The Dark Side of Ballet Schools - Panorama investigation

Its common knowledge like R.Kelly marrying under age Aaliyah was, but it was still shocking to watch Surviving R.Kelly.

Being common knowledge doesn't take away from it being shocking when written in black and white

I have a friend who studied contemporary dance at one of the schools of contemporary dance in the uk.
She said they had lectures every week about food and nutrition - basically all about losing weight. The mantra was "you're not hungry, you're thirsty".
Weight loss was a constant topic in all of the classes.
She is healthy now - as in, a healthy weight - but she still suffers from disordered eating from time to time and regularly goes all day with nothing to eat. If we are out with her for the day she doesn't want to stop to eat and just tells us to drink water as we are "thirsty not hungry".

Performance arts and sport are the worst for body image. It is definitely something you need to coach a child for if they are really interested in a career. If not, best stick to it as a hobby, keep it as a fun past time.

Unfortunately this isn't new knowledge, I remember the Diet Coke and and apple diet being discussed in the 90's. Unfortunately ballet demands (rightly or wrongly) a certain shape that most cannot achieve without dietary restrictions, in fact it would be better if local and regional ballet schools were honest with their students that they simply should do ballet for fun - even my size 6 dd would be considered fat!

Disagree. The men have to be able to lift their partners so there will always be a limit to what is possible in terms of protecting their shoulder joints and being able to perform the choreography

• whistleblowing processes - what are they? there are non dance teachers on staff.

Several issues here:

Today's beauty standards are not the same as those of the clasic ballet of 100 years ago. Many famous ballerinas of that time don't look slim or toned on pictures. They still danced beautifully.

Women and girls are taller now. For a male partner to safely lift a female partner, the taller the girl, the lower the bmi she has to be IYSWIM. There are several ways to solve this problem (change techniques, training males to have more upper body strength, accept bulkier male dancers). It seems that ballet has chosen the option of asking women to slim down - you must weigh under 50 kgs, whether you are 1.50 m tall or 1.75.

I personally don't think that extreme thinness equates beauty or that beauty is always very thin. I also don't think there's such a thing as perfection, and even if there was, it wouldn't be desirable or attractive.

I would like to hear more about / from the reinforcers. What on earth goes through the mind of someone who says such vile things to children and young people? They must know they are breaking these children. Why do they do it? They aren't isolated oddballs, this is systematic.

I might watch this, I wont be surprised at whats in it Im sure

But I am surprised at the surprise!

Extreme sports (and I count ballet as this) will encourage extreme systems or demand extremes in terms of how the body is used.

What I (non dancer) took from the program.

• Lack of medical & dietary supervision. Are they oblivious, or that their normal is so skewed? They know the links between low weight & bone density/fractures. Why aren’t they insisting on other measures of health for the students.
• Ex dancers as mentors & teachers who have been through the same system, do not necessarily make the best guides for these children. A lack of compassion?
• What data is being kept/used to monitor the ‘drop outs’? It’s easy to manage out those you don’t want.
• Education of the kids - what advice are they being given with regards to how to raise complaints?
• whistleblowing processes - what are they? there are non dance teachers on staff.

All in all, kids & parents kept in line because they’re so grateful to be there. Watched over by dance teachers raised in the system. & Outsiders who are either are sidelined or oblivious. Like the bad old days of boarding schools & I say this as a boarding parent.

”A programme like this could be the catalyst that we need to start the process to bring an end to these utterly dysfunctional and emotionally destructive teaching methods once and for all.”

@taxi4ballet I would really hope so, but I’ve just seen an instagram post from a local dance school all about ‘the bright side of ballet’, saying let’s change the narrative and then stating loads of good things. I don’t think anyone would deny there is good, but it just seemed so dismissive. Almost like - let’s not think about all that nasty stuff, just focus on the good and ignore it. The worst thing is, this school send children to associate classes and places like The Hammond and Elmhurst. Things will sadly never change while dance teachers feel like this. This isn’t my dd dance school btw, just another local one.

It happens at every major musical theatre school too . I attended the Hammond school and I experienced everything that was mentioned in the documentary and more . It really needs to be talked about more . Most dancers who move out to train at colleges are 16 and still children , the therapy needed to recover is extensive .

Is he in a healthy place now?

Ballet is all about appearance and how the body looks. It's never going to be healthy to focus so much on appearance and a narrow idea of perfection. The standards required are now extreme, Margot Fonteyn would probably have been rejected these days, on account of her feet or extensions. Ballet seems like a toxic environment to me, at least in these elite schools.

It is definitely not just about eating disorders, there is so, so much more.

The dance world broke my brother - boarding at 13 surrounded by children with eating disorders and the constant focus on appearance, it's like contagion in the dorms. Wished he stayed home with us. It didn't get any better when he worked for a ballet company overseas - he was taken advantage of by older men. This was 25 years ago I just hope there is more safe guarding now for teens/young adults away from home. I'm so glad that my kids didn't want to dance long term.

I agree, my point was it’s common knowledge and has never been a secret. For generations.

I don't think anyone on the thread is being disingenuous or feigning surprise. The people on the thread who've had some involvement in the ballet world seem to be already aware, but some of us who've watched the programme have had no involvement in ballet.

Don’t assume any school is different Dancemumtaxi

There was an influx of children into my daughter’s school in Year 10 of children who had been “assessed out” of Elmhurst for similar reasons. Some incredibly talented dancers who had been treated dreadfully.

@Comefromaway that’s so sad. And very worrying. Something really does need to change.
@TheLastPictureShow oh your poor niece. It’s just horrible for these poor children. What on earth do they expect to happen at age 14/15.

I know a few girls who are on Elmhurst and Hammond associate schemes and I really hope they’re not experiencing this. (I know Hammond wasn’t on the programme so maybe it’s different?)

Having taught in two top UK performing arts schools I would say this particular issue is definitely ballet specific.

Sadly my niece boarded at Elmhurst from age 11 and had a similar experience. Everything started going terribly wrong when she was 14/15, as her body naturally began to change. The whole situation was a nightmare. My brother and SIL had to fight the school to bring her home. She was utterly changed from the girl we knew. It was so sad. But she’s doing amazingly well now! We’re so proud of her.

It’s disingenuous for anyone tangentially involved for the last 50 years to feign surprise.
I had an exit plan if my DCs had wanted to continue past 8/9. But I guess the fact they even started proves the allure of ballet. I don’t know what I was thinking of!

It’s not specific to ballet. My child went to a dance lower school but did musical theatre at upper school. But some places are worse than others.