The great “ballet blanc” works glorify white swans, white shades, white wilis and white sylphs. Still, in 2014, balletgoers might expect some progress in racial diversity onstage, especially in the U.S., where populations of color are growing. But comb the rosters of most American companies and you’ll find a striking sameness. While a few have established inclusive policies in training and hiring, they are the minority. There is a notable exception—Asian and Asian-American dancers have made real inroads. However, dancers of other ethnic backgrounds continue to face challenges, especially women.
3 comments:
The thing about inclusion issues that have been going on for this long is that there is no quick fix. To incorporate diversity you must start from the top, from the beginning of ballet itself the chain and also the bottom and those just beginning to dance. That means the preconceived notion that ballet is for a specific group of people must be eliminated in both society and casting directors heads. Ballet is an art form, and art is for all races and social groups. Once people are welcoming of all interest, the interest must be sparked. Young, wealthy, white girls are who are primarily interested in ballet because that is who it is marketed to, so it is on their list of options. Others have not even considered it, because they do not believe it is for them. Finally, like the article said, this training is incredibly expensive. Once interest has been unlocked in the children, giving those with less the option to pursue would greatly help the movement to increase diversity.
Very interesting change going on in the dance community. Ballet as a form of dance is notorious for its rigidity and structure, which is mirrored by its rigid reputation. Ask anyone what they think of ballet, and they will immediately have specific concepts in mind: purity, grace, balance, clarity, virtue, etc.
The issue at hand is that these very concepts are not, in our culture, associated with people of color.
Thus, we have two solutions: change our perception of ballet, or change our perception of people of color.
If we open up our views on the art form of ballet, or (more importantly) if key figures in the ballet world opened up their views on ballet, what would that mean? I agree with Jasmine-- to make a change, you must appeal to those on top. In the entertainment world, people produce what they think the audience wants to see. If the audience is clear that they want to see diversity, in not only race but also form, perhaps the ballet technique can be altered. Art is fluid; it will adapt to the needs of the people.
However, ballet is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of racial issues. It is not the dance that keeps people of color out of ballet companies, but the principles behind the dance and how in our society, people of color are considered incompatible with such principles. We can alter the state of ballet all we want, but eventually we will have to address the bigger picture. It is a truth that people of color are seen through a lens of judgement, and allowing them visibility in the world of ballet is but one step to a larger process.
Ultimately, it comes down to the attitudes of the people. Everyone must reflect on themselves, and recognize the judgement they are conditioned to in order to make the world a fairer place.
One thing in that article that really struck me was the statement of African Americans not having the "body" for ballet. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement for a plethora of reasons, the main one being that there are so many different shapes and size for colored people now that any one of the could easily fit the standard for what a ballet body should be. And outside of that, any body could be a ballet body as their are a wide range of characters that require a wide range of body types. Even farther out, why can't we make ballet bodies fit black bodies? These distinctions kill me because people use them as an excuse to be racist and exclusionary. If you don't want people of color in your companies then fine, but state it and deal with the blow back you deserve.
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