Some Thoughts on the Current Ballet World in America
Part One
Ballet in America has been slowly dying for years, and a good amount of us know it. A combination of the defunding of arts endowments, lack of relevance, and a sense of elitism have slowly eaten away at the core of ballet in this country. Of course, it is not the only art that has suffered due to a similar combination of events, and some have survived and even thrived in spite of it, but it would be such a shame to lose such a beautiful art form as ballet altogether.
Although there are many items one could discuss when illustrating the issues affecting ballet, and indeed have been discussed in many different forums, there is a problem that is somewhat ignored in the circles surrounding the art. Specifically, students are not encouraged to become patrons. Its either all or nothing, professional dancer or get out of here.
The typical path in the overcrowded and over-competitive world of a dance students goes something like this: A child starts dance at a young age, usually as toddlers, preschoolers, or kindergartners, either because the parent wants the child to benefit from the activity in some manner or another, or because the child has seen ballet featured on television, the internet, or through toys depicting ballerinas. The typical child will continue to participate in these classes until they reach an age where technique begins to be important. At that point, you will see your first wave of departures. Some leave because they find the technique itself boring, too hard, or too demanding on their time, as they are involved in other activities such as gymnastics or music. There’s nothing wrong with this. Its what happens later that leads to unwarranted departures.
During the first couple of years taking true technique classes, the ones that stay generally enjoy what they are doing, although there will always be the few students whose parents or other guardians pressure them to continue even if they don’t care that much for it. At this stage, actual skill and natural talent aren’t necessarily considered; the teachers are not focusing only on a few good students. Instead, all are taught and treated the same in general, such as being featured equally in performances and advancing at about the same pace. However, when these children reach a certain age or certain amount of years trained, it all changes, and not for the better.
Suddenly, only the students that have the potential to become professional dancers get attention. They get special parts, special ‘company’ apprenticeships, get to be in performances or competitions only offered to those special students. What happens to the rest? They are actively discouraged. So many preteen dancers get told to ‘give it up, find something else to do, you aren’t right for this.’ As one dancer points out, “When I was a teenager, a teacher discouraged me from pursuing ballet, saying I would probably never become a professional ballet dancer.“ (Rebecca King, Dance Spirit Magazine)
Here is a big part of the problem, this is a large part of why ballet is dying, and why it is losing its relevance. It’s also shooting your pocketbook right in the dollar bills if you are a teacher or studio owner. Why are you telling your potential income to leave? Why are you discouraging the very students who could become patrons of the dance world in so many forms other than as professional dancers? Do you know how actual many students of dance, even the good ones, will become professionals, how ultra-competitive the dance world really is? As a studio owner or private teacher, the likelihood of even one of your students getting into a company is about the same as the little league coach having one of his kids hit the big leagues. All you do is create a resentment towards dance in the students you are disregarding, losing current income as students and future income as audience members.
So what if your typical dance student isn’t going to become professional? They still can enjoy dance as a hobby, as a fitness routine, as an escape, and for many, many years, well beyond the average time a dance career lasts. Rather than discourage students, open different avenues for them. Go ahead and have your programs for your potential professionals but have a special program for your potential patrons as well. While your pre-professionals are focusing on their future careers, have your patrons focus on dance appreciation and critical analysis. Educate the patrons on how to keep ballet alive by buying tickets to shows and joining or forming ‘friends of dance’ groups. The one thing you really shouldn’t do is tell them to leave. They will, and most will never return, not even to see a show or two. Ballet world, I’m begging you, please stop doing that to yourself!
Quote From Dance Spirit Magazine, August 9, 2013, https://www.dancespirit.com/the-worst-advice-ive-ever-received-2326198630.html
