In January, when news broke that Peter Martins had retired from New York City Ballet amid allegations of sexual harassment and physical and verbal abuse, I was sitting with my mother, a former dancer and teacher. We stared at the headline in shock, wondering what this meant for the future of ballet as a whole: In the wake of the me too and times up movements, cultural shifts were stirring, and conversations about feminism and workplace equality plunged into ballet. Some of my favorite dancers started sharing their statements and stances on Instagram, and their comments sections were bursting with dancers and ballet fans all struggling to define what feminism and equality in our art form would look like—or if it is even possible. Especially since female dancers have historically been considered muses to be seen and not heard, to perform but not lead.
Feminism isn’t just possible in ballet—it’s necessary, and the biggest part of that is an artistic advantage, too: empowering dancers to have and use their own voices.
Shattering the “Empty Vessel”
There are elements of ballet that are fundamentally different than the average workplace. Touching can’t be removed from teaching or choreographing. Even as a professional, you never entirely age out of the student–teacher relationship that exists between dancers and directors—and at times, it can feel as though everyone is in charge of you except you. Since grit is as much a part of ballet as elegance, it’s often tricky to identify the line between toughing things out and recognizing when someone is abusing their power.
Yet how are young dancers supposed to find their own voice amidst their training years—and how do we ensure that women, in particular, amplify their voices as they progress in their careers?
Source: New York Times
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