Dance Magazine: I lied about my height on my résumé the entire time I was a dancer, though in truth I don’t think the extra inch ever actually made a difference. In the United States, 5’6″ still reads as short for a man no matter how you slice it. The reason for my deception was that height was frequently the reason I was disqualified: choreographers often wanted taller male dancers for the ensemble and listed a minimum height requirement (usually 5’11” and up) in the casting breakdown. More than once, I was disqualified before I could even set foot in the audition because I possessed an unchangeable physical characteristic that frequently made me unemployable in the industry.
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This is a very well-known and long-documented problem. The casting process is often incredibly blunt, dismissing actors simply because of their weight, height, or general “type” – and while they are trying to find someone who can fit the requirements of that role or the specifications of a dance-heavy show, a small comment like that from a casting director can stick with the actor for a long time and have really damaging impacts on their self-esteem and self-image. Especially if they are hearing that kind of thing a lot. There needs to be more gentleness in this process, and less focus on the perfect Broadway body, as unattainable as it is – or at least ample opportunity for multiple body types to shine. It’s ironic that the attempt to stay in perfect health is actually damaging the health – mentally and physically – of the dancers pushing themselves to the limits to attain it.
Growing Up and Dance talking about fixation on physique was very real to me but I didn't exactly understand what the actual issue was until around late Middle School. ever since I can remember I've always been really confident in myself and my body and I've never really worried about the way that I've looked, as the girls that dance with in elementary school looked pretty similar to the way that I did. Once i got to middle school, the girls i was dancing with were a lot skinnier and had a way different physique than i did, which was a tough pill to swallow at first. Once I got to high school the girls started looking a lot more like me again which helped a lot more with the image issues, but it definitely consumed my mind here and there. Luckily ive been pretty good about knowing when I need to remind myself that I look perfect no matter what, but I understand how it feels to be fixated on the way you look.
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