The !AVID CENTER

"There's NO POINTE here!"

About five years ago, a frustrated mother filed a complaint alleging that her young, white talented dancer, Fredrika, aged 8, had been refused admission to the San Francisco Ballet School on the basis of body type, which her complaint was an attempt to prevent discrimination based on height or weight by any organization receiving any city funding.

The debate that followed concentrated on the ‘ballerina’ on the basis that it is generally in ballet that the dancer’s body is required to conform to a particular size and shape, and that is much more prevalent for the female than male ballet dancer. All popular ballet school’s predilection for long slender limbs in their female dancers is well-known. In addition, young women are much more prone to develop eating disorders as a result of trying to maintain a slenderness that a healthy body cannot support.

The published criteria for entry into the school are: “The ideal candidate is a healthy child with a well-proportioned, slender body; a straight and supple spine, legs that are well turned out from the hip joint, and correctly arched feet. The child should also have an ear for music and an instinct for movement.” The school’s published criteria illustrate the sad truth that for ballet schools, an aptitude for dance is secondary to physical aptitude, which, in itself, prescribes a particular body type.

A great deal of the debate about the dancer’s body is predicated on the fact that the elite ballet schools are searching for the stars of tomorrow for their companies. In reality, only two or three pupils will progress from the elite ballet school into their company each year. Where do the others go? Should such schools be providing a broader education, preparing the pupils in the knowledge that the majority will have to seek positions in other ballet companies, pursue other types of dance, or indeed live a life outside of dance? If only a few are ultimately selected for the company, need all pupils selected for the school be of the rigid body type that it is expected will progress to the company, should the schools be allowed to function just on the lines of creating a large pool of uniform dancers from which to draw the lucky three? Should dance schools provide a broader education, both in dance, so that the dancers can move to other forms if not successful in getting into the main company, and generally?

Realistically and basically, as part of that decision, they must take into account that students who are less talented, or who struggle with their weight will have not only a frustrating experience training, but also in the end are less likely to succeed.

AND........that's not the half of it - What does this say about practitioners and supporters of classical ballet for people of color? What does this say about The American Ballet Company, The San Francisco Ballet School, and many other prestigious ballet companies and schools here in the United States who have the resources to offer opportunities for ballet training and employment but have no notable presence of dancers with Black, African, Hispanic, or Asian heritages? Is it a fact that young aspiring dancers of color will meet insurmountable boundaries like mediocre training, discouragement, and lack of opportunities for employment in American ballet schools and companies if there is not a place for them? It would seem so given the few dancers of diverse heritages employed by American ballet companies, prejudicial teaching practices experienced by dancers of diverse heritages, and continued ignorance and racialism beliefs regarding the black dancing body.  What then would this  "ballet training" do for them - that's IF they get accepted?  At the !AVID CENTER, you and or/your child (of WHATEVER RACE, CULTURE, or HERITAGE) can get all the training you need in a JAZZ TECHNIQUE class. Jazz is very universal with the usage of most terms found in ballet.