Am I too fat to be a ballet dancer?

While I was doing research for this site I read a lot of various dance related forums on the net.  Unfortunately, questions like "I am X feet tall and Y lbs...am I too fat to be a dancer?" and "My teacher has told me to loose weight, what is the best way?" seem to be among the most common.  Maintaining a healthy body image has to be among the most challenging aspects of professional dance.

Ours is a strange profession.  I can think of no other where you are asked to look at yourself in the mirror 6 hours a day for years and years wearing next to nothing. I have worked in companies where you could determine the status of a dancer in a the company by which mirror he/she stands in front of. The warping of the mirrors over time could produce a fattening or thinning effect much like in a fun house at a circus. So the greater your status in the company the "thinner" the mirror you got. Sounds crazy, but it is true.  That combined with the ever critical eye of the ballet masters/mistresses and artistic director and you have the perfect environment to develop eating disorders. 

Disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and the abuse of laxatives are rampant in ballet companies and schools, particularly among women.  Yes Balanchine said "ballet is thin.", but I personally believe this to be an outdated and dangerous model. A young student of ballet should concentrate on eating healthy and staying injury free.  What is the point of doing permanent damage to your body before you have even started your professional career? The PBS program NOVA did a good special of the problems of eating disorders in the ballet world.  You can read the transcript and even watch the program online at the NOVA website here. Ballet is a hard physical activity, particularly when you are in a professional ballet school.  If you are eating well your weight should be right for your unique genetic make up. I am glad to see that many schools are including nutrition education as part of their overall curriculum. 

We as dancers will be required to make many sacrifices for our art. You will require as much training as a doctor or lawyer, but make a very little money.   Much of your childhood will be spent inside a studio while your friends are pursuing more traditional activities.  Working conditions can be tough and the constant strain on your body will make your career very short.  Your health is something that should not be sacrificed.

As dancers, our bodies are our instruments. In order for it to work to its best ability, it has to be taken care of. Try to remember that it isn't about the number on the scale but rather how you actually look. I worked with a girl who was about 5'8" and was so thin that to look at her you would swear she was sick. I would have guessed her weight at about 110lbs, but as it turned out she was 135lbs! This is a great example of the look rather than number point. She was thin, long and just very lean. Muscle weighs more than fat and it is important not to lose so much to obtain a magic number that you lose your muscle. There is no point in being skinny if you are too weak to actually do anything.

Being a dancer isn't about being skinny. While image is a huge factor in getting a job, it is not the only thing. You can be stick thin, but have off proportions, you could be turned in, have bad feet, bad technique, or a multitude of other things that would hinder you from "making it". Look around an open class at Steps In NY and you will see what I mean. There are skinny girls in there working hard, taking class everyday but still won't make it. Even in a professional school, there are still lots of girls who don't become professionals. It is a hard business and while there is a standard "ballet look" this doesn't mean falling over from starvation thin. Ballet is athletic, strong, and powerful while at the same time graceful. Ballet is supposed to be the human body at its most ethereal and most beautiful. It is so much more satisfying to watch a strong, healthy body perform such graceful movements rather than a stick figure. Eat well, stay healthy, and remember that your ideal weight is something your doctor should decide not your ballet teacher.