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][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]

Thanks for following up on my behalf (this is OP). My DD feels somewhat comfortable — meaning no one has been unfriendly, etc — but has asked if she could attend classes somewhere with other brown and black dancers. You can’t be what you can’t see. [/quote]

I think you should teach your kid to see themselves in more than skin colour. I say this as a black woman who was often the "only" black student in my social Millue. I recognise I am fortunate in my experience as I never experienced any racism or felt discomfort, but I largely attribute that to my parents never teaching me that my success, dreams, wants and desires are limited by external factors. Yes, as an adult, I recognise It is more complex than that and not true in many cases, HOWEVER, as a child, it was fundamental to my development. As a young adult it led me to have mentors who were men and woman, as I was never put off by something as superficial as someone needs to "look like me". If you can't be what you can't see, then who is supposed to go first?[/quote]

I note that you write with British spelling. You are not African American, I suspect? But rather black and from England or former commonwealth?[/quote]

No, I am African- American. I attended HS in Switzerland and went to Uni at Oxford, so my spelling changes. [/quote]

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