The Royal Ballet School’s push for inclusivity—by including plus-size dancers and same-gender pairings—sparked a heated debate online
Some welcomed the idea, saying, “dance is for everybody to enjoy,” but critics shook their heads and said, “another art form [is] about to be ruined then!!”
The Royal Ballet School is currently emerging from the shadows of an alarming body-shaming scandal. Following the controversy, it was revealed that the London-based school would be moving away from the archetype of a “slim” female ballerina.
Highlights
- The internet was divided over the Royal Ballet School’s push for inclusivity.
- Iain Mackay, artistic director of the school, said audiences would see more plus-size dancers and same-gender pairings on stage.
- He said audiences now want dancers they can “relate” to.
- Netizens were not thrilled by the idea, with some saying, “another art form [is] about to be ruined then.”
The Royal Ballet School’s push for inclusivity left the internet divided
Image credits: The Royal Ballet School / YouTube
“Audiences want dancers they can relate to,” Iain Mackay, artistic director of the school, told The Times in his first interview since taking charge.
While answering a question about whether more plus-sized ballerinas would be taking the stage, he said, “absolutely.”
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“I think this is already happening,” the former pupil at the Royal Ballet School said.
“They have been required to be more physical than ever before. Dancers that can tell a story, but dancers that are incredibly capable technically,” he continued.
Iain Mackay, artistic director of the school, said audiences now want dancers they can “relate” to
Image credits: royalballetschool / Hannah Cook
Iain, the ex-principal at Birmingham Royal Ballet, asserted that even same-gender partnering would become more common, and audiences would see more “male, male” and “female, female” pairs on stage.
This would help “create new audiences” as well, he said.
Image credits: The Royal Ballet School / YouTube
Not all social media users were thrilled to hear Iain's comments, with some calling the idea “mind-blowing, ridiculous, impractical” and “gross.”
“You would need a very strong man to lift a plus size like they do in ballet,” one said, while another wrote, “What a shame Art is now corrupt.”
The future “of what, damaged knees? Stop promoting obesity,” said another critic.
In addition to online comments, The Times also carried an op-ed that slammed Iain’s comments.
“No one wants to see a fatty at the ballet,” the writer wrote in his headline. “It just doesn’t stack up.”
“Sorry, but I’m not paying to see that,” one critic harshly said
Image credits: The Royal Ballet School / YouTube
On the other hand, some netizens expressed support and said the shape and size shouldn’t make a difference.
“There are some extremely good plus size girls/ladies enjoying ballet classes,” one said. “Dance is for everybody to enjoy.”
“Shape and size should make no difference what so ever as long as they have the talent to perform ballet or are learning to,” another wrote. “I can not wait to see them perform and shut the lot of you up.”
Image credits: The Royal Ballet School / YouTube
Experts believe the evolution of ballet to include queer pairings has already quietly been underway.
“While classical Western European ballet is a classically-codified and traditional dance form, it is not (as many believe) written "in stone" but is always evolving. Current historical repertoire already has many potentially non-binary/queer characters, such as Rothbart in Swan Lake, in many productions; Mother Ginger, in The Nutcracker, the cross-dressing sister characters in Sleeping Beauty; possibly the Jester in Swan Lake, etc. etc,” romantic ballet expert Jeff Friedman told Bored Panda via email.
It's important that these characters are not used “as a form of objectification and as objects of amusement and pity only,” said the Professor of Dance Studies and Founding Director of Integrated Dance Collaboratory at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University.
The Times also carried an op-ed that criticized the idea of plus-size dancers
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Jeff further explained that same-gender pairings already take place nowadays but “not exactly in the 'romantic' mode.”
“Many men and women dance in close ensemble proximity together which, as any dancer knows, is a very close form of partnership, kinesthetically and spatially. See the Wilis in Giselle, and the corps in many ballets, among other examples,” he said.
“Where I believe the next step might be is to provide opportunities for queer dancers and audiences to see the potential for romantic same-s*x partnerships, such as Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, as one example. So, my main point, is that the queer characters and same-s*x dance events in classical ballet already exist and that there is a continuum upon which new opportunities can and should evolve.”
Actor George Keywood joined the heated debate and expressed his support for plus-size dancers
Image credits: gbnews
British actor George Keywood expressed his support for the Royal Ballet School's new direction.
“I would enjoy watching a plus sized lady do a performance more than a normal sized human being,” he told GB News.
He praised teenager Lizzy Howell, a 15-year-old from Delaware, who went viral for her ballet moves.
The actor praised Lizzy Howell, who went viral for her ballet moves on social media
Image credits: lizzy.dances / Instagram
“I think it's quite impressive looking at some of these moves, and what she's capable of doing for her size is actually quite baffling,” the People Just Do Nothing actor said.
Her moves were “mind blowing” and should “definitely” be encouraged, he said.
“We're not encouraging obesity,” he said. “Of course not. But we're encouraging her to be happy and be positive and perform with a good skill that she has.”
The Royal Ballet School’s move for inclusivity comes after a recent body-shaming scandal involving a former student
Image credits: royalballetschool
Iain’s comments came months after the Royal Ballet School was engulfed in a body-shaming scandal involving a former student.
Ellen Elphick, 31, accused one of the school’s teachers of humiliating her in front of the class by tracing out parts of her body. “If I had a knife, this is what I would cut off,” the former student recalled the teacher saying.
Ellen told BBC that she was only 16 years old at the time, and her time at the school from 2009 and 2012 led to her body dysmorphia and disordered eating.
The Royal Ballet School reached a financial settlement with Ellen but did not accept liability for the incident.
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“A policy of daily expectations of care, support, and appropriate treatment, without stigma is crucial. But prior to care and treatment, it is crucial that ballet training from the very beginning is not stigmatizing bodily difference,” he continued.
Jeff Friedman emphasized that efforts to prevent body-shaming must begin well before any dancer is in crisis
Image credits: The Royal Ballet School / YouTube
Drawing from his own research in dance and disability, the expert took a step back to touch upon the larger picture.
“Body size difference is just part of a much larger continuum of asking 'who gets to dance?', and including people with a variety of physical and neurological differences, impairments, or disabilities, however they are defined and, especially, self-defined by those individuals themselves, is the crucial next step,” he said.
“Disability is not just a peripheral community outreach engagement event every so often; it is the core of inclusion when it comes to any body-based art form,” he added.
Netizens had mixed reactions to the idea of seeing more plus-size dancers on stage
