Reply to Racial Diversity at The Washington School of Ballet

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I'll bite. 
Historically, in order to be technically excellent and considered "principal" material in ballet, you have to be born into a very specific body - not dissimilar to basketball, swimming, etc. 
The right proportion of leg to torso, the right kind of feet, hip rotation, muscle mass distribution, spinal flexibility, etc.

Auditions for major companies may include someone measuring your neck, leg, arm, etc. like you were a horse. 
It's incredibly and unrelentingly specific

There are truly exquisite dancers of every color who will simply never be considered "the best" because the bodies they were born into do t fit the mold. I'm white, but I would never be considered a good ballet dancer because I have very limited turnout in my right hip. Like I said. Specific.

This could be said of ANY extremely competitive sport. Misty Copeland is good, but Judith jamieson was great for this reason.

Of course there is a racist history in ballet, and also a sexist one. But there are also some amazing companies, teachers, schools who embrace a broader idea of what excellence in ballet looks like.

If your daughter wants to dance, educate her fully on the history of ballet and all the other dance forms. Encourage her to learn from the best teachers and also to know that any art form is going to be subjective and to learn how to stand up for herself and be proud of her body, voice, and artistic perspective.

[/quote]

I’m not sure the metaphor to swimming and basketball hold up. You’re the best at swimming if you swim the fastest. You’re the best at basketball if you score the most. Dancing, as PP said, is somewhat subjective.[/quote]

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