Cheers to Small Studios
Something has been bugging me all day. I checked Pinterest on break this morning and saw an article about a show called Big Ballet, which airs in the UK. I was fascinated to read about it, (which you can do HERE) and in reading the article I was intrigued about this new reality show.
Wayne Sleep & Monica Loughman take adults with body types generally considered the opposite for ballet, and trains them to dance Swan Lake. I checked out a few previews on YouTube, but I haven't found a place to watch full episodes from the US. At first I was worried that it was about trying to get women to lose weight and become professional ballet-shaped, but they clarify that's not their intent. The whole concept seems to be about showing the world that ballet is for everyone. This is a concept I believe 100%. I think this could be good for the ballet world, because the comments from the general public on this particular article are a little bit disturbing to me.
It's clear from the comments that many people don't think "fat people" should dance. Like it's funny for some reason. Apparently, "fat people" shouldn't wear leotards. Thanks, jerk. Wayne Sleep auditioned and picked several women and men size 12 to 20. If you look at the pictures, some of them can hardly be called "fat people". They all appear to be extremely graceful. One lady with some extra to spare was so flexible, she had her leg up to her ear and in correct form-- something I know I can't do.
I guess the overall negative reception from the commenters bothers me. It seems that our society is slowly changing away from the idea that the perfect woman is trending towards anorexic and a size 00. Slowly, is the key word, though. Dove and other companies are finally using average size models, "real" size mannequins are starting to dot the aisles in department stores, and it seems like the "FIT IS IN" revolution is slowly making progress. The ballet world though, is still behind the times. I wonder if I'll ever see a change in the industry in my lifetime. I mean... we are just now starting to see supremely talented black dancers incorporated more and more into the big name companies, 50 years after the civil rights movement. Does someone with an average body enter the studio on a professional track and emerge with a stereotypical dancer's body? Will we ever see a ballerina with an "average" body type dancing Giselle with a professional company?
Perhaps not. It is up to the artistic directors and prestigious ballet schools to select dancers who fit their vision, and that's their decision (and right) to make. That said, where do the "average" men and women go to fulfill their love of dance? The small studios. Small studios get a lot of flack in general from the dance community-- of course quality of instruction is different at every place, but not everyone can get into the prestigious top tier ballet schools. Maybe it's about lack of money, technique, body type, maybe her parents don't think ballet is a real career path.
"Dolly Dinkle" is a negative term coined by the industry to imply dangerous, haphazard studios with non-professional instructors and sub-standard classes. Too often, it's used to describe any small studio.
I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. I danced in a studio that was in a converted barn loft for 12 years. Someone might call either one of the studios I call home a "Dolly Dinkle" school. As far as I know, neither the school I grew up in or the school I attend now has turned out professional dancers, but I can personally attest that my ballet classes at my small studio are more challenging than the classes I've taken at some prestigious ballet only schools. I've seen live professional ballet (Milwaukee Ballet) perform all of two times in my life-- my dance heroes weren't specific professionals, they were the older dancers in my small but strict studio. These days, I dance at a small studio again and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Every instructor has something different to offer, the good and the bad. We can't all be professionals, but thank god the small studios exist to take in all of the dance crazy kids, teens and adults who will never grace the professional stage.
Finally, we will probably never draw crowds in professional productions-- but we will be the ones in the crowd. Ballet is for everyone, but not everyone is content to watch from the audience. Some of us need to experience ballet on a physical level. The professional world is such a small part of the dance community. Here's to the small schools, working hard day in and day out. Sharing their love of dance with the ballet dreamers, the late starters, and the kinda-uncoordinated.
/end rant
Wayne Sleep & Monica Loughman take adults with body types generally considered the opposite for ballet, and trains them to dance Swan Lake. I checked out a few previews on YouTube, but I haven't found a place to watch full episodes from the US. At first I was worried that it was about trying to get women to lose weight and become professional ballet-shaped, but they clarify that's not their intent. The whole concept seems to be about showing the world that ballet is for everyone. This is a concept I believe 100%. I think this could be good for the ballet world, because the comments from the general public on this particular article are a little bit disturbing to me.
It's clear from the comments that many people don't think "fat people" should dance. Like it's funny for some reason. Apparently, "fat people" shouldn't wear leotards. Thanks, jerk. Wayne Sleep auditioned and picked several women and men size 12 to 20. If you look at the pictures, some of them can hardly be called "fat people". They all appear to be extremely graceful. One lady with some extra to spare was so flexible, she had her leg up to her ear and in correct form-- something I know I can't do.
I guess the overall negative reception from the commenters bothers me. It seems that our society is slowly changing away from the idea that the perfect woman is trending towards anorexic and a size 00. Slowly, is the key word, though. Dove and other companies are finally using average size models, "real" size mannequins are starting to dot the aisles in department stores, and it seems like the "FIT IS IN" revolution is slowly making progress. The ballet world though, is still behind the times. I wonder if I'll ever see a change in the industry in my lifetime. I mean... we are just now starting to see supremely talented black dancers incorporated more and more into the big name companies, 50 years after the civil rights movement. Does someone with an average body enter the studio on a professional track and emerge with a stereotypical dancer's body? Will we ever see a ballerina with an "average" body type dancing Giselle with a professional company?
Perhaps not. It is up to the artistic directors and prestigious ballet schools to select dancers who fit their vision, and that's their decision (and right) to make. That said, where do the "average" men and women go to fulfill their love of dance? The small studios. Small studios get a lot of flack in general from the dance community-- of course quality of instruction is different at every place, but not everyone can get into the prestigious top tier ballet schools. Maybe it's about lack of money, technique, body type, maybe her parents don't think ballet is a real career path.
"Dolly Dinkle" is a negative term coined by the industry to imply dangerous, haphazard studios with non-professional instructors and sub-standard classes. Too often, it's used to describe any small studio.
I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin. I danced in a studio that was in a converted barn loft for 12 years. Someone might call either one of the studios I call home a "Dolly Dinkle" school. As far as I know, neither the school I grew up in or the school I attend now has turned out professional dancers, but I can personally attest that my ballet classes at my small studio are more challenging than the classes I've taken at some prestigious ballet only schools. I've seen live professional ballet (Milwaukee Ballet) perform all of two times in my life-- my dance heroes weren't specific professionals, they were the older dancers in my small but strict studio. These days, I dance at a small studio again and I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Every instructor has something different to offer, the good and the bad. We can't all be professionals, but thank god the small studios exist to take in all of the dance crazy kids, teens and adults who will never grace the professional stage.
Finally, we will probably never draw crowds in professional productions-- but we will be the ones in the crowd. Ballet is for everyone, but not everyone is content to watch from the audience. Some of us need to experience ballet on a physical level. The professional world is such a small part of the dance community. Here's to the small schools, working hard day in and day out. Sharing their love of dance with the ballet dreamers, the late starters, and the kinda-uncoordinated.
/end rant
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