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Women Pioneers in Ballet

It’s officially March! Women’s History Month is upon us which calls for highlighting some amazing women in the dance community. The ballet world has come a long way through the years, but none of those achievements would be possible without the accomplishments of these amazing women. From Françoise Prévost to Misty Copeland, women have paved the way for the ballet industry for centuries. Here are a few women that influenced the ballet world to make it what it is today:

By Nicole Barrett, DWC Blog Editor

Françoise Prevost (1680-1741)

Francoise Prevost was a French ballerina that helped establish dramatic dance in the classical ballet era. She was known for her expressive, light, and dramatic way of dancing onstage, allowing her to grow in the dance world. Francoise debuted at the Academie d’Opera in 1699 replacing Marie-Therese de Subligny which gave her her start in the dance world. She performed with Jean Balon in Les Horaces in 1708 which caused the audience to weep. Francoise taught some of her famous solos to her dancers and she helped train two of her most successful students Marie Camargo and Marie Salle. In 1730 she retired from dancing as premiere danseuse to be replaced by her students.

Marie Taglioni (1804-1888)

Marie Taglioni was a Swedish ballerina of the romantic ballet era who was a central figure in the history of European dance. Marie grew to fame while she was dancing at the Paris Opera, but also when she was dancing at the Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Ballet. She is credited through her dance years to be the first ballerina to be truly en pointe. While introducing the phenomena of dancing en pointe, she also introduced new fashion trends and hairstyles throughout her years in the dance world that became very popular in Europe. In 1847 she retired from performing and was known as a guiding spirit for the Paris Opera.

Anna Pavlova (1881-1931)

Anna Pavlova was a Russian prima ballerina in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Through her early stages of ballet she trained with the Imperial Ballet School where she performed many principal roles with the company and graduated at 18. Anna then made her debut at the Mariinsky Ballet and with her first performance grew great praise from critics. Later in her career, she became a part of the Imperial Russian Ballet and was most recognized for her role The Dying Swan. With her own company she became the first ballerina to tour around the world. In 1931 on her way to a performance, she was diagnosed with pneumonia and later died from pleurisy. In traditional ballet fashion they honored her with a single spotlight on the stage where she would’ve danced next.

*Maria Tallchief in a 1955 promotion for the* *Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo*

Maria Tallchief (1925-2013)

Maria Tallchief was an American ballerina who was considered the first major prima ballerina in America. She is well-known for her roles as Sugar Plum Fairy in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker and the lead role in The Firebird. Her role in the Nutcracker transformed the ballet itself from obscure to one of America’s most famous, and her role in The Firebird made Maria become one of the world’s most famous ballet dancers. She was the first star of The New York City Ballet and became the first American to perform in Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater. In 1966, she retired from dance and began promoting ballet in Chicago where she debuted the Chicago City Ballet.

Misty Copeland (1982 - )

Misty Copeland is an American ballet dancer for the American Ballet Theater. She made history in 2015 by becoming the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the company's 75-year history, and for paving the way for minority dancers all around the country. Misty is considered to be a ballet prodigy after not starting ballet until she was 13 years old. She has written books, starred in documentaries, won spotlight awards for her dancing and charity works and was on Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world in 2015. Misty still dances today and strives for more inclusivity in the dance community.

Learning about the women pioneers in the ballet world should not just be for Women’s History Month, it should be celebrated all year round. Without the breakthroughs that these women have been through, the ballet world would be very different than it is today. By learning the history of some of our favorite ballerinas, we can honor and acknowledge the accomplishments that these women have made for this beloved dance genre.

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Envisioning Intersectional Feminism in the Dance Industry

Dancewear Center Dec 2018-63.jpg — Madison Huizinga has been dancing for 13 years, and her favorite styles are ballet and contemporary. Currently, she attends the University of Washington and is studying Communications, Business, and Dance. Madison is presently a company member with Seattle-based dance company Intrepidus Dance. Dance has always been a positive creative outlet for her to express her emotions—so it’s always nice to meet members of the local dance community that relate!
Outside of dance and work, you will find Madison exploring new cafés and restaurants around Seattle, hiking, reading, and traveling.

By Madison Huizinga

What do you think of when you heard the word “feminism”? Perhaps you envision women protesting in the streets and outside government buildings. Maybe you picture historic milestones, like women receiving the right to vote with the ratification of the 19th amendment or Kamala Harris becoming the first female vice president of the United States. Some of you may even think of all of those promotional products companies produce for Women’s History Month, like form-fitting t-shirts that say “this is what a feminist looks like” in rhinestone letters. These different pictures of feminism proliferate throughout our culture and serve as models for what feminists should look like and stand for.

That being said, our general view of feminism in the U.S. tends to be pretty unitary. Most people assume that “doing feminism” requires breaking the “glass ceiling,” increasing female participation in male-dominated workspaces, and making women feel safer walking home at night. These are all admirable goals that feminists should strive to achieve. But while we work to achieve these aspirations, it’s important to consider whether all women’s lives are being advanced. For example, a major goal of the mainstream Western feminist movement is closing the gender pay gap. As of 2019, senior executive women earn approximately 84.6 cents for every dollar a man earns. However, this gap isn’t the same for all women. While white women earn around 82 cents for every dollar earned by a white man, Black women only earn about 65 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. For Latina women, the gap is even wider, as they on average earn about 58 cents for every dollar earned by a white man. In addition to considering what must be done to bring about gender equality, we should also ask if our efforts are serving all women.

These disparities are not just visible when analyzing the gender pay gap. When looking at nearly every industry, in every sector, there are disparities in discrimination based on women’s race, sexual orientation, ability, and every other facet of their social identities. While it can be useful to view the feminist movement as a completely unified campaign against sexist oppression, it can also cause disillusionment. When embarking on the journey to end patriarchal injustice, not all women are starting at the same place. Assuming that all women experience the same maltreatment is misguided. Rather, we must re-envision how we view and enact feminism in every space in our lives so that all women’s lives are progressed, not just a select, privileged few. To accomplish this, we must adopt intersectional feminism.

Intersectional feminism was coined by lawyer and civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. Crenshaw introduced this term as a way to examine “overlapping, concurrent forms of oppression” to better understand the depths of inequalities in given contexts. Intersectional feminism acknowledges that the impact of various crises or inequities isn’t always the same, as our different marginalized identities interlock with one another to create unique challenges. In this way, “all inequality is not created equal,” according to Crenshaw. The impact of hardships like sexism won’t be the same for women of all ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, religions, and nationalities.

Using an intersectional lens does not just apply to specific social justice movements. Such a framework can and should be applied to all areas of our lives, especially the dance industry. Many people assume that the dance industry is a female-dominated space, which is fairly accurate. However, while about 65.9% of ballerinas in the U.S. are white females, only about 2.27% of ballerinas are African American females. In professional companies around the world, white females dominate, while women of color hold far fewer spots. When women of color are depicted on stage, they are often presented in roles that are extremely racialized and stereotyped, such as the “Chinese Tea” or “Arabian Coffee” roles in The Nutcracker. Sometimes white women will even pretend to play women of color on stage, such as in the more extreme case of blackface in Bolshoi Ballet’s 2019 production of La Bayadère. Also, when women portray lead roles in ballets like The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake, their characters tend to be involved in romantic relationships with heterosexual men. Same-sex pairings are absent in nearly every popular ballet. And when we look at the body types that are presented on stage, they are almost always tall, thin bodies, as those are the only types of bodies that have been historically celebrated in the dance industry.

Sure, large strides have been made for diversity in the dance industry. Misty Copeland becoming the first female African American principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre is a huge milestone, as well as Charlotte Nebres becoming the first Black dancer to be cast as Marie in NYC Ballet’s The Nutcracker. Across the country, choreographers are re-imagining the traditional depictions of women in ballets and creating new works that uplift a wider array of girls and women. But the work can’t stop now. It’s not enough to look at a women-dominated industry and think that it’s somehow “achieved feminism” by simply having female participants. For this Women’s History Month and onwards, consider the ways your studio is depicting women of all races, sexual orientations, ages, and body types and hold your instructors accountable. We won’t truly eradicate sexist oppression until all women are treated with respect.

Here are some ways we can all practice intersectional feminism in the dance world:

Educate yourself and others

Conduct research on the ballets and other dance works you’re participating in. Consider who created the original choreography and how their biases may impact how different groups of women are portrayed on stage. Communicate the information you learn with those around you, whether that be through face-to-face communication or social media posts.

Be a good listener

Listen to the stories of those around you, particularly groups of dancers that possess social identities that are marginalized in American society. Do not dismiss or minimize their experiences and understand that you shouldn’t always do all of the talking.

Make a deliberate effort to not be isolated

Actively seek out the perspectives of dancers who possess different social identities than you and who dance in different communities than you. Find ways to interact and collaborate with them, either through viewing their dance works, co-choreographing a dance, or simply exchanging contact information and discussing your experiences in the dance world.

Be critical of the dances you view

When watching various dances, think critically about what you are watching and how it may be perceived by different individuals. Consider the changes you would make if you were a choreographer and how you will avoid reifying negative representations in your creations.

Provide constructive criticism to people in your dance community

If you are a dancer, talk with your studio owners and dance instructors about changes you would like to see in the curriculum, studio policies, and choreography. Point out the ways in which certain groups of women may be hurt by certain aspects of your studio’s culture and co-create solutions. If you are a studio owner or dance instructor, be open to feedback from your dancers on how to make your studio an equitable environment for all individuals.

Create your own work!

If there are stories out there that aren’t being told, find ways to tell them through dance! This could involve choreographing a new work on your own, revising an older production in a more appropriate way, or collaborating with other members of the dance community to bring important, untold stories to light.

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Women Pioneers in Ballet

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Envisioning Intersectional Feminism in the Dance Industry

Outside of dance and work, you will find Madison exploring new cafés and restaurants around Seattle, hiking, reading, and traveling.

By Madison Huizinga