers being wives, let alone pregnant.   I am sure at least one dancer told the story of being called to an interview with Madame shortly after her marriage, and being told she had to "retire" from the company.    She was only about 22 at the time, and it was the last thing on her mind, but out she had to go, and others told similar stories.   

[Ian Macmillan]

Perhaps Madame softened with time for I can say with certainty that such strictures over marriage and subsequent pregnancy did not apply in the early 1960s in the case of the lady who is now my wife.  And there were other marriages during her time with the Company.

 

Elsewhere, reverting to that Huff Post link from yesterday - any longterm ENB fans recognise the chap in photo 6?