A Perspective of a Girl Made to Play the BoyI can still feel the excitement that rushed through me when I was cast as Fritz, Clara's bratty younger brother, in my studio's production of The Nutcracker. Fritz was a featured role, and I was honored to be highlighted after my countless years of dancing in the back of every ballet scene and polichinelle routine. Naturally, it was a big deal to get a featured role at this age. All of my hard work in ballet class was beginning to pay off. I have fond memories of dancing this role. Everything from walking through the audience to the overture to torturing the party girls with my best friend and fellow party boy, Casey. (In case you're less familiar with The Nutcracker, the children in the "party scene", or the Christmas party where Clara receives her toy nutcracker, are commonly referred to as the "party girls" and "party boys". If you're from a small town like I am, ballet students are predominantly female, so directors will have girls portray both roles in their productions). But what's interesting about this year is that the only posed photo I have from this production is in my angel costume from the second act. It was a long, white chiffon dress with lots of golden glitter all over it. I was in love with that costume, and that role, because I felt absolutely beautiful dancing through the fog with my horn in hand. To digress for a moment, ballet was the source of my beauty as a teenager. I had a low self-esteem growing up, maybe from bullying or some other contextual factors, but long story short ballet helped me to express the beauty I was destined to have. For me, the beauty of ballet didn't just come from the sparkly tutus and pretty headpieces, but from the confidence a ballerina had when she stepped on stage in these things and told a story through her movement. I was in awe of every single ballerina I watched, and strived to be like them as much as I possibly could. Fritz was a one hit wonder for me. Being cast as a party boy, soldier, and other roles where I did not get to express this beauty lead me to believe that I didn't have it. At the time, this ruined my nutcracker experience. I had grown up dreaming of dancing these beautiful roles and finally getting to do what all of my role models had done before me. While I was in high school, these roles were not in the cards for me, and I eventually stopped participating in my favorite holiday tradition because I couldn't bear the embarrassment of feeling ugly on stage while my friends got to bask in all their glory in their pretty costumes and elegant roles. Before I get into my opinion on how teachers should handle such a subject, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge gender identity. I am not at all saying that children of one gender should only dance roles in that gender. My friend Casey even preferred being a party boy because she thought it was fun and she saw ballet differently and needed it in a different way. Gender is also not so black and white, and I think it is important to allow children to explore all places on this spectrum and express this identity in every way possible. I believe that the gender norms of ballet should, in fact, be challenged to meet the needs of every child, regardless of their gender identity or expression. But this is not that article. I could go on for hours about why I think children should get to end a dance however they feel like it and not be constricted to only bowing or curtsey based on the gender they are assigned at birth or identify as now. But this isn't the point. What I am discussing is how denying my ability to express my femininity in ballet negatively affected me, and how I think dance teachers can better their students' experience. I recently saw a Facebook post about a girl in a similar position who felt always dancing the boy roles because she is tall was lowering her self-esteem, and I couldn't agree with her more. As teachers, it is important to acknowledge that a reason many of our children love ballet is because it helps us express the beauty we so desperately want to have. While it may sound vain, this can be so crucial to healthy development in formative years. And I really don't see anything wrong with children desiring these elegant roles when seeking a confidence boost. Some little girls will feel great in pants and a jacket, while others prefer those Victorian style dresses. It's different for every child, and it's important to acknowledge this. I appreciated the tactic of a nutcracker production I danced in later in life. All of the children cast as party children were also polichinelles. The girls in the show played a girl in one act and a boy in the other. This made me happy to see the little girls dreaming of being ballerinas still got their moment in one act or the other, and I saw those children get so excited to wear banana girls and pretty dresses. I would like to challenge dance teachers even further here. So I have to ask... Does it really change the plot of The Nutcracker if all of the children at the party are girls? See, I have this radical idea that traditions are meant to be broken to better a child's dance education. If a child really wants to play a girl, what's the harm, really? Does it really matter if Clara's little brother or little sister break her toy? I am a little sister, and I seem to remember tormenting my older sister at that age. This doesn't seem so unrealistic to me. If all of the girls in your studio want to play girls, why not just let them? Even further, allowing children to select their costume or role for this scene allow children to naturally develop their gender identity and expression and not constrict them to a box of what a girl looks and dances like and what a boy looks and dances like. When I was cast as a Marzipan Shepherdess later in my dance career, I was over the moon with excitement because this is the kind of role I had dreamed about growing up. Sure, I wasn't the lead or featured in any way, but the movement allowed me to express my beauty and identity just like I believe ballet can empower everyone to. What I am asking teachers to do is look at the needs, hopes, and dreams of all of the children you cast in your show. For most of you local studio owners putting on your own production, you see these kids year after year and many even year round. You don't have to make every child the star, for that is something to be earned, but every child should feel excited and comfortable in the roles they are dancing. Let go of this idea that your party scene has to have one girl and one boy in each family (is that even the set up of every family this day, anyways?) and think about how everyone can be thrilled about dancing in your show, regardless of how featured their role is. Top Photo from Commonwealth Ballet
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWelcome to my blog! Popular PostsArchives
September 2020
Offline Updates7/16 Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the showcase I was selected to choreograph for at NYU was unfortunately cancelled. However, I was able to turn my work into a mini-documentary about the choreographic process and art prevailing during these trying times. You can watch my video my clicking the button below!
9/18 Follow my new Instagram just for my dance things!
12/23 I was one of NDEO's Guest Bloggers this year! Read "Teaching is a Vocation. Not a Fallback" on their Behind the Curtain Blog!
9/27 I will be presenting my research at the National Dance Education Organization National Conference next week! See my research project by clicking the button below!
4/15 While working on PMA's production of The Addams Family, I got to combine my two favorite styles of dance (ballet and musical theatre) for "The Moon and Me"! Watch my talented students dance by clicking the button below!
2/20 I am choreographing PMA Theatre Guild's Production of The Addams Family! Come see these amazing high school students perform at Presentation of Mary Academy in Methuen, MA April 13 & 14! Tickets available at the door.
2/20 I am stage managing BSU's Dance Kaleidoscope this year! Show dates are March 29-31 at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, MA. Come see this student choreography showcase!
11/5 I will once again be dancing in a BSUDC concert! Tickets to WinterDance are now available!
8/24 NDEO's National Honor Society for Dance Arts has published one of my articles in their newsletter! Read an updated version of "Audition Advice" here:
5/16 Interested in learning about movement concepts? Visit Becca's new Educational Dance website!
5/8 BSU Dance Company's Dance Kaleidoscope 2017 is now on Youtube! You can watch my performances by visiting the VIDEOS page!
4/23 I recently performed for the residents of Allerton House in Hingham, MA! You can watch part of my performance here!
Amesbury Children's Theatre presents...James and the Giant Peach Jr, featuring choreography by me! Click for tickets!
2/8 My piece "Barefoot" is now available to watch online! Click to watch!
2/5 Happy to say I have been cast in BSU Dance Company's Spring concert Dance Kaleidoscope! I will be dancing in 3 faculty choreographed pieces, including excerpts from The Sleeping Beauty in which I will be dancing the role of Lilac Fairy! Show dates are March 31-April 1 at Bridgewater State University.
Click the button for more info! 1/15 Ballet with Becca is now on Facebook! Click to visit the page, and be sure to like it while you're there!
1/14 I am happy to say I will be attending artEmotion's summer intensive in June! I will be dancing in the one week artEmotion Adult Program. If anyone would like to join or audition for any other artEmotion program, visit their website!
|