Ballet in the Media

Ballet made an entrance into the TV world via a few avenues, causing excitement because of increased exposure for a somewhat less mainstream artform, and some worry about how it would be portrayed. The sitcom Bunheads, named after the typical ballerina hairstyle, was cancelled after a short run – the plotline centered on a former dancer who was trying to help a small ballet studio by teaching classes and becoming a new mentor for the girls. As with any drama, the daily lives featured very heavily in the story, and the dance aspect that drew the show’s niche audience was sometimes lacking.

Following the reality TV trend, one professional company allowed film crews in to document the stories of dancers. Ballet West is featured in Breaking Pointe, which has run for two seasons on the CW. Because there are so many unknowns about the inner workings of careers in dance, time is dedicated to explaining basic daily processes that equate an artistic life to any other job – hiring, training, promotions, projects, etc. Typical to a reality TV show, producers tend to focus on the emotional parts of featured characters’ lives, highlighting relationships and how personal time is spent. Even though dancing wouldn't take up all of a dancer's day, the added "confessional" aspect allows the production crew to have characters tell backstories directly to the audience. 

unnatural confessional scenes

One scene in the second season addressed the lack of racial diversity that is typically found in the ballet world. Joshua Whitehead is a new African-American member of the company, at the level where it is often difficult to get cast in large roles. He is upset to be passed over for a more inexperienced member of the trainee company, and takes his case to the company director. The primary reason he is given is that the part he was hoping for is a sort of court jokester in Cinderella, and the company didn’t want to feature their only minority member in a role that would be laughed at. While Joshua is upset about the decision and reconsiders his commitment to the company and ballet as a whole (which developed from a young age despite teasing), he decides that he does have a family in the Ballet West company and needs to keep working hard to show his potential and earn more recognition.

The influence of media in both instances gives the public a specific view of the ballet world, and these lenses need to be treated with care. Sometimes these perspectives are good in opening up new avenues to more general audiences, but production companies have a very specific view of the message they want to portray.