Gender fluid (male) dancer wins female role in ENB

[Pressyne]

I'm involved (rather tangentially) in ballet and in the last few days I've seen news items about this dancer shared in an uncritical and celebratory manner. Perhaps, in the past, this wouldn't have bothered me much but now, having lurked here for a bit, it really unsettled me.

I dance, but only in a part-time fashion, for love and self-fulfilment. But even in the most amateur and low key productions, the female roles will be fiercely contested by women who've danced from childhood and have often had professional careers derailed through injury or wayward body shapes. For girls pursuing a professional dream they will be up against hundreds of other talented, dedicated females who are all constantly judged and found lacking: a woman who is too tall won't fit with the rest of the corps and will need a taller partner; and those too stocky, with the wrong sort of muscle development, or with boobs that inconveniently appear in teen years will try to mould (often starve) their body. Comparatively, once the boys have negotiated the social stigma attached to a 'girly' art form, they have many more opportunities. And, after a retiring as a dancer, they are far more likely to get a career as artistic director or choreographer (this is hideously disproportionate).

I admire Tamara Rojo deeply. But this 'opening up' of roles seems to go only one way. I doubt many female dancers have the upper body strength to do the lifts required in male roles so they are unlikely to encroach. Apparently, Chase does not even dance on pointe. I cannot imagine the reaction if a female dancer couldn't / wouldn't do this, but suffice to say, she wouldn't be employed for long.

The worst thing is that the younger girls, still out there grafting for work, are not objecting to this.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/06/10/male-dancer-gender-fluid-wins-part-english-national-ballets/

www.nytimes.com/2018/06/08/arts/dance/the-first-man-dancing-in-a-female-corps-de-ballet.html

Gosh my standards are low, I find myself thinking, ‘well, at least he’s using male pronouns and not asking people to call him a woman’

Dropping all the weight doesn’t seem healthy at all. I suppose having it demanded of you is a fairly authentic way to feel like a real ballerina though, crap knows ballet girls have been putting up with it since forever.

Anyway, he’s on a temporary contract, so it just sounds like a publicity stunt really. He doesn’t have the technique to do a female role beyond the corps (nor in the corps, if we are being honest) so I expect he’ll move to a contemporary company once his brand recognition is solidified through this.

Link I posted is the original version of the Independent article, they lifted the text from the NY Times.

It has different photos and some interesting comments, many of the comments are concerned about what this (and ballet generally) means for women and girls.

With this one, it seems to be all about the tutus
www.thestage.co.uk/features/interviews/2016/sophie-rebecca-its-unlikely-i-will-be-a-ballerina-but-not-because-im-transgender/

Starting at 36 would definitely prevent anyone from becoming a ballerina, I reckon!

It makes me sad that little boys are denied tutus though. The only toys I ever denied my son (almost 18) were toy guns.

Thanks Betty, that is interesting. Loved your comment about your low standards for just being glad about the male pronouns (I am too)! In that article he does also show some understanding of his different genetic make up (I suppose it's unavoidable). Reading between the lines on some of the responses I can see they are uneasy as most are coming back to artistic rationale as the determining factor in these sort of casting choices. I agree it is a bit of a stunt, but it does feel like one at the expense of women.

KatyMac, just picked up on your comment. That's a really tough environment for women finding work. I'm a boring old person and I'm not happy about the constant need for higher extensions, bigger and more powerful jumps and an all round increase in, what I would call, gymnastic ability. And yes, the men will win that.

How, I've come across stuff on Sophie Rebecca before. The tutu stuff is slightly annoying as it is all about the stereotypes. But generally, I think that it is really, really sad. As a tall, well built boy, SR would have had a good shot at a career. Obviously SR seems to be realistic about the fact that it wouldn't happen at an advanced age! But I think there's a cruelty in encouraging the belief that its not because she is trans, as height and physique are definitely an issue here! Especially when the article encourages contacting companies: it seems to offer a delusion it's possible. But what do I know? I wouldn't have thought a man could be in the female corps until this week!

Even as a 36 year old beginner SR could probably do well in a leaders role in a partner dance discipline. There are tons of F/F competitive couples in ballroom and Latin (and they are beginning to place above M/F couples in some of the junior divisions) so they could still wear a ladies costume and present as female.

Seems like being stuck on tutus is very limiting for someone who is presumably quite isolated anyway. I feel sad for SR.

(I loved ballet as a kid but was told in no uncertain terms at about 9 that I wouldn’t be the right shape for it. Carried on with ballet for fun, got really pretty good at tap and now at 41, I teach Lindy Hop and Authentic Jazz to adult hobbyists. The world of dance is big and has a place for pretty much everyone, you’ve just got to find yours).

It’s pretty unlikely that gender fluid casting could go the other way though. Hard to think of male lead ro,es that could be danced by women.....

I don't see why not Bertrand. Didn't a PP mention the male lead in Coppelia used to be played by a woman? It would certainly open up things for taller ballerinas. Lifts could be adapted?

If Chase doesn't dance en pointe, then roles could be opened up the other way by altering choreography so that lifts are not included.

the all male Swan Lake isn't a valid comparison. It set out to be new and to be all male.

I'm not a ballet expert, just like going occasionally when I get a freebie, but is this going to be one area where people will say the balance of the sexes needs to be redressed e.g. not enough parts for men in corps de ballet in particular?

I honestly thought the Red Queen in the Royal Ballet's Alice was a man, I was surprised to look at the programme and find she wasn't!

“If Chase doesn't dance en pointe, then roles could be opened up the other way by altering choreography so that lifts are not included.”
Swan Lake with no lifts? Honestly?

If Chase doesn't dance en pointe, then roles could be opened up the other way by altering choreography so that lifts are not included

You might as well say if an actor can't sing they could re-do a musical as a play.

I think this just confirms ENB's status as very much second rate to the Royal Ballet.

Having now looked at Ballet Trock I think it is hideous and in poor taste. It mocks classical ballet and sets out to make the performers look deliberately ugly and clumsy. Drag gets discussed a lot on here. I don't have any problem with Ru Paul's exotic and beautiful figures of fantasy. Ballet Troc is no better than Mrs Brown's Boys.

oh I'm not endorsing no lifts

I'm just saying, if they have changed what was a role previously meant to be en pointe to accommodate someone who can't do it, then surely the same should apply to lifts!

but is this going to be one area where people will say the balance of the sexes needs to be redressed e.g. not enough parts for men in corps de ballet in particular?

They can say what they like. I doubt the people forking out £100 and more at Covent Garden want to see more male corps parts or even worse men in the female corps.

There are very few ballets where there are large ensemble male corp parts in the way Swan Lake etc have for female dancers. I doubt very much there is any audience for it.

I'm just saying, if they have changed what was a role previously meant to be en pointe to accommodate someone who can't do it, then surely the same should apply to lifts!

But that changes the whole thing. It's a bit like saying the Queen of the Night role is really difficult but you could re-score it to be a soprano or mezzo soprano rather than a coloratura role.

And this, my friends, is why we can't have nice things.

Yeah, a traditional swan lake without the black swan pdd would be like hamlet without the prince...

I mentioned Franz because it was the only man's role I could think of off top of my head that was sometimes done by a woman. But a long time ago and in a more comedic ballet (and probably mainly for the girl in tights frisson for Victorian audiences!).

If men can be in the corps de ballet without going on point, then women should be allowed to as well - thus ending the eletism in ballet witha fell swoop (thousands of ballet dancers good enough without points

DD isn't and never will be a ballerina - started too late and isn't good enough - but the auditions for contemporary and MT are on the same websites and it's sad how many ads are for men

if men can be in the corps de ballet without going on point, then women should be allowed to as well - thus ending the eletism in ballet witha fell swoop (thousands of ballet dancers good enough without points

There is nothing wrong with elitism. I don't want to see dancers that are just "good enough" - either in classical ballet or contemporary dance.

The best contemporary company is probsbly Nederlands Dans Theatre. They recruit the best dancers they can- not dancers who aren't good rnough to be in a classical company.

Um, I think Hamlet without Hamlet isn't a fair comparison
Without the soliloquies would be more apt?

I really don't want to break guidelines here and clearly others don't as well....

So, how about asking - in what ways would the ENB modify a traditional male role in order to accommodate a gender fluid person who has less upper body strength than normally required for the role?

And at what point do we say that any part that traditionally involved being en pointe can be altered?

And Bertrand I think I agree with you but in a post truth world I can't be sure. Love the song though!

I don't think there's anything wrong with elitism either: it should be about the very best. Nevertheless it's also a fair point that you can't allow exemptions on the tricky stuff to some but not others.

I suppose it is a one off and a publicity stunt so probably isn't worth getting annoyed. I did dislike the way he talks about himself as a 'ballerina' on the basis of dancing trocks female roles because that is about parody and imitation (I know a number of people who agree with Lass and find it distasteful) and the way he seemed obsessed with hair and make-up. There was also the dangerous celebration of losing so much weight. Eating disorders are a constant plague for ballet girls (and worst kept dirty secret). I'm not sure expensive nutritionists are on offer for most of them just the threat of redundancy!

Different types of elitism maybe

When you have a mixed race child who wants to do ballet and gets rejected at many turns

She is happy with her career path now - but I imagine reading that arrival and seeing a man getting what she so desperately want but couldn't have would be irksome (even if now she can acknowledge ballet wasn't for her)

For hundreds of teen ballet girls to see a man being deemed better at being a ballet girl than them, if fact so good he didn't even need to go on point? Very damaging

I hadn't heard of The Trocks before but a few minutes on YouTube is enough for me, I can see why Chase would want to move on from there. Still, to an ignorant outsider, I can't help feeling he has made a retrograde career move - pursue more challenging male roles or struggle to fit in with the women in the corps? When the novelty has worn off where will he be? I'm not sure it's much of an achievement at the end of the day.

On the boy/male dancer note - the ballet school my DD's went to (only a few years when they were tiny) produced three boys who went on to professional ballet careers , one to the Royal Ballet, one to Ballet Rambert and the other another company I can't remember which, all within about five years. For a small market town statistically I thought that must be like winning the lottery three times over. I don't think they took lessons with the girls. Probably girls, like mine, get signed up by their mothers, I hoped they would learn good posture and confidence while having some fun, whilst boys choose it for themselves because they really want to.

Katy, I completely agree... And it has historically been much harder for mixed race or black girls to make it in ballet.

Glad your daughter is happier now though.