Reply to Racial Diversity at The Washington School of Ballet

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP here — thank you for the responses. I understand the racial barriers in classical ballet generally for sure, but it was still a bit jarring to see. [/quote]

why is it jarring?[/quote]

Unless you’re a Black person or person of color I don’t think you will understand. I assume you’re neither since you asked the question. Even though something is known more generally, it can still look jarring once it’s right in your face. And honestly, a ballet school in DC in 2022 that doesn’t have decent URM representation in its classes tells me a lot. 
[/quote]

I’m trying to understand, what does it tell you here?  Demographics of the immediate area?  Narrow racial diversity in classical ballet?  Or something more or different about WSB, or this campus of WSB?  Thank you. [/quote]

I'm the one who recommended City Dance. Please don't play dumb. Ballet is known for being extremely racist, and not only that, selecting for a certain height and body shape that has nothing to do with technique level or artistic talent. Traditional school directors have corps de ballet visuals in mind, and want a homogeneous line, with dancers of the same height, skin tone, and slimness. They forget that they are first and foremost a TEACHING organization, and that they need to give opportunities to all young people.

So this puts off people who are not pale, slim and of a certain height. They tend to leave at some point, or maybe they visit and don't even enroll.

[/quote]

Yes, because only certain races are slim and Misty Copeland is not a principal dancer. [/quote]

PP you replied to. Misty Copeland is exactly who I was referring to in my first post. She is the exception that proves the rule. The rule is still very, very much in effect, namely, that dancers of color, dancers with more muscular bodies, dancers who are short or tall, get passed over. It's like Obama as President. Yes, the highest office in the land was held for 8 years by a black man. But a disproportionate amount of black people are stopped by police for no good reason, more die at the hands of law enforcement than other races, and just a few days ago, we had a mass shooting by a white supremacist targeting black people.

The rule is still very much in effect, in all strata of society, and ballet is just a slightly more sclerotic representation of society.

We need to do better.[/quote]

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