ballet | Brookeshistoryjourna

The “Black” Swan, or is Ballet only white?

Picture a ballet shoe in your mind. It's very pale pink, right? But what if you don’t have white skin?

The world of ballet has always been regarded as a symbol of grace and refinement; however, it is deeply rooted in the history of racism and inequality. The history of modern ballet is rife with discriminatory practices and a lack of representation of people of colour. There have been many improvements and steps forward, however racism still remains a problem. Racist ideas manifest themselves in many ways, from casting choices to costume design. And we can see this phenomenon happening across the twentieth century.

Ballet has been historically dominated by white dancers, with qualities like discipline and grace often viewed as inherently white attributes. This racialized perception of ballet has shaped the profession’s standards and reinforced a system that marginalises dancers of colour. Before the 21st century there was a widely held belief that only white dancers could embody the attributes necessary to be a ballerina.

Dancer Misty Copeland, born in 1982, is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and has worked hard to redefine these ideas. She’s an extremely successful dancer who challenges the notion that ballet is a pursuit of white people only. The international success of Misty Copeland has also paved the way for future non white dancers, most prominently in the US and throughout the west.

Several classic ballets’ plots and characters rely on racial stereotypes. One example of this is The Nutcracker which is an 1892 two-act classical ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. In this ballet there are the Chinese ‘Tea’ and Arabian ‘Coffee’ dances which are notorious for caricaturing non-Western cultures. This is done through exaggerated physical movements and offensive costuming, such as slanted eye makeup and overemphasised head bobbing. Similarly, the ballet La Bayadère, which translates as “the temple dancer”, was originally staged in four acts and seven tableaux by the French choreographer Marius Petipa. This ballet features the character of the ‘rajah’s slave’ and has been subject to controversy due to its use of blackface in past productions, as seen with the Bolshoi Ballet’s 2019 rendition.

Beyond the issue of racism within ballets themselves is this issue of the everyday experiences of dancers of colour. One example of this is the design of dancewear. Ballet tights and shoes have traditionally been designed in light shades that match the skin tones of white dancers, leaving dancers of colour to either “pancake” their shoes and tights (a process where foundation or paint is used to alter the colour of their shoes to match their skin tone) or to accept a lack of congruence between their body and costume. This absence of costumes and shoes that match the skin tones of dancers of colour sends a clear message that they do not belong. Often when professional ballet companies fail to provide dancers of colour with proper stage makeup or dancewear, signalling that these dancers are outsiders, unworthy of the same resources and opportunities as their white counterparts.

While there have been some improvements in recent years, such as the introduction of more diverse dancewear options and the increased visibility of dancers of colour like Copeland, the changes are far too few and too slow. These steps, though significant, are merely the beginning of a much longer journey toward genuine equality in ballet. The wider ballet community still struggles with deep rooted prejudices, and dancers of colour continue to face barriers in terms of both access and acceptance. Ballet’s historical legacy of racism and colonialism is not easily dismantled, but the voices of dancers like Copeland, who challenge these norms, are paving the way for future reforms.

Ballet may be an art form admired for its elegance, but it is also an art form embedded with historical racial prejudice and discrimination. The pervasive whiteness of ballet, coupled with racist stereotypes and exclusionary practices, creates an environment where dancers of colour continue to be marginalised. While there have been strides toward progress, more change needs to be made. These issues require sustained examination and should be addressed in order to ensure that this form of art becomes more inclusive, welcoming, and representative of diversity.

By Celeste Abbott, Mollie Frankum, and Rosa Tims.

Brookes History Journal