Impacts of Ballet

Ballet a ects young girls

Despite its bene ts, dancing can induce harmful mindsets, eating habits

Madelyn Lerew lerewmad000@hsestudents.org

A‘dancer’s body’ is something that ballerinas have strived to achieve for decades, as it is the right proportions and measurements that can catapult you into the spotlight. It is not enough to simply put in hours of training and hard work if you do not have the right physique. With all that to say, ballet is still bene cial, speci cally to young girls, as a way to express themselves in physical activity in a uniquely feminine space that you do not nd in male-dominated sports. Due to ballet being something socially recognized as ‘girly,’ it provides a female-dominated safe space for young girls. e problem this creates is that it reinforces the negative stereotypes and expectations placed upon women. Making it as a professional ballerina requires a set body type that has been outlined by dance companies. e Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation conducted a study on the body types of dancers being accepted into classical ballet schools. e study concluded that, “enrolled students were more aesthetic, exible, thin and had a more balanced body structure compared to the rejected students. While the enrolled students usually had a mesomorphic body type, the rejected students had an endomorphic body type.” An individual with a mesomorphic body type is typically smaller framed and has a fast metabolism whereas endomorphic individuals have stockier builds with low metabolism. Someone’s body type is not a determining factor in skill level or the amount of e ort put into the art, yet it is something that can disqualify dancers for higher levels of training. At my dance studio when I was younger, teachers would tell us how lucky we were that some of us got the opportunity to dance because we did not have the right body type to be good enough in other countries. ey would talk about how in Russia girls with a ‘dancer’s body’ were trained from a young age to become professionals because other girls simply did not have the possibility to reach that skill level. Being told they need to look a certain way o en leaves these dancers with body image issues, making them prone to developing eating disorders. According to a study done by the International Journal of Eating Disorders (IJED), ballet dancers’ levels of ‘Drive for inness’ was comparable to those diagnosed with eating disorders. Additionally, their scores on ‘Interoceptive Awareness and

Perfectionism’ were higher than those with eating disorders. Interoceptive awareness is the senses that make you aware of what is happening inside your body. Dancers are held to such high standards as it relates to their bodies that they value thinness and the ability to stay thin as much as individuals with eating disorders. ese values and mindsets are what lead a majority of dancers to develop eating disorders. According to the same study by the IJED, “approximately 83% of the dancers reported some form of eating pathology.” Eating pathologies such as binge eating, unhealthy dieting or purging are behaviors that provide the criteria as to whether or not someone has an eating disorder. Ballet dancers engage in

harmful eating behaviors in order to be seen as better dancers and to be more accepted by the dance community. e promotion of these ideals is wrong and takes away from the beauty and wonder that can be found in ballet.

for decades, as it is the right proportions and measurements that can catapult you into the spotlight. It is not enough to simply put in hours of training and hard work if you do not have the right physique. With all that to say, ballet is still bene cial, speci cally to young girls, as a way to express themselves in physical activity in a uniquely feminine space that you do not nd in male-dominated sports. Due to ballet being something socially recognized as ‘girly,’ it provides a female-dominated safe space for young girls. e problem this creates is that it reinforces the negative stereotypes and expectations placed upon women. Making it as a professional ballerina requires a set body type that has been outlined by dance companies. e Journal of Back and Musculoskeletal Rehabilitation conducted a study on the body types of dancers being accepted into classical ballet schools. e study concluded that, “enrolled students were more aesthetic, exible, thin and had a more balanced body structure compared to the rejected students. While the enrolled students usually had a mesomorphic body type, the rejected students had an endomorphic body type.” An individual with a mesomorphic body type is typically smaller framed and has a fast metabolism whereas endomorphic individuals have stockier builds with low metabolism. Someone’s body type is not a determining factor in skill level or the amount of e ort put into the art, yet it is something that can disqualify dancers for higher levels of training. At my dance studio when I was younger, teachers would tell us how lucky we were that some of us got the opportunity to dance because we did not have the right body type to be good enough in other countries. ey would talk about how in Russia girls with a ‘dancer’s body’ were trained from a young age to become professionals because other girls simply did not have the possibility to reach that skill level. Being told they need to look a certain way o en leaves these dancers with body image issues, making them prone to developing eating disorders. According to a study done by the International Journal of Eating Disorders (IJED), ballet dancers’ levels of ‘Drive for inness’ was comparable to those diagnosed with eating disorders. Additionally, their scores on ‘Interoceptive Awareness and Perfectionism’ were higher than those with eating disorders. Interoceptive awareness is the senses that make you aware of what is happening inside your body. Dancers are held to such high standards as it relates to their bodies that they value thinness and the ability to stay thin as much as individuals with eating disorders. ese values and mindsets are what lead a majority of dancers to develop eating disorders. According to the same study by the IJED, “approximately 83% of the dancers reported some form of eating pathology.” Eating pathologies such as binge eating, unhealthy dieting or purging are behaviors that provide the criteria as to whether or not someone has an eating disorder. Ballet dancers engage in harmful eating behaviors in order to be seen as better dancers and to be more accepted by the dance community. e promotion of these ideals is wrong and takes away from the beauty and wonder that can be found in ballet.

When watching a ballet, ballerinas move with a so grace that leads to the illusion of cloud-like gures oating across the stage. is e ect does not come without intense training and practice. For example, in ‘ e Nutcracker’ towards the end of the act ‘Dance of e Sugar Plum Fairy,’ the ballerina typically does numerous turns around the stage to nish the act. To perform this section so awlessly requires impeccable balance and coordination that needs core and leg strength as well as exibility. Regular stretching and exercise is required to maintain these physical characteristics, and practice on the barre and acrossthe- oor exercises is necessary to keep improving as a dancer. is intense physical strain on the body leads to many injuries among dancers. According to an article from John Hopkins Medicine, most dancer-related injuries come from overuse due to repetitive movements during practice. Injuries such as Achilles tendinitis and stress fractures are extremely common. Unlike most sports, there is no o -season for ballet, which means there are no extended periods of rest to allow for recovery. is can be dangerous for ballerinas who are never able to truly let their bodies recover from the strenuous amount of e ort that is required of them. Despite the negative e ects that ballet can have on young female dancers, there is a lot to be said about how truly amazing it is as an art form. I was a ballet dancer for seven years and decided to stop in order to participate in another passion, marching band. Even a er stopping, I still use the skills I learned for choreography for the fall marching season and for winter guard shows. I was able to make new friends through my dance classes and learned to appreciate the intricacies of the art form. Mastering techniques through repetitive practice taught me perseverance in how hard work over time will pay o . It was also through our yearly recitals that I learned I love to perform. Dancing on stage with the spotlight on you provides a rush of adrenaline and excitement I have not found elsewhere. Ballet

also provides young girls with a physical activity comparable to sports that is not male- centric. An article by the Journal of the Society for Dance Research draws connections to the expression of gender and physical activity. It talks about how sports encourage hypermasculinity and how it is harder for girls to navigate a landscape of expression where the agenda is set by boys. exercise is Ballet is able to provide required to the same level of physical maintain activity as sports but in an these environment that is more physical geared toward young characteristics, girls and their success. and practice on the Ballet should barre and across- continue to be the- oor exercises cherished and is is necessary to something that young keep improving girls should continue as a dancer. to participate in. is intense However, what needs to happen in order to make this statement true to the fullest extent is a change in the mindsets physical strain and expectations that on the body leads to surround the art. Body many injuries among dancers. positivity is something According to an article from that has begun to break into John Hopkins Medicine, most mainstream culture and should dancer-related injuries come be in the ballet community. from overuse due to repetitive Ballet dancing is something movements during that should be encouraged practice. Injuries such for all body types in order to as Achilles tendinitis help prevent dancers from and stress fractures are developing body image issues extremely common. and problems with disordered Unlike most sports, there eating. is means seeing ballet is no o -season for ballet, companies take on dancers that which means there are no do not t the traditional mold extended periods of rest to of thin and dainty. Just as in allow for recovery. is can lm, representation of di erent be dangerous for ballerinas body types would encourage who are never able to truly let more people into the activity and their bodies recover from the change the de nition of what it strenuous amount of e ort means to be a ballerina.

that is required of them. Despite the negative e ects that ballet can have on young female dancers, there is a lot to be said about how truly amazing it is as an art form. I was a ballet dancer for seven years and decided to stop in order to participate in another passion, marching band. Even a er stopping, I still use the skills I learned for choreography for the fall marching season and for winter guard shows. I was able to make new friends through my dance classes and learned to appreciate the intricacies of the art form. Mastering techniques through repetitive practice taught me perseverance in how hard work over time will pay o . It was also through our yearly recitals that I learned I love to perform. Dancing on stage with the spotlight on you provides a rush of adrenaline and excitement I have not found elsewhere. Ballet also provides young girls with a physical activity comparable to sports that is not male- centric. An article by the Journal of the Society for Dance Research draws connections to the expression of gender and physical activity. It talks about how sports encourage hypermasculinity and how it is harder for girls to navigate a landscape of expression where the agenda is set by boys. Ballet is able to provide the same level of physical activity as sports but in an environment that is more geared toward young girls and their success. Ballet should continue to be cherished and is something that young girls should continue to participate in. However, what needs to happen in order to make this statement true to the fullest extent is a change in the mindsets and expectations that surround the art. Body positivity is something that has begun to break into mainstream culture and should be in the ballet community. Ballet dancing is something that should be encouraged for all body types in order to help prevent dancers from developing body image issues and problems with disordered eating. is means seeing ballet companies take on dancers that do not t the traditional mold of thin and dainty. Just as in lm, representation of di erent body types would encourage more people into the activity and change the de nition of what it means to be a ballerina.