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Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers Is Saving Ballet from Itself
A reckoning with one of our most beloved art forms, whose past and present are shaped by gender, racial, and class inequities—and a look inside the fight for its future
Every day, in dance studios all across America, legions of little children line up at the barre to take ballet class. This time in the studio shapes their lives, instilling lessons about gender, power, bodies, and their place in the world both in and outside of dance.
In Turning Pointe , journalist Chloe Angyal captures the intense love for ballet that so many dancers feel, while also grappling with its devastating shortcomings: the power imbalance of an art form performed mostly by women, but dominated by men; the impossible standards of beauty and thinness; and the racism that keeps so many people of color out of ballet. As the rigid traditions of ballet grow increasingly out of step with the modern world, a new generation of dancers is confronting these issues head on, in the studio and on stage. For ballet to survive the twenty-first century and forge a path into a more socially just future, this reckoning is essential.
Every day, in dance studios all across America, legions of little children line up at the barre to take ballet class. This time in the studio shapes their lives, instilling lessons about gender, power, bodies, and their place in the world both in and outside of dance.
In Turning Pointe , journalist Chloe Angyal captures the intense love for ballet that so many dancers feel, while also grappling with its devastating shortcomings: the power imbalance of an art form performed mostly by women, but dominated by men; the impossible standards of beauty and thinness; and the racism that keeps so many people of color out of ballet. As the rigid traditions of ballet grow increasingly out of step with the modern world, a new generation of dancers is confronting these issues head on, in the studio and on stage. For ballet to survive the twenty-first century and forge a path into a more socially just future, this reckoning is essential.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published May 4, 2021
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April 27, 2021
"Dance is the hidden language of the soul." - Martha Graham
Ballet dancing is an art form. Who took ballet as a child? Not me, I wanted to. I begged to have ballet lessons, but my mother put me in hula dancing instead. But thousands of little girls have taken ballet. It takes discipline, time, dedication, perseverance, money, commitment, and strength. More women than me dance ballet but it is a male dominated by men. Who has not heard of Mikhail Baryshnikov?
But in such a beautiful art form there are issues that come up - race, class, power imbalance, high standards of beauty, and gender/gender rules. Ballet consists of rigid rules. How have these rules hold up over time? If Ballet is going to continue to be relevant, it needs to change, adapt and evolve. A new generation of dancer is out there. A generation that wants ballet to coincide with the modern world.
"...you can't dance forever, so you'd better dance while you can." - Fadeley Veyette
This book is about the love of dance. Various dancers share their stories of dancing through pain, of being told to butch up, to allow their bodies to be touched, that their body does not look right, they tell of lack of diversity in ballet, they share how males do not have to follow the strict rules that women do, men share their thoughts and concerns about wearing tights. But they also talk about their passion for dance. How they feel free when they move. How important dance is to them. How dance has shaped their lives.
"If you are going to have the guts to dream, you have to have the guts to pay the price." - Suzanne Farrell
There is also a risk of dancing - injury. Dancing through pain is common. Training is gruesome. There are physical demands. It is costly to admit to being injured - many do not have health insurance, some fear losing a job, plus as they say, "The show must go on.".
This is an informative book, and I enjoyed the firsthand accounts from various dancers. They love what they do but they also point out a need for change. This new wave of dancers are the future of ballet and hopefully they can save this artform and change the way dancers are trained and treated.
Well written, informative, educational.
Thank you to Bold Type Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Ballet dancing is an art form. Who took ballet as a child? Not me, I wanted to. I begged to have ballet lessons, but my mother put me in hula dancing instead. But thousands of little girls have taken ballet. It takes discipline, time, dedication, perseverance, money, commitment, and strength. More women than me dance ballet but it is a male dominated by men. Who has not heard of Mikhail Baryshnikov?
But in such a beautiful art form there are issues that come up - race, class, power imbalance, high standards of beauty, and gender/gender rules. Ballet consists of rigid rules. How have these rules hold up over time? If Ballet is going to continue to be relevant, it needs to change, adapt and evolve. A new generation of dancer is out there. A generation that wants ballet to coincide with the modern world.
"...you can't dance forever, so you'd better dance while you can." - Fadeley Veyette
This book is about the love of dance. Various dancers share their stories of dancing through pain, of being told to butch up, to allow their bodies to be touched, that their body does not look right, they tell of lack of diversity in ballet, they share how males do not have to follow the strict rules that women do, men share their thoughts and concerns about wearing tights. But they also talk about their passion for dance. How they feel free when they move. How important dance is to them. How dance has shaped their lives.
"If you are going to have the guts to dream, you have to have the guts to pay the price." - Suzanne Farrell
There is also a risk of dancing - injury. Dancing through pain is common. Training is gruesome. There are physical demands. It is costly to admit to being injured - many do not have health insurance, some fear losing a job, plus as they say, "The show must go on.".
This is an informative book, and I enjoyed the firsthand accounts from various dancers. They love what they do but they also point out a need for change. This new wave of dancers are the future of ballet and hopefully they can save this artform and change the way dancers are trained and treated.
Well written, informative, educational.
Thank you to Bold Type Books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
December 4, 2021
3.5 stars. This book reminded me somewhat of SF Chronicle sportswriter and journalist Joan Ryan’s landmark 1995 book, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes, which detailed abusive, physically and mentally injurious coaching and other practices in women’s competitive gymnastics and ice skating. Ryan’s book called out perpetrators like the Karolyis (who nevertheless easily managed to hang on to their empire for another couple decades) long before the true extent of the rampant toxicity of USA Gymnastics, culminating in the horrendous recent Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal, became more widely acknowledged. In Turning Pointe, Chloe Angyal similarly and admirably works to present representative incidents of patterns of worker exploitation, classism, sexism, racism, and physical, emotional, verbal, sexual, and financial abuse within the ballet world.
When Ryan’s book originally appeared back in ‘95 and served up those hard truths about the idealized fantasy worlds of gymnastics and ice skating - some notable reviews whined about how it was such a bummer, so negative, where were the “success stories”? Likewise, I’m sure some readers may find Angyal’s content unpleasant to read about and face up to. I myself can only applaud any effort to throw back the curtain on inequity, injustice, oppression, or exploitation in the arts and in sports alike. That being said, I did find that Angyal’s book reads a bit more like a brisk accounting of varied grievances, with brief mentions of some related change-making initiatives, rather than an in-depth exploration of the frontiers of evolution and growth. This survey or overview approach is totally fine in itself, as the grievances are indeed real and valid, but it doesn’t necessarily quite match up with what is promised in the book’s subtitle.
My only other issue is that, as other reviewers have observed, this 300-page book tackles an awful lot of disparate concerns within the world of ballet (it’s real dysfunctional, y’all) and therefore sometimes comes across as “everything but the kitchen-sink-y.” At its worst, it can feel somewhat scattershot, superficial, or rushed (and, there are still some gaps, as noted in other reviews, which stand out even more given the attempt to cover so much other stuff). I think the book could perhaps have benefitted from deeper focus across fewer areas. Alternatively, a collection of articles or essays may have been a better approach than trying to just mash everything into one book. Either of those approaches may have resulted in a more illuminating and cohesive final product and may have better brought to life some of the issues and individuals featured.
So overall, personally I think this book lacked some of the detail, richness, and nuance of much of today’s excellent long-form journalism, and it was diluted by the attempt to be so comprehensive. Nonetheless, big picture: the topic is still so important, and the passion and enthusiasm behind the project are so very evident, and I really cannot nitpick the execution when the content and purpose are so meritable. Should definitely be in library collections, and definitely recommended (and could be a good gift) for anyone involved or interested in the world of ballet and dance.
When Ryan’s book originally appeared back in ‘95 and served up those hard truths about the idealized fantasy worlds of gymnastics and ice skating - some notable reviews whined about how it was such a bummer, so negative, where were the “success stories”? Likewise, I’m sure some readers may find Angyal’s content unpleasant to read about and face up to. I myself can only applaud any effort to throw back the curtain on inequity, injustice, oppression, or exploitation in the arts and in sports alike. That being said, I did find that Angyal’s book reads a bit more like a brisk accounting of varied grievances, with brief mentions of some related change-making initiatives, rather than an in-depth exploration of the frontiers of evolution and growth. This survey or overview approach is totally fine in itself, as the grievances are indeed real and valid, but it doesn’t necessarily quite match up with what is promised in the book’s subtitle.
My only other issue is that, as other reviewers have observed, this 300-page book tackles an awful lot of disparate concerns within the world of ballet (it’s real dysfunctional, y’all) and therefore sometimes comes across as “everything but the kitchen-sink-y.” At its worst, it can feel somewhat scattershot, superficial, or rushed (and, there are still some gaps, as noted in other reviews, which stand out even more given the attempt to cover so much other stuff). I think the book could perhaps have benefitted from deeper focus across fewer areas. Alternatively, a collection of articles or essays may have been a better approach than trying to just mash everything into one book. Either of those approaches may have resulted in a more illuminating and cohesive final product and may have better brought to life some of the issues and individuals featured.
So overall, personally I think this book lacked some of the detail, richness, and nuance of much of today’s excellent long-form journalism, and it was diluted by the attempt to be so comprehensive. Nonetheless, big picture: the topic is still so important, and the passion and enthusiasm behind the project are so very evident, and I really cannot nitpick the execution when the content and purpose are so meritable. Should definitely be in library collections, and definitely recommended (and could be a good gift) for anyone involved or interested in the world of ballet and dance.
June 4, 2021
“If ballet survives, it will be because of the individuals and institutions who are demanding that it do better, who have long loved ballet and are now insisting that it, finally, love them back.”
I loved this book, it made me cry, and I read it in a day.
TURNING POINTE is an in-depth exploration of ballet, “an ecosystem in crisis, made fragile and brittle by years of inequality and rendered dysfunctional by sexism, racism, elitism, and a stubborn disregard for the physical and mental well-being of the dancers who make the art form possible.” Angyal is a dancer, journalist, and sociologist. She brings all those perspectives to bear on this fascinating, heavily reported, unputdownable book. The writing is crisp and incisive, perfectly balancing accessibility and depth. It’s clear from every page how much Angyal loves ballet; it’s equally clear how fundamentally it needs to change lest it become culturally irrelevant.
This book resonated deeply with me. I did a bit of ballet as a kid but was primarily a figure skater. I found myself tabbing and underlining passage after passage that struck me as familiar and gasping with recognition at the areas of overlap: the classism and financial exclusivity; the rigid gender binary; the external bullying and internal elevation of boys; the white supremacy; the rampant perfectionism and mental health struggles; the pervasiveness of training through injuries; the immense burden on parents; the lack of an identity outside skating; and the “hidden curriculum” and unquestioned power of coaches. Angyal identified pathologies that were such a formative part of my upbringing that I wasn’t aware they were ingrained in my psyche.
One thing I found notable about the book is that whiteness is not presented as the default in the way Angyal describes her interview subjects and details the challenges and barriers various dancers face. Relatedly, she doesn't have just a single chapter about ballet's white supremacy issue; instead she weaves in the unique burdens imposed on dancers of color throughout the book as well as going into them in more depth in a standalone chapter. Another fascinating point she made was about the way efforts to defend male dancers against bullying actually reinforce toxic masculinity and homophobia: When people defend male dancers by highlighting their strength and athleticism (or, even worse, their desirable proximity to and rarity among female ballet dancers), they are diminishing or rejecting the boys and men who are drawn to ballet because of its beauty.
If you did ballet growing up or love watching it; if you’re wondering whether to enroll your children; if you care about our foundational stories and who gets to tell them; or if any of the topics that struck me resonate with you too, this book is for you.
I loved this book, it made me cry, and I read it in a day.
TURNING POINTE is an in-depth exploration of ballet, “an ecosystem in crisis, made fragile and brittle by years of inequality and rendered dysfunctional by sexism, racism, elitism, and a stubborn disregard for the physical and mental well-being of the dancers who make the art form possible.” Angyal is a dancer, journalist, and sociologist. She brings all those perspectives to bear on this fascinating, heavily reported, unputdownable book. The writing is crisp and incisive, perfectly balancing accessibility and depth. It’s clear from every page how much Angyal loves ballet; it’s equally clear how fundamentally it needs to change lest it become culturally irrelevant.
This book resonated deeply with me. I did a bit of ballet as a kid but was primarily a figure skater. I found myself tabbing and underlining passage after passage that struck me as familiar and gasping with recognition at the areas of overlap: the classism and financial exclusivity; the rigid gender binary; the external bullying and internal elevation of boys; the white supremacy; the rampant perfectionism and mental health struggles; the pervasiveness of training through injuries; the immense burden on parents; the lack of an identity outside skating; and the “hidden curriculum” and unquestioned power of coaches. Angyal identified pathologies that were such a formative part of my upbringing that I wasn’t aware they were ingrained in my psyche.
One thing I found notable about the book is that whiteness is not presented as the default in the way Angyal describes her interview subjects and details the challenges and barriers various dancers face. Relatedly, she doesn't have just a single chapter about ballet's white supremacy issue; instead she weaves in the unique burdens imposed on dancers of color throughout the book as well as going into them in more depth in a standalone chapter. Another fascinating point she made was about the way efforts to defend male dancers against bullying actually reinforce toxic masculinity and homophobia: When people defend male dancers by highlighting their strength and athleticism (or, even worse, their desirable proximity to and rarity among female ballet dancers), they are diminishing or rejecting the boys and men who are drawn to ballet because of its beauty.
If you did ballet growing up or love watching it; if you’re wondering whether to enroll your children; if you care about our foundational stories and who gets to tell them; or if any of the topics that struck me resonate with you too, this book is for you.
July 3, 2021
My VERY long review of the book:
I know ballet can be cruel. I have known its rejection as a dancer and as an administrator. Yet, I love it. Ballet has filled my soul, inspired me, and brought me ceaseless joy. As a former ballet leader, I am keenly aware of ballet’s problems with diversity, harsh work conditions at small companies, distracted funders, and diminishing audiences. I was very much looking forward to reading Chloe Angyal’s, “Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet from Itself.”
I could not wait to read Angyal’s forthcoming book. In college, inspired by Susan Gordon’s 1983 book “Off Balance,” which documented how dancers were changing the paradigm of paternalistic leadership, I studied American Ballet Theatre’s 1980 lock out its dancers. Curious about how the lock out changed ballet’s labor practices, in the early 90s, I interviewed regional company union representatives. They regaled me with stories about how the lockout’s legacy improved their current contracts and detailed the change in their students who would speak up in ways unimaginable in the 80s. So I was curious what had happened in the subsequent years?
I hoped to learn about the next generation of leaders, “breakthrough” artists who went beyond the traditional ballet “look,” and innovations that welcomed new and diverse artists and audiences. I knew of up-and-coming BIPOC dance leaders such as Aesha Ash, Tommie-Waheed Evans, David Mack, Abdo Sayegh-Rodriguez, DanceUSA’s new president Kellee Edusei, and Kyle Abraham. I expected to read about other new leaders and their work to expand ballet’s audience. I expected to hear more about The Washington Ballet’s principal dancer Nardia Boodoo’s strategies for creating a more welcoming environment. I wanted to learn about which companies had the best incubators for new, audience-engaging work from a diverse group of choreographers. I was hoping to learn of work that would grow the field.
However, that is not what Angyal’s book is about. Instead, her book is a diatribe against ballet’s sins. She builds her argument through limited interviews with just a scattering of artistic directors, few dancers, and even fewer pre-professional dance school principals. She details the tragically familiar stories of ballet’s decades of prejudice against BIPOC artists and lack of opportunities for women in artistic leadership and choreography.
Most of us who care about ballet know there is so much for which we need to apologize. Those of us in the field know we need change. For decades, too many artistic directors limited who they put on stage. While Angyal accurately depicts how many companies push BIPOC artists away from ballet with archaic rules about dress and hair that rose above microaggressions to blatant and embarrassing incidents, she disappointingly does not present – the subtitle of her book – the leaders who have changed those practices. For example, when Misty Copeland was rising through American Ballet Theatre’s ranks, ABT wisely knew she needed a mentor. They reached beyond the company to help her forge that relationship. Angyal does not include that significant story, or any others that could save ballet.
Other strategies exist to make artists feel seen, supported, and welcome. As the wave of protests over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor roiled streets, one theater artistic director shared in an article he called his artists and said if they needed to “call in black” from work, they were encouraged to do so. He wanted his artists/collaborators to feel safe physically and emotionally. That is the type of support ballet needs to give its BIPOC students and artists. I know ballet leaders who would take such care but they were not interviewed. Instead, Angyal spends chapters talking about things such as the ignorant injustice of smaller companies and schools only providing pink pancake makeup for pointe shoes so BIPOC dancers have to scramble to find their own supplies. She doesn’t research if that is a widespread practice. Such an alienating practice would not be tolerated in any company I know. Documenting and educating about such injustice is vitally important but it one small anecdote of a much larger problem: Ballet needs to evolve with the times if it wants to survive, expands it audience and recruit more diverse artists.
I discussed my disappointment with the book with a few ballet dancers from small companies, and their reaction differed from mine. Unfortunately for some not much had changed from the paternalistic, white world described in Gordon’s 1983 book. Artistic directors still “ghost light” injured dancers, and some teachers still inculcate dancers to silence their voice and only speak with their bodies. For these alienated dancers, the book was a resounding support. They saw it as a significant opportunity to been seen and more importantly, heard. For them, the book was a call to change and hope of saving ballet from itself.
Yet, I think my criticism of Angyal’s book remains valid. Angyal’s journalism lacks evidence. Based on an interview with one doctor, she writes that girls should not study pointe work until age 15. One doctor’s opinion is hardly a peer reviewed fact. Most newsroom editors would demand, at least, a second source. Angyal only records anecdotes and does not document what is common practice or exception.
Angyal also fails to discuss that many of the pitfalls she chronicles exist due to small companies lack of financial resources. While aptly calling on companies to support dancers with greater benefits, mental health counseling, and physical therapy, she fails to mention that the small companies that don’t provide these benefits (most of large ones do) struggle to just make payroll. She never really discusses ballet’s bigger problem, which is its relationship, or lack thereof, with the audience and the resulting lack of sufficient financial resources.
Ballet needs to be saved because it is not populist. It lacks resources because not enough people feel it is vital to their lives. Smaller ballet companies would have more resources to invest in their artists if more people believed ballet was a necessity. However, funding does not appear to interest Angyal. She did not interview any funders who either dropped their sponsorship of the arts or to the ones who remained Both groups of whom would have critical information on how ballet could save itself.
I was once at a Rotary Club meeting where a speaker teared up when talking about the need to raise funds to eradicate polio. A fellow Rotarian turned to me and said, He just made your job [raising funds at a ballet company] more difficult.” I disagreed. There are enough donors to fund the eradication of polio and fund ballet. Ballet simply needs to show it is as relevant to community life as health care. For me, and all lovers of ballet, inspiration and joy are as necessary as health care. Ballet is part of our health care and drives our sense of community.
Unfortunately, those issues and proposed solutions do not exist in Angyal’s book. If we are to save ballet from itself where are the stories of where that work succeeds? Ballet has seen radical changes and created more opportunities for a diverse generation of leaders. Angyal fails to ask Boodoo and the new generation of dancers, the subject of the book, how they see themselves as instruments of change. When they stop dancing, will they be teachers, artistic directors, choreographers? Do they feel those avenues are open to them and are they interested? And if not, why?
Those of us in the field know what needs to change and that there need to be some breaks with the past. Angyal just hints in her book about how ballet’s birth in European Royal Courts has crafted a negative legacy of white monied elitism that needs to change so we can expand the field. We want millions more to revel in ballet’s joy, flight, and inspiration that celebrates human emotion like no other art form.
We need to share solutions and stories of success. We need to work to know how stop microaggressions in our ballet schools, and the world at large, or our stage will never reflect the wonderful, rich diversity of United States society.
In the last chapter, Angyal makes a few suggestions of how ballet should change to catch up with a generation of artists moved by a changing landscape and the articulate plea from “We See You,” written by BIPOC theatre artists. Ballet has moved slower than theatre to change. Angyal’s call for an end to gender-conforming roles is intriguing but that is just a small part of a greater conversation about accessibility, diversity, funding, and most important expanding ballet’s audience.
In defense of Angyal, her book came out too soon. Ballet underwent a radical shift in the past few years with the number of women working as artistic directors almost doubling. Women also now making up 50% of the top administrative jobs. Angyal does not explore how that radical shift has impacted the field. Nor did she did have time to respond to the recent Instagram posts chronicling industry racism by George Sanders, Nicholas Rose, and Felipe Domingos. The posts may have occurred while her book was in final edits. Yet the stories were still there, Angyal also could have talked to current leaders such as Virginia Johnson or Lauren Anderson about their hopes for the future or the ballet artists they mentor.
Instead of Angyal’s book, I turn to the news to see how ballet will save itself through positive change. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s new artistic director Susan Jaffee recently announced a wonderful 21-22 season including titles by seven women! I look at Jaffee and see she could be one of the new leaders who will save ballet.
I know ballet can be cruel. I have known its rejection as a dancer and as an administrator. Yet, I love it. Ballet has filled my soul, inspired me, and brought me ceaseless joy. As a former ballet leader, I am keenly aware of ballet’s problems with diversity, harsh work conditions at small companies, distracted funders, and diminishing audiences. I was very much looking forward to reading Chloe Angyal’s, “Turning Pointe: How a New Generation of Dancers is Saving Ballet from Itself.”
I could not wait to read Angyal’s forthcoming book. In college, inspired by Susan Gordon’s 1983 book “Off Balance,” which documented how dancers were changing the paradigm of paternalistic leadership, I studied American Ballet Theatre’s 1980 lock out its dancers. Curious about how the lock out changed ballet’s labor practices, in the early 90s, I interviewed regional company union representatives. They regaled me with stories about how the lockout’s legacy improved their current contracts and detailed the change in their students who would speak up in ways unimaginable in the 80s. So I was curious what had happened in the subsequent years?
I hoped to learn about the next generation of leaders, “breakthrough” artists who went beyond the traditional ballet “look,” and innovations that welcomed new and diverse artists and audiences. I knew of up-and-coming BIPOC dance leaders such as Aesha Ash, Tommie-Waheed Evans, David Mack, Abdo Sayegh-Rodriguez, DanceUSA’s new president Kellee Edusei, and Kyle Abraham. I expected to read about other new leaders and their work to expand ballet’s audience. I expected to hear more about The Washington Ballet’s principal dancer Nardia Boodoo’s strategies for creating a more welcoming environment. I wanted to learn about which companies had the best incubators for new, audience-engaging work from a diverse group of choreographers. I was hoping to learn of work that would grow the field.
However, that is not what Angyal’s book is about. Instead, her book is a diatribe against ballet’s sins. She builds her argument through limited interviews with just a scattering of artistic directors, few dancers, and even fewer pre-professional dance school principals. She details the tragically familiar stories of ballet’s decades of prejudice against BIPOC artists and lack of opportunities for women in artistic leadership and choreography.
Most of us who care about ballet know there is so much for which we need to apologize. Those of us in the field know we need change. For decades, too many artistic directors limited who they put on stage. While Angyal accurately depicts how many companies push BIPOC artists away from ballet with archaic rules about dress and hair that rose above microaggressions to blatant and embarrassing incidents, she disappointingly does not present – the subtitle of her book – the leaders who have changed those practices. For example, when Misty Copeland was rising through American Ballet Theatre’s ranks, ABT wisely knew she needed a mentor. They reached beyond the company to help her forge that relationship. Angyal does not include that significant story, or any others that could save ballet.
Other strategies exist to make artists feel seen, supported, and welcome. As the wave of protests over the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor roiled streets, one theater artistic director shared in an article he called his artists and said if they needed to “call in black” from work, they were encouraged to do so. He wanted his artists/collaborators to feel safe physically and emotionally. That is the type of support ballet needs to give its BIPOC students and artists. I know ballet leaders who would take such care but they were not interviewed. Instead, Angyal spends chapters talking about things such as the ignorant injustice of smaller companies and schools only providing pink pancake makeup for pointe shoes so BIPOC dancers have to scramble to find their own supplies. She doesn’t research if that is a widespread practice. Such an alienating practice would not be tolerated in any company I know. Documenting and educating about such injustice is vitally important but it one small anecdote of a much larger problem: Ballet needs to evolve with the times if it wants to survive, expands it audience and recruit more diverse artists.
I discussed my disappointment with the book with a few ballet dancers from small companies, and their reaction differed from mine. Unfortunately for some not much had changed from the paternalistic, white world described in Gordon’s 1983 book. Artistic directors still “ghost light” injured dancers, and some teachers still inculcate dancers to silence their voice and only speak with their bodies. For these alienated dancers, the book was a resounding support. They saw it as a significant opportunity to been seen and more importantly, heard. For them, the book was a call to change and hope of saving ballet from itself.
Yet, I think my criticism of Angyal’s book remains valid. Angyal’s journalism lacks evidence. Based on an interview with one doctor, she writes that girls should not study pointe work until age 15. One doctor’s opinion is hardly a peer reviewed fact. Most newsroom editors would demand, at least, a second source. Angyal only records anecdotes and does not document what is common practice or exception.
Angyal also fails to discuss that many of the pitfalls she chronicles exist due to small companies lack of financial resources. While aptly calling on companies to support dancers with greater benefits, mental health counseling, and physical therapy, she fails to mention that the small companies that don’t provide these benefits (most of large ones do) struggle to just make payroll. She never really discusses ballet’s bigger problem, which is its relationship, or lack thereof, with the audience and the resulting lack of sufficient financial resources.
Ballet needs to be saved because it is not populist. It lacks resources because not enough people feel it is vital to their lives. Smaller ballet companies would have more resources to invest in their artists if more people believed ballet was a necessity. However, funding does not appear to interest Angyal. She did not interview any funders who either dropped their sponsorship of the arts or to the ones who remained Both groups of whom would have critical information on how ballet could save itself.
I was once at a Rotary Club meeting where a speaker teared up when talking about the need to raise funds to eradicate polio. A fellow Rotarian turned to me and said, He just made your job [raising funds at a ballet company] more difficult.” I disagreed. There are enough donors to fund the eradication of polio and fund ballet. Ballet simply needs to show it is as relevant to community life as health care. For me, and all lovers of ballet, inspiration and joy are as necessary as health care. Ballet is part of our health care and drives our sense of community.
Unfortunately, those issues and proposed solutions do not exist in Angyal’s book. If we are to save ballet from itself where are the stories of where that work succeeds? Ballet has seen radical changes and created more opportunities for a diverse generation of leaders. Angyal fails to ask Boodoo and the new generation of dancers, the subject of the book, how they see themselves as instruments of change. When they stop dancing, will they be teachers, artistic directors, choreographers? Do they feel those avenues are open to them and are they interested? And if not, why?
Those of us in the field know what needs to change and that there need to be some breaks with the past. Angyal just hints in her book about how ballet’s birth in European Royal Courts has crafted a negative legacy of white monied elitism that needs to change so we can expand the field. We want millions more to revel in ballet’s joy, flight, and inspiration that celebrates human emotion like no other art form.
We need to share solutions and stories of success. We need to work to know how stop microaggressions in our ballet schools, and the world at large, or our stage will never reflect the wonderful, rich diversity of United States society.
In the last chapter, Angyal makes a few suggestions of how ballet should change to catch up with a generation of artists moved by a changing landscape and the articulate plea from “We See You,” written by BIPOC theatre artists. Ballet has moved slower than theatre to change. Angyal’s call for an end to gender-conforming roles is intriguing but that is just a small part of a greater conversation about accessibility, diversity, funding, and most important expanding ballet’s audience.
In defense of Angyal, her book came out too soon. Ballet underwent a radical shift in the past few years with the number of women working as artistic directors almost doubling. Women also now making up 50% of the top administrative jobs. Angyal does not explore how that radical shift has impacted the field. Nor did she did have time to respond to the recent Instagram posts chronicling industry racism by George Sanders, Nicholas Rose, and Felipe Domingos. The posts may have occurred while her book was in final edits. Yet the stories were still there, Angyal also could have talked to current leaders such as Virginia Johnson or Lauren Anderson about their hopes for the future or the ballet artists they mentor.
Instead of Angyal’s book, I turn to the news to see how ballet will save itself through positive change. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s new artistic director Susan Jaffee recently announced a wonderful 21-22 season including titles by seven women! I look at Jaffee and see she could be one of the new leaders who will save ballet.
December 30, 2020
Trigger Warnings: Racism, mentions and specific detail of sexual assault, abuse (mental, emotional, and physical), injury, sexism, mentions of depression and suicide, mentions of death, mentions of COVID-19
I firmly believe that this book should be required reading for anyone who loves dance/ballet as well as anyone who is a dancer/balerina.
Full review to come
I firmly believe that this book should be required reading for anyone who loves dance/ballet as well as anyone who is a dancer/balerina.
Full review to come
August 20, 2021
I don’t know much about ballet. I took classes for like two years when I was in elementary school but I didn’t keep with it. Ballet, like gymnastics and figure skating, are sports and artforms that I think are so beautiful and fascinating because of how physically demanding they are while attempting to look effortless and graceful. I thought that this book was an excellent look into the world of ballet and the problems that it currently has.
The book felt completely accessible to me as an outsider. Of course there were terms I didn’t fully understand or references to names that didn’t mean much to me. But for the most part I think that Chloe Angyal explained things in a way that were easy to follow. The book celebrates how wonderful ballet can be and how it is a way for dancers to feel like they’re fully expressing themselves. But the main point of the book is looking at the issues that ballet has currently and how they need to change and improve in order to survive long term.
The inequality in the treatment of men and women, racism, the rigid binary between how men and women are supposed to dance, the emphasis on thinness, the physical dangers of ballet, the high costs, and sexual harassment are all topics that are covered within the book. While there is an emphasis on pointing out problems, I think that the author does a good job at highlighting people who are working to make changes and have a more inclusive and safe world of ballet.
I was fully captivated by this book and ended up reading it within one day. There were multiple moments throughout reading it that had me tearing up. I definitely recommend checking this one out if it sounds interesting to you, even if you aren’t at all involved with ballet.
The book felt completely accessible to me as an outsider. Of course there were terms I didn’t fully understand or references to names that didn’t mean much to me. But for the most part I think that Chloe Angyal explained things in a way that were easy to follow. The book celebrates how wonderful ballet can be and how it is a way for dancers to feel like they’re fully expressing themselves. But the main point of the book is looking at the issues that ballet has currently and how they need to change and improve in order to survive long term.
The inequality in the treatment of men and women, racism, the rigid binary between how men and women are supposed to dance, the emphasis on thinness, the physical dangers of ballet, the high costs, and sexual harassment are all topics that are covered within the book. While there is an emphasis on pointing out problems, I think that the author does a good job at highlighting people who are working to make changes and have a more inclusive and safe world of ballet.
I was fully captivated by this book and ended up reading it within one day. There were multiple moments throughout reading it that had me tearing up. I definitely recommend checking this one out if it sounds interesting to you, even if you aren’t at all involved with ballet.
September 28, 2021
I pity people, that are interested in ballet and reading this book. This book paints dark picture on something that is ethereal and brings joy to performers and audience. I can picture modernized Giselle riding the motorcycle and running over prince Albert in order to prove her female worthiness, but it would not be Giselle, just some other story. Giselle is about love and forgiveness, not about feminist strike.
As to not allowed to speak in class - where is a student allowed to speak in class while teacher explains? It’s just respectful. I personally don’t like chatting in class, it is distracting and steals time from the study. If one is not concentrating on the movement in class, this is wasted time.
Quote: “slumping is frowned upon in ballet class, even between exercises. It’s an expectation of patrician carriage…” what? Of course slumping is not welcome. It is working on one’s habits, if not slumping in class, no slumping on stage and in life. old ballerinas have perfect posture. Why would anyone want to watch slumping ballet dancer on stage?
It looks like the book is compiled to allude to current society trends. Was it relevant few years back? Would it be relevant in a few years?
As any huge institution, ballet has its problems and dark alleys, but it also holds traditions and hard work. Ballet dancer is not only a dancer, also an artist, a musician, an athlete. Who said it should be easy?
As to not allowed to speak in class - where is a student allowed to speak in class while teacher explains? It’s just respectful. I personally don’t like chatting in class, it is distracting and steals time from the study. If one is not concentrating on the movement in class, this is wasted time.
Quote: “slumping is frowned upon in ballet class, even between exercises. It’s an expectation of patrician carriage…” what? Of course slumping is not welcome. It is working on one’s habits, if not slumping in class, no slumping on stage and in life. old ballerinas have perfect posture. Why would anyone want to watch slumping ballet dancer on stage?
It looks like the book is compiled to allude to current society trends. Was it relevant few years back? Would it be relevant in a few years?
As any huge institution, ballet has its problems and dark alleys, but it also holds traditions and hard work. Ballet dancer is not only a dancer, also an artist, a musician, an athlete. Who said it should be easy?
April 24, 2021
Not quite a 5 star.
Turning Pointe reminded me very much of a book I read in junior high - Off Balance: The Real World of Ballet by Suzanne Gordon - that was very much an expose about the toxicity of the ballet world (since it came in the wake of Gelsey Kirkland's Dancing on My Grave and was more a work of investigative journalism than memoir, I don't think it hit quite as big as it should have). Angyal's new book about ballet in the 21st century, and what we need to do to make the art form relevant, more inclusive, and less-likely to do permanent damage to young bodies and minds both updates Gordon's work and expands it. It is very well-researched, with a lot of interviews with working dancers, teachers, administrators and with some who have left the profession. She covers a lot of subjects including racism, classism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault/abuse, psychological abuse, body dysphoria/eating disorders (all the trigger warnings for this book, although it is all handled sensitively, I think).
I think Angyal perhaps tried to cover too much in this book. I feel like she could have pushed deeper on a number of subjects. This may have been due to having to research and finish a book during a global pandemic, which obviously curtailed planned research trips and also added new subjects to the book. But it does feel like this book is the tip of an iceberg, that a book could be written for each chapter to deconstruct some of these very entrenched institutional constructs of "how" ballet and ballet dancers should exist. This is necessary reading for all dancers and dance parents.
And as a former dancer, who started at age 3 and danced until finally stopping at 34, even though I never danced professionally I saw versions of many scenarios recounted in this book. I love ballet, I would have continued taking daily class until I died (thanks, arthritis, you're not welcome), but we as dancers and ballet-lovers really need to demand change or the art form will make itself obsolete.
Turning Pointe reminded me very much of a book I read in junior high - Off Balance: The Real World of Ballet by Suzanne Gordon - that was very much an expose about the toxicity of the ballet world (since it came in the wake of Gelsey Kirkland's Dancing on My Grave and was more a work of investigative journalism than memoir, I don't think it hit quite as big as it should have). Angyal's new book about ballet in the 21st century, and what we need to do to make the art form relevant, more inclusive, and less-likely to do permanent damage to young bodies and minds both updates Gordon's work and expands it. It is very well-researched, with a lot of interviews with working dancers, teachers, administrators and with some who have left the profession. She covers a lot of subjects including racism, classism, sexism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, sexual assault/abuse, psychological abuse, body dysphoria/eating disorders (all the trigger warnings for this book, although it is all handled sensitively, I think).
I think Angyal perhaps tried to cover too much in this book. I feel like she could have pushed deeper on a number of subjects. This may have been due to having to research and finish a book during a global pandemic, which obviously curtailed planned research trips and also added new subjects to the book. But it does feel like this book is the tip of an iceberg, that a book could be written for each chapter to deconstruct some of these very entrenched institutional constructs of "how" ballet and ballet dancers should exist. This is necessary reading for all dancers and dance parents.
And as a former dancer, who started at age 3 and danced until finally stopping at 34, even though I never danced professionally I saw versions of many scenarios recounted in this book. I love ballet, I would have continued taking daily class until I died (thanks, arthritis, you're not welcome), but we as dancers and ballet-lovers really need to demand change or the art form will make itself obsolete.
June 27, 2021
This was such a fascinating read, and I really enjoyed it. Like many other little girls, I took ballet for a few years in elementary school, and I remember being keenly aware, at my second ballet studio, that I was the “fattest” 9-year-old in class—aka my collarbones and hipbones didn’t stick out because I was a “normal” little girl who still had “baby fat” and enjoyed nourishing my body (and I hadn’t yet adopted my later disordered eating habits but that’s a different story entirely 🙃).
The structure of this book was so well done, with excellent reporting and writing. I also really liked all of the dancer interviews woven throughout the book. None of the chapters were particularly shocking, they just kind of affirmed what I already knew as a casual/peripheral ballet fan. I particularly liked Chapter 5 (The Unbearable Whiteness of Ballet) and Chapter 6 (Dance Like a Man). I think the discussion of a) treatment of people of color in the ballet world and b) boys being more highly prized in ballet because there are less of them available, were both really well done and I learned a lot. The conclusion, and laying out exactly what and how ballet should change to move forward in the 21st century, left me hopeful that it *could* be done. Hopefully post-COVID causes more of a reckoning, or enough of one, so that things don’t snap back to normal etc. It would be amazing to see even some of the change that Chloe lists in the conclusion—I think not allowing dancers on pointe before age 15 to lessen the trauma on an immature skeleton would be game changing.
Very excited to dive into the bibliography at the back—there were a bunch of books Chloe referenced throughout that I was like OOOOHH I wanna read!!
ALSO: she mentions Cathy Marston’s adaptation of Jane Eyre at the ABT in 2019. I SAW THAT SHOW!!!! With Misty Copeland and she was absolutely magnificent. I do miss live theater and dance. Can’t wait to go back to the theater eventually!
The structure of this book was so well done, with excellent reporting and writing. I also really liked all of the dancer interviews woven throughout the book. None of the chapters were particularly shocking, they just kind of affirmed what I already knew as a casual/peripheral ballet fan. I particularly liked Chapter 5 (The Unbearable Whiteness of Ballet) and Chapter 6 (Dance Like a Man). I think the discussion of a) treatment of people of color in the ballet world and b) boys being more highly prized in ballet because there are less of them available, were both really well done and I learned a lot. The conclusion, and laying out exactly what and how ballet should change to move forward in the 21st century, left me hopeful that it *could* be done. Hopefully post-COVID causes more of a reckoning, or enough of one, so that things don’t snap back to normal etc. It would be amazing to see even some of the change that Chloe lists in the conclusion—I think not allowing dancers on pointe before age 15 to lessen the trauma on an immature skeleton would be game changing.
Very excited to dive into the bibliography at the back—there were a bunch of books Chloe referenced throughout that I was like OOOOHH I wanna read!!
ALSO: she mentions Cathy Marston’s adaptation of Jane Eyre at the ABT in 2019. I SAW THAT SHOW!!!! With Misty Copeland and she was absolutely magnificent. I do miss live theater and dance. Can’t wait to go back to the theater eventually!
November 18, 2021
I possibly have been waiting for this book since the moment I stepped into my first ballet class. What Chloe does here is absolutely breathtaking -- her reporting, her sincerity, her attention to detail, and her deep abiding love for ballet shine through, while reckoning with all the ways ballet has failed and continues to fail the people who love it most. Chloe (and the stories of other dancers) helped me articulate what I have for so long been unable to name -- the way ballet's presence in my life was intricately intertwined with years of body dysmorphia, undiagnosed endometriosis, chronic pelvic floor dysfunction, and all kinds of ingrained ideas of what it meant to inhabit a certain kind of body, to accept authority without question, endure "weird but normal" scenarios, and to ignore discomfort and pain at the expense of my own well-being. This book belongs in the hands of every dancer, dance teacher, dance parent, dance enthusiast, theater-goer, and human being. It will live well-worn on my shelf for a lifetime.
February 13, 2022
Although I think the book does bring up a lot of good points about ballet/being a professional dancer, I actually feel like the author mostly interviewed dancers who are in some of the highest ranking companies. Even though a lot is still structurally wrong at the top companies, these dancers receive benefits such as health insurance. The author makes it sound as well as through low paying dance jobs make around $40,000+ a year when in reality most dancers I know make WAY less than that from their dance jobs. This book is a good read to evaluate structural issues in ballet, but I think still sugar coats some of the experiences dancers go through by only talking about dancers who may be in the best dance environments (still many issues in these environments). The author also never was a professional dancer in any capacity, but did interview countless dancers. However, I do feel like some of the information was not accurate, at least for my personal experience in dance. I do full heartedly agree though that ballet has got to progress and change in many ways.
April 15, 2021
As Angyal said in a recent interview with Dance Magazine, Turning Pointe is about “everything wrong with ballet and how we can fix it.”
Angyal frames ballet as both a product and reflection of our society. She breaks down how issues of gender, race, class, and wellness (both mental and physical) manifest and intersect at all levels of ballet—from the experiences of students and professional dancers through parents, artistic directors, and choreographers. Angyal explores with a sociologist’s lens, combining interviews, statistics, historical references, and some anecdotes from her personal experiences as a student and patron of ballet.
Angyal’s passion and respect for ballet are apparent throughout. While critical of ballet’s entrenched problems, Angyal seems hopeful that ballet can evolve. Moreover, she introduces the reader to some of the people at the helm of ballet's evolution. I learned a lot while reading and regularly used Angyal’s footnotes to look up YouTube videos of the dances she references. Turning Pointe left me curious and excited about what comes next for ballet.
Readers will find parallels to the questions faced within ballet in other areas and disciplines. For example, is it possible to create a meaningful adaptation of a classic story with racist or sexist elements, and is it worth trying? Who tells the stories? At what cost? Who is remembered as legendary? Who is left out of the narrative?
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Type Books for providing me with an advance copy of the ebook to read and review.
Angyal frames ballet as both a product and reflection of our society. She breaks down how issues of gender, race, class, and wellness (both mental and physical) manifest and intersect at all levels of ballet—from the experiences of students and professional dancers through parents, artistic directors, and choreographers. Angyal explores with a sociologist’s lens, combining interviews, statistics, historical references, and some anecdotes from her personal experiences as a student and patron of ballet.
Angyal’s passion and respect for ballet are apparent throughout. While critical of ballet’s entrenched problems, Angyal seems hopeful that ballet can evolve. Moreover, she introduces the reader to some of the people at the helm of ballet's evolution. I learned a lot while reading and regularly used Angyal’s footnotes to look up YouTube videos of the dances she references. Turning Pointe left me curious and excited about what comes next for ballet.
Readers will find parallels to the questions faced within ballet in other areas and disciplines. For example, is it possible to create a meaningful adaptation of a classic story with racist or sexist elements, and is it worth trying? Who tells the stories? At what cost? Who is remembered as legendary? Who is left out of the narrative?
Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Type Books for providing me with an advance copy of the ebook to read and review.
May 18, 2021
I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
I thought this book was really well-written, yet still very accessible. It has just enough history to help the reader understand the context of each issue presented, but mainly focused on the present day and where to go from here. I loved the wide range of people and places that were included in this book. It had people from all around the world of various ages, races, and genders. It seemed to me that the author really put in the work to include as many view points as possible, which I appreciated.
While I was never in ballet myself, I had friends who were very involved, and now as a parent I see friends of my family who are involved in this world. This gave me a new perspective. I think it will be especially interesting to see the changes in the next 5 years as dancers return to studios and productions. I do hope there will be some swift changes made, especially in the areas of racial and gender equity.
I also really appreciated the surprise of finding out this author is actually local to me. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
I thought this book was really well-written, yet still very accessible. It has just enough history to help the reader understand the context of each issue presented, but mainly focused on the present day and where to go from here. I loved the wide range of people and places that were included in this book. It had people from all around the world of various ages, races, and genders. It seemed to me that the author really put in the work to include as many view points as possible, which I appreciated.
While I was never in ballet myself, I had friends who were very involved, and now as a parent I see friends of my family who are involved in this world. This gave me a new perspective. I think it will be especially interesting to see the changes in the next 5 years as dancers return to studios and productions. I do hope there will be some swift changes made, especially in the areas of racial and gender equity.
I also really appreciated the surprise of finding out this author is actually local to me. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
May 23, 2021
I was never expecting I'd be trying to hold back tears while sat on a bus reading this book... but here we are. Wow. What a journey this book has been! It covers the racial and gender inequality that is so pervasive in the ballet world, the way dancers' bodies are disposable, how racial stereotypes are still a prominent part of many dance schools' repertory... I could go on. So many dancers give their all (literally - breaking and damaging their bodies) to this form of art and all they get in return is abuse, minimum wage (IF they're lucky) and the expectation that they will blindly obey their teachers' words. I would urge everyone to read this book as it isn't only about ballet but it's a mirror of our society as a whole. There is hope in this book, too, and it's in the hands of the young generation who have clearly had enough. I believe they will be the ones who will transform the archaic ways of the ballet world and take it into the 21st century. They deserve it.
August 17, 2022
this is a must-read for anyone who has ever been part of the ballet world. It discusses the many ways that the ballet world fails it’s dancers and the people who support them and outlines the places where ballet needs to evolve or risk fading out of whatever relevance it still has. The chapters/writing are/is sometimes repetitive but ultimately it was really interesting to hear the perspectives of the people interviewed and validating to see the parts of the ballet world that have hurt me be critiqued
June 19, 2021
Wow! Chloe Angyal's Turning Pointe is a must-read for current and former dancers, dance teachers, and dance parents. As a former dancer myself, I found this extremely cathartic. Angyal synthesizes many of the "weird but normal" experiences I had in ballet as a child, but didn't have the language for or understanding of at the time. If you're like me - an adult just beginning to process the ways ballet culture warped you - then you'll find value in this book. And it's not all negative! Angyal offers a clear and ambitious agenda for what ballet needs to change to survive.
August 27, 2021
This is a nonfiction book, well-researched and interviewed, about the state of ballet in modern day America. Having been written largely in 2020, during the pandemic and the summer of BLM protests gives this book a rather timely perspective as it delves into the problems of racism and sexism and how ballet dancers are treated in today's world of dance. Overall, the book was pretty interesting and doesn't swerve into history too much, though it does pull some from Gelsey Kirkland's autobiography when illulstrating the patterns of sexual harrassment and abuse that still plagues major US ballet companies. The book talks much about gender disparities and the strict standards of binaried gender imposed in ballet, despite being part of the art world that often is inhabited by people of all genders, not just cishet people. Large sections of the book are devoted to the issues of racism in ballet, and lack of diversity in general. The last ouple of chapters foused on how the shuttering of theaters has affected ballet dancers. Overall, the book got repetitive quite a bit, but definitely made its points about how ballet needs to become more inlusive and modern in order to survive in the future. It wasn't necessarily a book I'd recommend to many people, but I do think dance nerds will enjoy it.
May 14, 2021
A fearless, incisive journey into 21st century Ballet. A must read for the dance community.
January 23, 2022
The author does an excellent job of giving a 360 degree view of the challenges of ballet. The chapters on the racial and gender inequities are particularly excellent. She unpacks the parts of ballet that have become its face to illustrate the racial and gender hierarchies imbedded in them, and she provides real life examples of other dancers who are taking ballet in different directions.
She successfully challenges the view that ballet has to be modeled around emaciated, white women. I learned much about the aristocratic origins of ballet and how they influence the dance to this day. Particularly interesting for me, as a workout buff, was how the popular exercise regime, barre, has used the image of the very thin, white, aristocratic, graceful ballerina to sell its brand of exercise.
The author takes the uninitiated through the physical challenges of ballet, the physical stress that it puts on the dancers and the damage it does to them. I was left questioning whether this mode of dance was worth all the physical cost, particularly after learning the poverty wages dancers are paid, the lack of health insurance, and the short careers.
I particularly appreciated the in depth analysis of the working conditions, wages, and benefits that the dancers lack. I was left wondering about the ethics of the situation, given all they put their bodies through and the time and effort that is required to succeed. Their careers end in their 30s and because they had to focus over 100% of their time on ballet, few have other options outside ballet. If they want an option outside ballet, they have to truly start over. There is almost no government support for ballet, meaning that there is very little money to pay the dancers so that they can set themselves up for a life after ballet.
The best part of the book is how it gives the reader the tools to grapple with the ethics of supporting and loving an art form that creates serious hardships for those who create the beauty the audience loves.
She successfully challenges the view that ballet has to be modeled around emaciated, white women. I learned much about the aristocratic origins of ballet and how they influence the dance to this day. Particularly interesting for me, as a workout buff, was how the popular exercise regime, barre, has used the image of the very thin, white, aristocratic, graceful ballerina to sell its brand of exercise.
The author takes the uninitiated through the physical challenges of ballet, the physical stress that it puts on the dancers and the damage it does to them. I was left questioning whether this mode of dance was worth all the physical cost, particularly after learning the poverty wages dancers are paid, the lack of health insurance, and the short careers.
I particularly appreciated the in depth analysis of the working conditions, wages, and benefits that the dancers lack. I was left wondering about the ethics of the situation, given all they put their bodies through and the time and effort that is required to succeed. Their careers end in their 30s and because they had to focus over 100% of their time on ballet, few have other options outside ballet. If they want an option outside ballet, they have to truly start over. There is almost no government support for ballet, meaning that there is very little money to pay the dancers so that they can set themselves up for a life after ballet.
The best part of the book is how it gives the reader the tools to grapple with the ethics of supporting and loving an art form that creates serious hardships for those who create the beauty the audience loves.
May 19, 2022
As a ballet dancer who danced and trained professionally for many many years (over 25) I can tell you this book is 100% accurate. I think it was a little soft on some of the issues and there is way more that could be told but overall it was spot on
August 3, 2021
3.5 stars
August 16, 2023
Outstanding. This book is so necessary and important, and, to my knowledge, there really isn’t anything else like it. Angyal provides a good summary of the many issues and injustices in ballet, and she explicitly discusses what needs to change, and in some instances, how. As the first book of its kind, it probably does cover a bit too much ground, but I hope this will be the catalyst for a much deeper dive into some of these issues and injustices. I have seen some extremely narrow-minded reviews that to me suggest that the reviewer (1) didn’t actually read the book and/or (2) feels threatened by anyone trying to challenge the status quo. Reeks of bigotry to me. Ballet can change, and it has to. And those of us who find ballet to be magical and transcendent deserve that change, because I can tell you right now that, as it stands, there is no way I would let a child of mine take classes, which is so very sad. I honestly hadn’t quite realized that I was in an abusive relationship with an art form; I knew it ultimately made me unwell (which is why I finally quit in college), but wowza! While 5 stars is generous, I think the importance of this book warrants it.
August 24, 2023
4.0 stars.
I told myself that my trip to Ireland would be a break from dance, because I was starting to get obsessive and jumpy and it wasn't good for me. Lo and behold, I couldn't be normal and I ended up reading about dance. Still, I don't regret it.
This book was really interesting and enlightening in a lot of ways. It put into words what I have noticed about a lot of dance, specifically ballet. I am not in the world of professional ballet, but I have spent over a decade in the world of competitive dance and I have seen many of these, especially the coddling and babying of male dancers in an effort to keep them in onstage. I have also noticed the racial issues in dance, but in terms of injury and male choreographic directors I have seen less of that, presumably because they are more specific to the world of pro ballet. I think this book haas its finger on the pulse on a lot of what is happening in dance today, and I think it is really important that we talk about it. My only qualm about it is that it is a little bit broad and abstract. It covers everything from race to gender to body image to mental illness in dance, and it is doing a lot in a fairly condensed account. I wish it could dig a little further into these issues, and do a deep account of a a couple of things, rather than cover them all broadly. However, I do get them impulse because they are all relatively intersecting, and that is something that the book touches on that I appreciate. Overall, a solid primer on some of the issues plaguing dance at the current time.
I told myself that my trip to Ireland would be a break from dance, because I was starting to get obsessive and jumpy and it wasn't good for me. Lo and behold, I couldn't be normal and I ended up reading about dance. Still, I don't regret it.
This book was really interesting and enlightening in a lot of ways. It put into words what I have noticed about a lot of dance, specifically ballet. I am not in the world of professional ballet, but I have spent over a decade in the world of competitive dance and I have seen many of these, especially the coddling and babying of male dancers in an effort to keep them in onstage. I have also noticed the racial issues in dance, but in terms of injury and male choreographic directors I have seen less of that, presumably because they are more specific to the world of pro ballet. I think this book haas its finger on the pulse on a lot of what is happening in dance today, and I think it is really important that we talk about it. My only qualm about it is that it is a little bit broad and abstract. It covers everything from race to gender to body image to mental illness in dance, and it is doing a lot in a fairly condensed account. I wish it could dig a little further into these issues, and do a deep account of a a couple of things, rather than cover them all broadly. However, I do get them impulse because they are all relatively intersecting, and that is something that the book touches on that I appreciate. Overall, a solid primer on some of the issues plaguing dance at the current time.
December 7, 2022
Absolutely loved the content of this book. There are so many issues with classical ballet as an organization that are outlined here in no uncertain detail. SO MANY things in ballet are done just because “they’ve always been that way” and it’s nice to see them called out by people who are doing so because they love the art form and want it to continue. It was cool to see ballet from a series of different lenses that I hadn’t considered before, as both a dancer and audience member. I particularly enjoyed the chapters exploring race and gender identity in ballet and the one about “ballet moms” also hit home. Ultimately I highlighted way too much in this book (read them here if you want) and there were so many pieces that resonated with me.
However as much as I loved the overall themes and ideas shared here, I can’t help but feel this book could have used one more round of edits. It was pretty repetitive at times and sort of jumped all over the place. It felt like the pieces were put together out of order so some ideas were introduced more than once, and they didn’t always seem to fit. I also sort of felt like it couldn’t decide which tone it was going for in terms of who the expected reader would be. In some places, ballet terms are explained in detail for the uninitiated, but in other places there are references made to shows, steps and other ballet tingz that the average person would be clueless about.
The entire last chapter about the effects of covid on various dancers was also really interesting to me… I’m sure it felt timely and topical when this was published and it’s kinda weird to read it now knowing that I can go look at these dancers’ Instagrams and see how things turned out (and trust that I did). In some ways it felt inspiring now, because in real time I can see that ballet bounced back and we’re doing ok in a semi-post-covid world. But I’m really glad I didn’t read this at the height of the pandemic when we thought we would never get to go to live shows again because it probably would have sent me spiraling lmao
In the end this book made me feel very grateful to have returned to ballet as an adult with a new outlook and mindset than when I was young. I understand now how to be critical of something that I love because I love it and want it to be better. And it really feels like some positive changes are happening, even if it takes a while or people are resistant, and I’m hopeful for what’s to come. Reading this also made me feel SO happy and grateful to dance at a studio that has been so non-judgmental and welcoming. My experience coming back to ballet has been even more positive than it was as a kid and I’m just so SO happy to be doing something I love again. I also feel really lucky to have a local professional ballet company that celebrates diversity in terms of dancers, choreographers and shows more than a LOT of companies out there.
And also I have to note that I came out of this book with MANY new books, films, and Instagram follows. I literally screenshotted the references page so I could go look everything up later lol
I did not anticipate writing this much lol but overall I really enjoyed this book. Not sure I would recommend it to everybody, but I think anyone with a vested interest in ballet in a modern setting would get a lot out of the read like I did.
However as much as I loved the overall themes and ideas shared here, I can’t help but feel this book could have used one more round of edits. It was pretty repetitive at times and sort of jumped all over the place. It felt like the pieces were put together out of order so some ideas were introduced more than once, and they didn’t always seem to fit. I also sort of felt like it couldn’t decide which tone it was going for in terms of who the expected reader would be. In some places, ballet terms are explained in detail for the uninitiated, but in other places there are references made to shows, steps and other ballet tingz that the average person would be clueless about.
The entire last chapter about the effects of covid on various dancers was also really interesting to me… I’m sure it felt timely and topical when this was published and it’s kinda weird to read it now knowing that I can go look at these dancers’ Instagrams and see how things turned out (and trust that I did). In some ways it felt inspiring now, because in real time I can see that ballet bounced back and we’re doing ok in a semi-post-covid world. But I’m really glad I didn’t read this at the height of the pandemic when we thought we would never get to go to live shows again because it probably would have sent me spiraling lmao
In the end this book made me feel very grateful to have returned to ballet as an adult with a new outlook and mindset than when I was young. I understand now how to be critical of something that I love because I love it and want it to be better. And it really feels like some positive changes are happening, even if it takes a while or people are resistant, and I’m hopeful for what’s to come. Reading this also made me feel SO happy and grateful to dance at a studio that has been so non-judgmental and welcoming. My experience coming back to ballet has been even more positive than it was as a kid and I’m just so SO happy to be doing something I love again. I also feel really lucky to have a local professional ballet company that celebrates diversity in terms of dancers, choreographers and shows more than a LOT of companies out there.
And also I have to note that I came out of this book with MANY new books, films, and Instagram follows. I literally screenshotted the references page so I could go look everything up later lol
I did not anticipate writing this much lol but overall I really enjoyed this book. Not sure I would recommend it to everybody, but I think anyone with a vested interest in ballet in a modern setting would get a lot out of the read like I did.
June 24, 2021
“Ballet, like the larger society in which it sits, finds itself at a turning point: Will it remain mired in its old traditions and entrenched prejudices, or will it remake itself into something less broken and more beautiful?”
This meticulously researched book carefully and explicitly outlines the deeply concerning characteristics of the current dance world: where we are, how did we get here, and most importantly what’s next.
Triggers abound: physical and mental abuse, racism, misogyny, and gender bias are among the many. This literal behind-the-curtain account unapologetically presents the reader with an acute understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in the effort to present an audience with a seemingly effortless presentation of grace, beauty and artistry.
Perhaps the most fascinating stories involve how two events, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the pandemic have changed the world dance inhabits. And the final chapter “Conclusion: How Ballet Survives” had this reader feeling unexpectedly hopeful.
“But a new generation is rising, it is accustomed to repairing the failures of previous generations, and it is ready for the work.”
This meticulously researched book carefully and explicitly outlines the deeply concerning characteristics of the current dance world: where we are, how did we get here, and most importantly what’s next.
Triggers abound: physical and mental abuse, racism, misogyny, and gender bias are among the many. This literal behind-the-curtain account unapologetically presents the reader with an acute understanding of what goes on behind the scenes in the effort to present an audience with a seemingly effortless presentation of grace, beauty and artistry.
Perhaps the most fascinating stories involve how two events, the Black Lives Matter Movement and the pandemic have changed the world dance inhabits. And the final chapter “Conclusion: How Ballet Survives” had this reader feeling unexpectedly hopeful.
“But a new generation is rising, it is accustomed to repairing the failures of previous generations, and it is ready for the work.”
March 26, 2021
So glad to hear I wasn't the only one who requested this book thinking it was something else. I originally requested this thinking it was a Art/Photography book and I would be looking at mesmerizing poses of dancer doing amazing things with their bodies. Even though that wasn't what I got, I will say this book was surprisingly good, and unexpectedly relevant.
I myself grew up in the ballet world, well sort of. My mom put me classes when I was little. Enrolled at Ann Parsley School of Dance, home of the Macomb Ballet Company in Michigan, where we studied and trained under the cecchetti method. Once I was older I danced 5 to 6 days a week, multiple classes a night across multiple genres. I went to dance camp every summer, had dance recitals with lightening speed quick changes where I was stripped down in front of strangers only to be shoved back on stage, continued to study, train, and even take my examinations with the Cecchetti Council of America and I loved every minute of it. That was until my mom pulled me from my classes, later to find out that my instructor told my mother that my boobs were too big, my hips too wide, and that although talented I would never amount to anything dance related because I didn't have the right body type. Honestly, I never wanted to be a dancer and I just loved to dance, but for a teacher to point out something like that on a child who at the time was only 13, I was being body shamed before I even knew what it was. I'm 42 now and have been a constant critic of my body ever since.
This book addresses the many problems and controversies that revolve around the dance community from racism to sexism not to mention the mental, physical, and emotional effects it can cause. Something as a child dancer I can relate too. I felt lucky enough that I had a mother who saw how toxic this world can be, but unfortunately it still obviously left a mark, and brought up a few memories. This book addresses so many issues and brings to light how the ballet world is perceived and how much the culture of dance world needs to change in order for it to be more healthy. So although I initially thought I would be looking at the beauty of ballet, I relived the much uglier version of it, and having a much more rewarding reading experience because if it. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of Perseus Books, PublicAffairs, Bold Type Books, and of course the author Chloe Angya. I hope this book brings success to you as well as the necessary change to the ballet world that I am all to familiar with and the damage it can cause.
I myself grew up in the ballet world, well sort of. My mom put me classes when I was little. Enrolled at Ann Parsley School of Dance, home of the Macomb Ballet Company in Michigan, where we studied and trained under the cecchetti method. Once I was older I danced 5 to 6 days a week, multiple classes a night across multiple genres. I went to dance camp every summer, had dance recitals with lightening speed quick changes where I was stripped down in front of strangers only to be shoved back on stage, continued to study, train, and even take my examinations with the Cecchetti Council of America and I loved every minute of it. That was until my mom pulled me from my classes, later to find out that my instructor told my mother that my boobs were too big, my hips too wide, and that although talented I would never amount to anything dance related because I didn't have the right body type. Honestly, I never wanted to be a dancer and I just loved to dance, but for a teacher to point out something like that on a child who at the time was only 13, I was being body shamed before I even knew what it was. I'm 42 now and have been a constant critic of my body ever since.
This book addresses the many problems and controversies that revolve around the dance community from racism to sexism not to mention the mental, physical, and emotional effects it can cause. Something as a child dancer I can relate too. I felt lucky enough that I had a mother who saw how toxic this world can be, but unfortunately it still obviously left a mark, and brought up a few memories. This book addresses so many issues and brings to light how the ballet world is perceived and how much the culture of dance world needs to change in order for it to be more healthy. So although I initially thought I would be looking at the beauty of ballet, I relived the much uglier version of it, and having a much more rewarding reading experience because if it. A huge thank you to NetGalley and the publishers of Perseus Books, PublicAffairs, Bold Type Books, and of course the author Chloe Angya. I hope this book brings success to you as well as the necessary change to the ballet world that I am all to familiar with and the damage it can cause.
March 16, 2022
Dancing is an act of connection—to music, to community, to history, to an audience, to one’s own body. To dance is to affirm our humanity, to take up space, to revel in our own beauty and power. In moments of crisis—be they political, ecological, or epidemiological—acts of humanity and beauty are previous, essential, life-affirming. Ballet is sometimes described as an ephemeral art, a creation that vanishes as soon as it appears. But the harm it can do, as well as the enormous good, will endure. (266)Thoughtful look at ballet in its current form—something of a history of now, a story of race and gender and power and, more often than the dance world would like to admit, abuse. In particular, some of the things Angyal says about how hostile the classical dance world can be to POC are on point(e), and of course the discussion about some of the more recent...I'm not sure if 'scandals' is the right word, but public exposures of terrible treatment within major dance companies. And better: how and where things are starting to change.
I've waited too long to review this and am starting to conflate it in my mind with Hurts So Good (also talks a bit about ballet, but they're otherwise verrrry different books), so I'll leave that here.
January 6, 2023
My first ballet teacher was a remnant of Diaghilev's Ballet Russes.
I worked at New York City Ballet.
I tiptoed around Balanchine backstage.
Angyal says her book isn't a history book. There's TONS of history in it. No chapter is without. The rest of it is whining. To me, it was proof positive that this writer interviewed three or four dancers and then kept bringing them up and referring to them at widely spaced intervals to make it seem as though she'd done a lot more.
The same old complaints and problems every physically demanding and physically exclusive profession has are rehashed again and again and again. It's like Angyal is a student tasked with turning in an essay and has to pad it out to reach the number of words assigned to the task.
And a side note: if you're going to proclaim your pronoun is "they," shouldn't you refer to yourself as "we" ? Doesn't "I" reinforce your singularity rather than your plurality? Ballet doesn't care what your pronouns are. Ballet only cares about your talent, or lack thereof.
Anyway, in the end I just wanted to say to Angyal: SDASTFU
I worked at New York City Ballet.
I tiptoed around Balanchine backstage.
Angyal says her book isn't a history book. There's TONS of history in it. No chapter is without. The rest of it is whining. To me, it was proof positive that this writer interviewed three or four dancers and then kept bringing them up and referring to them at widely spaced intervals to make it seem as though she'd done a lot more.
The same old complaints and problems every physically demanding and physically exclusive profession has are rehashed again and again and again. It's like Angyal is a student tasked with turning in an essay and has to pad it out to reach the number of words assigned to the task.
And a side note: if you're going to proclaim your pronoun is "they," shouldn't you refer to yourself as "we" ? Doesn't "I" reinforce your singularity rather than your plurality? Ballet doesn't care what your pronouns are. Ballet only cares about your talent, or lack thereof.
Anyway, in the end I just wanted to say to Angyal: SDASTFU
November 9, 2021
This is a brutal and brutally honest analysis of ballet as an art, pastime and profession in the present day. Forget the whole over-the-top, "Black Swan" depictions of back-stabbing ballerinas and whatnot--the reality of ballet is more mundane, though just as awful in its own way: systemic racism and sexism, elitism, power imbalances, exploitation, tremendous physical, mental and financial stress...
I love ballet, but I am acutely aware of its ugly side (and frankly, most of it is ugly side--the only beautiful side is the one you see on stage when you're in the audience), and I really appreciate this deep-dive into what's wrong with ballet and, hopefully, what can be done to save it from itself.
I love ballet, but I am acutely aware of its ugly side (and frankly, most of it is ugly side--the only beautiful side is the one you see on stage when you're in the audience), and I really appreciate this deep-dive into what's wrong with ballet and, hopefully, what can be done to save it from itself.
July 9, 2022
I couldn’t get past the ridiculous introduction - I knew I’d never be able to take the author seriously. Heaven forbid a traditional and beautiful art form survives the current annihilation of any type of standard. (Really? You’re going to try to complain that ballet is not accepting of people who are confused by the basic biological fact that men and women are physically different?)
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