For most people, the world of ballet seems to be made up of mostly women. However, take a closer look and you just might see the persistent problem of patriarchy. All too often, women are not the ones leading, they are not the directors or choreographers. In an art form where they are essential, shouldn’t women have a principle voice?
Let’s start with where this problem begins. Throughout the many years of rigorous training, young dancers are taught they should be quiet, respectful, and do exactly as they are told. So many little girls dream of becoming a ballerina that the amount of competition heavily increases, and they quickly learn how replaceable they are if they are not perfect. They are not usually given a platform or a safe space to explore their own creative voice or their roles beyond that of a performer.
In complete opposite fashion, little boys in ballet are catapulted into higher positions. Most schools are so desperate for boys to take in interest in dance that they offer scholarships for any boys to train. In the later years of training, boys are so necessary for partnering and multiple aspects of classical ballet that they truly become irreplaceable. This gives these boys and young men artistic immunity and the freedom to explore different pathways within ballet
From the beginning, girls and women in ballet are not afforded the same opportunities as men, and in the long run, they suffer because of it. Out of ten major ballet companies in the US, only two have women in the role of artistic director (Miami City Ballet and Lourdes Lopez, The Washington Ballet and Julie Kent), which is the position equivalent of a CEO. With less women in charge of companies and deciding the choreography performed, that often leads to less women being given a chance to choreograph for a major company. There are a couple of women who have managed to make a name for themselves within choreography, such as Twyla Tharp and Crystal Pite, however the ratio of male to female choreographers simply does not come anywhere close to equal.
It’s not that female choreographers aren’t talented. It’s not that women’s voices aren’t important – they are. We just need the people in charge to commit to including them. Some universities, training programs, and companies have created a few opportunities for women to explore their choreographic voice. For example, here at the U, the ballet program requires dancers to take at least three semesters of choreography classes, with additional courses that culminate in a performance of student choreographed works. However, for a lot of dancers including myself, opportunities like this have come too late. For many of my peers and I, we felt that by the time we had the chance to explore the choreographic side of dance we had become closed off to the idea. I felt too unnatural, too subconscious in the role of choreographer. I’d never considered my own voice before and had become too accustomed to thinking that I didn’t have one.
Thankfully those companies and programs are finally providing the chance to change whose voices are represented. Women have typically been set in the role of the muse instead of the creator in ballet, and it’s about time that it changes. Ballerinas don’t have to be voiceless, they have just as much to offer as the men and deserve just as many opportunities.