{"id":304,"date":"2024-04-22T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thetravelingyogi.com\/?p=304"},"modified":"2024-07-19T14:47:13","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T14:47:13","slug":"what-real-dancers-think-of-balletcore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/thetravelingyogi.com\/index.php\/2024\/04\/22\/what-real-dancers-think-of-balletcore\/","title":{"rendered":"What Real Dancers Think of Balletcore"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you like it, loathe it, or roll your eyes at it, you can\u2019t miss it: Ballet-inspired clothing for the nondancing consumer is everywhere. The fashion and ballet worlds have a long and storied relationship, but ballet-aesthetic streetwear\u2019s recent resurgence in popularity has been striking. According to fashion insiders, \u201cballetcore\u201d is already a defining trend of 2024.<\/p>\n

Balletcore is also a subject of passionate debate among dancers. Many cringe at simplistic representations of the tools of their trade and, especially, at the use of models who appear to lack any ballet experience. Others think it\u2019s a harmless or even potentially beneficial sign of admiration and respect for their art form.<\/p>\n

However dancers feel about it, the renewed obsession with balletic fashion has the potential to affect both ballet\u2019s place in today\u2019s culture and the public perception of what ballet is.<\/p>\n

A Trend With Deep Roots<\/h2>\n

Patricia Mears, deputy director at New York City\u2019s The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology) and a lifelong ballet fan, curated the museum\u2019s 2020 exhibit, \u201cBallerina: Fashion\u2019s Modern Muse.\u201d She says the invigoration of ballet culture in the West during the 1920s and \u201930s sparked a fascination with ballet dancers themselves, leading to an early version of balletcore.<\/p>\n

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A Pierre Balmain evening dress, 1949.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A Christian Lacroix evening dress, circa 1990.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A Pierre Balmain gown, 1960.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
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\u201cThe ballerina became much more respected in society, and, therefore, what she looked like was also more respected,\u201d Mears says. \u201cWomen designers in particular began using class and rehearsal wear as a foundation for easy, knitted separates. It was a fascinating phenomenon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something similar may be happening now, thanks in large part to social media. Dancers\u2019 presence on various platforms gives the general public glimpses into the dancers\u2019 offstage (albeit highly curated) lives\u2014including what they wear when not in costume.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A 1990 dress by designer Carolyne Roehm. Courtesy The Museum at FIT (4)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Joffrey Ballet dancer Jeraldine Mendoza thinks seeing dancers as individuals this way fuels a sense of intrigue, fascination, and also relatability. \u201cNow that ballet dancers are becoming visible as \u2018real people\u2019 online, more people see what we do on a daily basis,\u201d Mendoza says. \u201cAnd even though it might seem unreachable, they still want to touch it somehow.\u201d Fashion offers an attainable way to emulate an aspirational lifestyle.<\/p>\n

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Joffrey Ballet dancer Jeraldine Mendoza wearing (actual) balletcore. Courtesy Mendoza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mears agrees, adding that other current fashion trends are also making balletcore a natural fit for the times. \u201cThere\u2019s a movement towards more relaxed clothing and individual styles with no rules,\u201d she says. \u201cI also see an undercurrent of interest, especially in young people, of searching for things that are true and beautiful. And ballet is one of those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ballet Fantasy Versus Ballet Reality<\/h2>\n

Balletcore is not, of course, supposed to be an exact reproduction of what dancers actually wear to work. Even so, the fashion world\u2019s take on the ballet aesthetic frequently skews generic and somewhat outdated, favoring girlish balletic tropes like pastel colors, tulle, ribbons, and bows. As the ballet world makes strides towards inclusivity, could this disconnect between reality and what\u2019s being sold to the public have negative repercussions for the ballet world, despite the benefits of the popularity boost?<\/p>\n

Houston Ballet first soloist Harper Watters sees it both ways. \u201cI have spent the majority of my career trying to shift people\u2019s perception of what a ballet dancer looks like, who they are, and what interests them,\u201d he says. \u201cSo when it comes to this cookie-cutter idea of ballet being pink, it\u2019s frustrating since we all know there is so much more complexity and dimension to our world, and to our fashion.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watters also points out, though, that the influential fashion industry\u2019s attention could be a very good thing. \u201cI very much believe that visibility is currency, and there\u2019s power in people talking about ballet and popularizing it,\u201d he says. \u201cBallet has been a marginalized art form, so when fashion houses are tapping into it, I see it as an opportunity for the dance community to respond to it and shift people\u2019s perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Dance and fashion in dialogue in \u201cBallerina: Fashion\u2019s Modern Muse.\u201d A knit set by designer Vera Maxwell, circa 1959. Courtesy The Museum at FIT (2).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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From left: A Scott Barrie dress and belt, circa 1972; a Stephen Burrows ensemble, circa 1970; a Stephen Burrows evening dress and jacket, 1979; New York City Ballet\u2019s Agon costume, circa 2010; Bonnie August for Danskin\u2019s leotard and skirt, circa 1975; Bonnie August for Danskin\u2019s unitard, circa 1985. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Touching a Nerve<\/h2>\n

Dancers tend to have strong reactions to representations of ballet in any mainstream context, from movies to TV shows to books. But fashion\u2019s take on ballet has provoked especially visceral responses.<\/p>\n

The risk that balletcore is devaluing the concept of what it means to be a dancer is real, says Katie Malia, who with Suzanne Jolie founded the popular Instagram account @modelsdoingballet. Malia and Jolie post examples of fashion brands featuring nondancers modeling ballet-inspired outfits (often including pointe shoes), resulting in ads that can be both hilarious and horrifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not a purist\u2014tutus don\u2019t have to only belong in the theater,\u201d Malia says. \u201cBut there\u2019s a lack of education, understanding, and respect of the art form. We need more people to take the craft seriously. Or else ballet becomes satire.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Two more from the FIT exhibit: Rei Kawakubo for Comme des Gar\u00e7ons\u2019 \u201cBiker Ballerina\u201d ensemble, spring\/summer 2005<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Christian Louboutin\u2019s \u201cFetish Ballerine\u201d shoe, 2014. Courtesy The Museum at FIT (2).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Others aren\u2019t as worried. While acknowledging that most balletcore pieces are nothing like what she or her colleagues wear, Mendoza still feels positive about the widening interest in a balletic aesthetic. \u201cI think it\u2019s flattering,\u201d she says. \u201cYes, the clothes are a little stereotypical, but people want to be part of our world, and if wearing the clothes makes you feel good, that\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fashion trends tend to come and go, but balletcore has proved remarkably durable. \u201cThere is a certain energy that putting on the uniform of a dancer gives you,\u201d says Watters. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t be surprised if people feel ready to take on something, ready for a performance, by dressing like a dancer and emulating ballet in their fashion.\u201d <\/p>\n

Balletcore Done Right<\/h2>\n

Not all ballet-inspired fashion trades in stereotypical pink satin and ruffles. Some designers are collaborating with dance artists and companies, helping the consuming public connect the styles they admire with the dancers who inspired them.<\/p>\n

\u279b In addition to documenting egregious balletcore missteps, Katie Malia and Suzanne Jolie\u2019s Instagram account
@modelsdoingballet highlights good ballet-inspired fashion. Some of their favorite collaborations are Christian Dior\u2019s work with choreographers Imre and Marne van Opstal, J. Crew\u2019s with New York City Ballet, and Chanel\u2019s with the Paris Op\u00e9ra Ballet. \u201cI\u2019d love to see the obsession with balletcore turn into more students and audiences for ballet,\u201d adds Malia.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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\u279b Watters, who\u2019s known both inside and outside the dance world for his fashion sense, was tapped to create dance videos while wearing Betsey Johnson pieces for the designer\u2019s Pride Month events. \u201cI\u2019m not going to put on something I don\u2019t feel or look good in, and I felt really good about those pieces\u2014you could definitely wear them for class or a performance opportunity,\u201d he says. \u201cI really appreciate anyone trying to dive into the mind of a dancer. I think it\u2019s a powerful thing to tap into the dancers themselves and ask our opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Harper Watters with designer Betsey Johnson. Photo by Max Bronner, Courtesy Watters.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The post What Real Dancers Think of Balletcore<\/a> appeared first on Dance Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Whether you like it, loathe it, or roll your eyes at it, you can\u2019t miss it: Ballet-inspired clothing for the nondancing consumer<\/p>\n

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