Where are all the black ballet critics at the New York Times? Where are all the black critics for the classical arts at the New York Times? Why is Dance Magazine’s editorial staff six white women and one white man? Why are there no black professionals among the executive and senior editorial members on the mast head of Huffington Post? Where are the African American critics for classical arts at the Washington Post and The New Yorker?
These are all periodicals that have taken potshots at classical ballet or have allowed themselves to be the platforms from which others took potshots at ballet for being too white, too elitist, too expensive, too everything that anyone can complain about in order to get attention, to get readers, to get advertisers, to get a promotion, to get a meaty role.
Some have written that ballet classes, pointe shoes, summer intensive programs, etc. are just too expensive for a broad demographic spectrum of interested participants, and thus act as a barrier to entry to the professional ballet world. If that is so, then why don’t the equal or greater expenses for summer basketball camp, coaching, traveling around the country to participate in look/see events where college scholarships are awarded, act as a barrier to entry in the professional basketball ranks where more than 75% of the players are black?
A few weeks at a top notch summer basketball camp costs thousands of dollars. Trips to college camps cost money, too. And yet, these expenses don’t seem to represent a barrier that prevents inclusion of minority players in the professional ranks.
Is the perceived barrier in ballet really money or is it more a matter of cultural choices to spend that money on other things?
What are talented kids spending their money on – you know, the money that they earn from their paper routes, mowing lawns, weeding gardens, babysitting, standing behind a fast-food counter or menial jobs that teach kids how to show up on time and follow orders. Oh wait, these days fewer kids do that crap because they are now entitled to an allowance. (Pardon our insensitivity if anyone interpreted that as a micro-aggression.)
There seem to be a lot of people who proclaim demagogue-ish authority on demographics in ballet and like to complain generally and vaguely about all the perceived unfairness – because complaining about racial or economic inequality is the ultimate road to popularity in the media – but they don’t offer an explanation of what fairness is.
This is attributed to Teddy Roosevelt: Complaining about a problem without posing a solution is called whining. Why aren’t the complainers specifying exactly how many white, how many black, how many topaz skin colored dancers there should be in any given ballet company? What are the numbers and the grown-up statistical method for defining those numbers? Again, pardon any perceived micro-aggression.
If an individual artist or media personality or writer wants to complain that something isn’t fair, he should at least clarify what fairness is.
Now people are complaining about the lack of women choreographers represented in New York City Ballet’s season. But where are the names of the women ballet choreographers who they want? We’ve seen some dreadful stuff from both women and men choreographers who got their chances at ABT and NYCB. Does any devotee of ballet really want to see another effort by Azure Barton – anything that might remind them of One of Three that she did for ABT? Thank goodness we were spared the other Two of Three and Three of Three. Haglund would rather choke than ever sit through another Barton piece of choreography. The same goes for anything by Lauri Stallings whose Citizen for ABT made viewers want to revoke their own citizenship. Then there was Call Me Ben by Melissa Barak for NYCB…. Haglund simply isn’t ready to invest any more in trying to enjoy Emery LeCrone’s choreography. She has a long, long way to go before being ready for the big time. Have you seen Susan Jaffe’s choreography? Even if you haven’t, you have.
There are many other women and men choreographers, mostly working in the contemporary genre and who know nothing about ballet, who would probably love a chance to mount something screwy on NYCB or other major ballet company. But ballet shouldn’t be looking at modern dance choreographers to come up with its next big success. It should be looking for people within its art form, people who understand the art, appreciate its values, and have a perspective developed over time through participation.
Women are certainly made more aware of choreographic design through their indoctrination in the classical corps de ballet. Contrary to claims that they are taught to be silent, obedient little wind-up dolls, they are really more akin to a battalion of the most disciplined Marines – the guys who brag “We do the hard stuff right away; the impossible takes longer." Years spent striving to make every thumb precisely in place, eyes focused, unvaried breathing at attention, ready to sprint and sail on command and always, ALWAYS aware of the fellow soldier in pointe shoes next in line result in the discipline and craft that form the necessary platform for launching any ballet choreographic effort. They know it’s only perfect when everyone is perfect.
So where are the women who would make the next great ballet choreography? Most are still dancing in the corps de ballet – can you blame them? Even the most basic women’s corps job in ballet is a pretty fortunate gig that rates a high job satisfaction score unknown to workers who toil on the lines at Home Depot or UPS or at the Food Emporium cashier stations.
We're hearing complaining about white males mentoring white males and how that excludes women from potential success in ballet choreography. What female choreographers are being mentored by Twyla Tharp these days? Who is Susan Stroman mentoring these days? Just asking, not complaining. Inquiring minds want to know.
10 responses to “Inquiring minds want to know”
Hi Haglund,
I love your style of writing. You’re always eloquent. But I think this might be one of your most eloquent posts ever–not to mention, one of the most important, too. I consider myself a feminist. I’m also 100% for racial equality. However, none of this should come at the expense of art. The world has gone crazy with political correctness.
Great job! No one could have summed this up better than you’ve done here, Haglund.
Hi Haglund,
I love your style of writing. You’re always eloquent. But I think this might be one of your most eloquent posts ever–not to mention, one of the most important, too. I consider myself a feminist. I’m also 100% for racial equality. However, none of this should come at the expense of art. The world has gone crazy with political correctness.
Great job! No one could have summed this up better than you’ve done here, Haglund.
Choreographers tend to be male because ballet is one art where the men are more often not the central attraction. In most classical ballets and certainly in many Balanchine works, the most male dancers could hope for is to be on equal footing with his ballerina counterpart. Furthermore, the trend of men in power or management positions, even where men are in the minority, is not a phenomenon limited to ballet. You see this in Nursing for example, where male nurse managers are overwhelmingly disproportionate to their actual census as nurses. So my point is that this issue of male dominance in power positions is not indictment on sexism in ballet, just as lack of Black principal dancers does not equate with racist ballet culture. But of course to these kneejerk progressives at Huffington Post or any of the journals you referenced, it is part of their DNA to judge others as unenlightened, racist, sexist, and any other -ists that one can label then look down upon. They equate being PC with being not-a-racist-in-fact-proud-progressive. Like you say, they do not offer any criteria for becoming principal dancer, pretty much only that they be Black and preferably from disadvantaged background and with body type totally unsuitable for classical ballet. It isn’t enough that there is affirmative action for certain ethnic groups in higher education selection processes such as medical school admission, now it is performing arts.
At POB, Millipied got into some hot water with longtime fans when he accused POB of racism due to the lack of Black dancers there. Some of the fans summed it up nicely in newspaper comments, saying things like “well seeing that ballet is an European art form, it follows logically that there would be more White European dancers”. Millipied had said, if I recall correctly, that he would like POB dancers to reflect the general population as far as race or ethnicity is concerned. Meanwhile other POB fans pointed out that his LA dance group that he ditched for POB was all White. These so-called Progressives really are the most insufferable hypocrites.
Choreographers tend to be male because ballet is one art where the men are more often not the central attraction. In most classical ballets and certainly in many Balanchine works, the most male dancers could hope for is to be on equal footing with his ballerina counterpart. Furthermore, the trend of men in power or management positions, even where men are in the minority, is not a phenomenon limited to ballet. You see this in Nursing for example, where male nurse managers are overwhelmingly disproportionate to their actual census as nurses. So my point is that this issue of male dominance in power positions is not indictment on sexism in ballet, just as lack of Black principal dancers does not equate with racist ballet culture. But of course to these kneejerk progressives at Huffington Post or any of the journals you referenced, it is part of their DNA to judge others as unenlightened, racist, sexist, and any other -ists that one can label then look down upon. They equate being PC with being not-a-racist-in-fact-proud-progressive. Like you say, they do not offer any criteria for becoming principal dancer, pretty much only that they be Black and preferably from disadvantaged background and with body type totally unsuitable for classical ballet. It isn’t enough that there is affirmative action for certain ethnic groups in higher education selection processes such as medical school admission, now it is performing arts.
At POB, Millipied got into some hot water with longtime fans when he accused POB of racism due to the lack of Black dancers there. Some of the fans summed it up nicely in newspaper comments, saying things like “well seeing that ballet is an European art form, it follows logically that there would be more White European dancers”. Millipied had said, if I recall correctly, that he would like POB dancers to reflect the general population as far as race or ethnicity is concerned. Meanwhile other POB fans pointed out that his LA dance group that he ditched for POB was all White. These so-called Progressives really are the most insufferable hypocrites.
No one introduced me to ballet, except for maybe the Bell Telephone Hour when I was a kid. I bought a $4.00 student rush ticket to see my first ABT performance in 1971, after seeing the Joffrey the week before. I saved my babysitting for money for the ballet, then for classes. Didn’t buy records or go to movies. It’s desire, passion; ballet is something I cannot live without. There are still student rush tickets available, and discounts for young adults are offered in some companies. Kansas City Ballet even offers senior rush tickets at half price for those age 62 and over.
People will spend money on sports tickets and all that goes with it and not complain. I spend it on ballet performances and classes. I only complain when there is a trend for something “different” in ballet without substance, such as the examples you mention, Haglund.
Thanks for writing so beautifully about what I feel, but don’t have the words to express, Haglund. I agree with Beth as well: “…none of this should come at the expense of art. The world has gone crazy with political correctness.”
No one introduced me to ballet, except for maybe the Bell Telephone Hour when I was a kid. I bought a $4.00 student rush ticket to see my first ABT performance in 1971, after seeing the Joffrey the week before. I saved my babysitting for money for the ballet, then for classes. Didn’t buy records or go to movies. It’s desire, passion; ballet is something I cannot live without. There are still student rush tickets available, and discounts for young adults are offered in some companies. Kansas City Ballet even offers senior rush tickets at half price for those age 62 and over.
People will spend money on sports tickets and all that goes with it and not complain. I spend it on ballet performances and classes. I only complain when there is a trend for something “different” in ballet without substance, such as the examples you mention, Haglund.
Thanks for writing so beautifully about what I feel, but don’t have the words to express, Haglund. I agree with Beth as well: “…none of this should come at the expense of art. The world has gone crazy with political correctness.”
City Ballet’s effort about a generation ago to go into New York’s public schools and search for talent should be applauded. It’s really starting to pay off dividends in the last few cohorts of apprentices, not just for diversity’s sake, but the limbs that Balanchine wouldn’t even have dreamed about. They give full rides at SAB to kids (especially boys) who may not have the resources to take up ballet or come from backgrounds where ballet was never a topic. It’s important when you consider your tax-deductible donations.
The Times should know better than any organization what happens when you promote on the basis of race or talent, the mediocre will rise to the top….
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/us/correcting-the-record-times-reporter-who-resigned-leaves-long-trail-of-deception.html?pagewanted=all
City Ballet’s effort about a generation ago to go into New York’s public schools and search for talent should be applauded. It’s really starting to pay off dividends in the last few cohorts of apprentices, not just for diversity’s sake, but the limbs that Balanchine wouldn’t even have dreamed about. They give full rides at SAB to kids (especially boys) who may not have the resources to take up ballet or come from backgrounds where ballet was never a topic. It’s important when you consider your tax-deductible donations.
The Times should know better than any organization what happens when you promote on the basis of race or talent, the mediocre will rise to the top….
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/11/us/correcting-the-record-times-reporter-who-resigned-leaves-long-trail-of-deception.html?pagewanted=all
Thanks, Fan Z.
It’s true that SAB has done much over a very long period of time to diversify while finding legitimate talent. They are truly a model of how it should be done.
And thank you – it is good to remind everyone about NYT’s Jayson Blair occasionally.
Thanks, Fan Z.
It’s true that SAB has done much over a very long period of time to diversify while finding legitimate talent. They are truly a model of how it should be done.
And thank you – it is good to remind everyone about NYT’s Jayson Blair occasionally.