Breaking Pointe

The prevalence of Eating Disorders in the Ballet Sphere

By : Alisha Rai

Illustrations: Kainaaz Chothia

I started ballet lessons at the tender age of four, enticed by the thought of wearing a pink tutu and dancing on my tippy toes. And from there it was always toes pointed, tush in, stomach in, relevé, balance, plié, jump, again and again until those eight counts were how I lived the next twelve years of my life. It made me feel empowered, transcending the boundaries of language, and communicating with unparalleled eloquence. But pretty in pink was a trifling facade.

With stubborn adherence to its roots in 17th-century France, ballet remains tethered to an elusive aesthetic: the allure of pale, porcelain skin, long “ballet legs,” and a petite visage. We will be forever indebted to the ‘father of American ballet’ for reincarnating these draconian body norms into the 20th- century.

George Balanchine’s influence on 20th-century dance remains unprecedented. Revered as the forerunner of American ballet, Balanchine's control extended beyond what was seen in the limelight alone. He wielded an overwhelming directorial power that shaped the destinies of aspiring dancers.

His ballets surpassed that of any other choreographer. He methodically customised them to specific types of dancers. Balanchine was known for using intricate music and rhythms for fundamental movements, resulting in an escalated need for swiftness, agility, and precision. However, his foremost preference resided in the sheer beauty exhibited by a ballerina. This raised the stakes for any new aspiring ballerina seeking his approval. In addition to the already demanding rehearsals, dancers felt the need to indulge in excessive exercising to achieve a quixotic body type, austerely limiting their calorie intake and adopting stringent diets primarily to capture the essence of Balanchine’s tasteful vision.

Consequently, they sought sexual satisfaction -- and even drugs. The most prominent sacrifice undoubtedly lies in the development of eating disorders. This became the time in history when the synonym for a ‘ballet body’ became a ‘Balanchine body.’

However, George Balanchine is not the only contributor to the unfair body standards that are now prevalent across the ballet sphere. There are many factors, but one of the most obvious is the dance form's attire altogether – a stinging reminder of what is expected of you as a dancer. A leotard squeezes your body and highlights every curve, bulge, and arch; the "skin-coloured" stockings make sure your thighs are on display, thus leaving little room for imperfections.

In the past decade, ballet companies and academies have worked hard to erase the perception of a “ballet body.” Neha Suhjani, Founder and Artistic Director of Les Danseuses Academy of Ballet, a ballet studio based in Pune, talks about how the academy prevents their dancers from having such stereotypes. She says, “Ballet starts at a very young age; I initially meet a student as young as 5-6 years but the awareness of their body starts at around 11 or 12 years of age when they start realising that they don’t have the extreme body type that they see ballet dancers have, especially in terms of social media discernment. ”With stubborn adherence to its roots in 17th-century France, ballet remains tethered to an elusive aesthetic: the allure of pale, porcelain skin, long “ballet legs,” and a petite visage. We will be forever indebted to the ‘father of American ballet’ for reincarnating these draconian body norms into the 20th- century. Sophia Grace, an ex-senior dancer at Les Danseuses Academy of Ballet discussed how other than her real- life ballet community the only other ballet community she was connected to was through social media.

She specifically mentioned certain role models in the ballet world who played a significant role in helping her overcome her anorexia nervosa. One of these role models is Kathryn Morgan, a soloist at New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet. Sophie emphasized how Kathryn Morgan's ability to step back from a prominent role due to her mental and physical state, and then successfully return to ballet, was particularly inspiring for her. "Seeing that she could still return to ballet was even more encouraging.

Some other resources that were also really helpful for me were To the Pointe Nutrition and Align Fitness by Allie," she said. “I know [that] when I was growing up in my pre-teen and even teen years, I was always in the senior batch and therefore had no real-life seniors to look up to. If I’d had seniors who were comfortable with their bodies and themselves, I feel like it would have made a difference to me because I would have had a mentor and a ‘big ballet sister’,” she continued.

Sophie went on to mention the advice she would like to give younger ballet dancers as an older ‘ballet sister’, “My journey to recovery was one that definitely took a lot of time and healing. One of the [hardest] parts about it, for me personally, was accepting that I would never look like ‘that ballerina’ because of my body type. What you see on social media is only a very small part of the ballet world. You may not look like your ballet teacher, your peers, or your ballet seniors and that is okay! Everyone is different -- if you feel like you are struggling with this, talk to your parents, a senior dancer, or your ballet teacher. It’s nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed by, but it is definitely something to get help for -- as soon as possible.”

The academy has an in-house nutritionist with whose help they've managed to get the students on the right track and avoid any sort of self-imposed rigorous diets. Miss Neha explained that "Many teens ( not only our ballet students) eat a lot of junk like chips, burgers, etc. So, I try to encourage healthy eating with the help of the student’s parents and the nutritionist to make sure the dancers are getting the nutrition they require, especially our senior dancers. Many students want to lose weight, but when they go into these extreme diets, they lose not only their weight but also their muscle strength and stamina, making it a lose-lose situation. This has a devastating impact on their ballet journey because once you lose your stamina, there are only 20 minutes of ballet left in you. Being scared of food should be completely discarded; food is good for you."

Sophie also had a very similar view, “At first, losing a little weight actually improved my performance. It was much easier to jump and balance. But pretty soon, I felt tired and exhausted all the time.”

The incessant pursuit of perfection, along with the pressure to conform to impractical body standards, has led to dancers succumbing to these several eating disorders. The beauty of ballet, however, comes not simply in its external gaze, but in the dancers' artistry, commitment, and emotions. Accepting diversity and distinctiveness in the world of ballet will not only create a more inclusive environment but will also allow dancers to thrive in their craft. Behind every pirouette is a dancer, a human, someone’s sibling or child. It’s time to change their stories, convert the applause to advocacy and redefine beauty in the ballet sphere.