What does she look like?
Most of us, if not all, probably pictured a tall, slender,
toned, fair-skinned, graceful ballerina in a pink tutu. Why do we automatically
picture a white ballerina?
There are many excuses made for why blacks are not ballerina
material. They tend to be curvier, flat-footed, too muscular, too this, or too
that. Even though a curvy, flat-footed, muscular young woman would not be the
best body type for a ballerina, not all blacks fit that category. Likewise, not
all white young girls are the “perfect” body type for ballet either.
Julie Gant said that this kind of stereotyping is “literally
saying black people have a gene so they are unable to do ballet. It’s like
saying Asians can’t drive. You basically have to redefine human if you’re going
to say certain nationalities can only do certain things.”
I think that the ballet industry loves to hold on to certain
traditions, and uses blacks’ stereotypical body type as an excuse to be racist.
Ballet companies do everything they can to make each ballerina dance exactly
the same. They have daily, long rehearsals perfecting every move so that the
ballerinas will leap, turn, and glissade completely in sync. The ballerinas
wear the exact same outfits, have the same makeup and hair, and you guessed it –
they even have the same skin color.
Skin color should not have anything to do with being given a
chance to dance in a ballet. With dedication and practice, any race has the
potential to be a beautiful ballerina. Misty Copland has proved that African Americans should not be overlooked in the ballet industry. Copeland
did not even start ballet training until age 13, but she was accepted into the
American Ballet Theater four years later. She is also the first
African-American ballerina lead role in Swan Lake. Not only is she amazing to
watch, but she continues to inspire other young dancers to not give up. She has
worked so hard to get to where she is today, and I hope the world of ballet
will one day become more diverse thanks to inspiring dancers like her.
This short video should be enough proof for anyone that all
races can do ballet. https://youtu.be/IxJHjcRGdCQ
Article that the quote was found: https://glimmerglass.olivet.edu/2015/03/05/black-girls-cant-dance-ballet-body-type-or-stereotype/
I always enjoy reading something new that I never even considered before so I really liked your blog. the video was a really nice touch in seeing you arguments as well.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many "small" things that we don't think of as a racist when they do in fact have tones of racism to them. This was a wonderful post. You explained everything so well. This summer I heard of a new form of dance that has come up called hiplet. It's a combination of ballet and hip-hop. I wonder what it will do to change the problem that you identified.
ReplyDeleteYes, wonderfully written! coming from a theatre and performance background, I have seen a lot of similar discrimination which is utterly ridiculous. Loved the quote.
ReplyDelete