A note on still needing to change

After seeing the insane lengths some in this sub went to in a previous post to gatekeep who can and can’t be a ballet/dance educator, I wanted to pause and invite everyone to examine how we are still participating in the exclusionary nature of this dance modality.

Can ballet become fully inclusive? Not exactly. Can we reevaluate and abandon the harmful misconceptions we have been raised with? Absolutely. And that reevaluation needs to include teachers.

It’s funny to me that among modalities, people seem to be most focused on technique of a teacher when it comes to ballet. “Unless you’ve had this or that training, you need to/you shouldn’t…” what? We all know training is expensive and exclusive in many ways. “Unless you danced with a company/as a professional, you need to/you shouldn’t…” again, what? You should already know not to gatekeep ballet from students, why gatekeep educators? You wouldn’t expect company past from other teachers, would you? From someone who teaches modern, jazz, tap, musical, etc. Or does every musical dance teacher need to have a Tony? And your kid only takes modern classes from Twyla? Is the ghost of Merce Cunningham in your living room, offering corrections?

We all know that perfect technique does not mean a perfect teacher. I’m sure many of us have experienced the pedagogy of a retired ballerina with perfect technique who inspires zero joy in students. It’s mind blowing to me that some ballet aficionados believe these are the people who should keep ballet going into the future.

Those kids, of course, who want to go professional, have different needs. I would still argue though that they can benefit from a teacher who has undergone collegiate/advanced training in pedagogy, but with no professional past, as they can offer these kids valuable advice in that journey. I think we all forget how essential the passion and dedication of our favorite teachers (whether dance or otherwise) had been when we were little. Could your high school history teacher answer every question about world history? No. Did he convince you to stick with studying history, while you completely tuned out in physics? Certainly.

And I don’t mean to offend anyone who has danced professionally, or with a company, but here is a technical and rude truth. No one besides your own students or friends will remember you. None of us are Osipova. None of us are Balanchine. You all should 100% be proud of your placements with companies both local and national. However, your sense of accomplishment should never stem only from clinging to the one fact you danced with a company once and that you’ve “won” the exclusive game of ballet. No one memorizes rosters of their local ballet company. Also, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen retired professional dancers lament on how they “made it,” but never to soloist/principal, etc. And how many you could tell hated teaching because their career ended with an injury and they were damaged goods from then on. At that point, not even the most decorated prima can take your child in a good direction.

We all try to celebrate a system that for centuries trained us to tear ourselves down in as many ways as possible. So when, finally, there is an influx of new, energetic, passionate teachers, who either have not been poisoned by this system after decades, or more likely joined late and carry a novel dedication for teaching ballet, why are we trying to stop them? To examine them under this outdated and pointless ballet lens? To discredit them within a modality that so badly needs to lose its obsession with technique, and an infusion of inclusion and joy?

Celebrate the teachers who make your kid come home smiling, wanting to grow, and excited to return to the studio.

(Rant over lol, just had to get this off my chest)