Noël Um ’12 gave audience members a glimpse behind the ballet curtain and shed light on eating disorders among ballerinas in her Brace Fellow Presentation on Monday.
Um’s presentation, titled “Defeminizing a Feminine Icon: The Struggle with Anorexia and Bulimia Nervosa among Ballerinas,” focused on the double standard in ballet for ballerinas; dancers must be strong enough to perform the difficult moves, but they feel pressured to appear skinny in their leotards.
One percent of women have an eating disorder, but 20 percent of ballerinas suffer from such conditions, according to Um.
Although approximately 25 percent of dancers are underweight, 47 percent believe they are overweight.
Um discussed the loss of feminine qualities in ballerinas due to eating disorders despite ballerinas’ feminine image.
Um discussed the inconsistency between the expectation for ballerinas to maintain a feminine physique and the defeminizing effects of the eating disorders many ballerinas suffer from in order to keep up this image.
“Ballerinas are the ultimate feminine icon yet are pressured to lose weight in places that define their femininity, such as their breasts and hips,” she added.
In addition, anorexia can cause amenorrhea, or the loss of a menstrual period, and hair loss, according to Um.
The effects of anorexia in ballerinas can be fatal, according to Um. In 1997, Heidi Guenther, a ballerina with the Boston Ballet, passed away. Only 22 years old and 93 pounds at her death, Guenther passed away a year after her Artistic Director suggested she lose some weight.
Ballet’s emphasis on elegant figure, perfect form and “weightlessness” causes ballerinas to feel self-conscious about their bodies. Um said that many ballerinas develop this distorted body image from an early age.
According to Um, ballet studios heighten dancers’ self-consciousness, with floor-to-ceiling mirrors that make the dancer examine her body and compare it with others in the room.
Um said that this monetary incentive to lose weight also contributes to the large percentage of dancers that are uncomfortable with their bodies.
Because ballet masters can choose the specific body type they want for each role in a performance, skinnier dancers are more frequently awarded roles and have an easier time moving up in the industry’s hierarchy, earning more money.
She further noted that intense workouts and rehearsals intensify the effects of eating disorders for dancers.
Um conducted research for her presentation by reading biographies of dancers and analyzing statistics about eating disorders, though she did not interview anyone with a disorder whom she knew personally.
Specifically, Um referenced George Balanchine, a renowned ballet choreographer in the mid-1900s, and his influence on current cultural norms in the ballet industry. Balanchine believed that all ballerinas should be thin and weightless and thought eating disorders were part of the sacrifice necessary for the art of ballet.
During her research, Um read “Dancing on My Grave,” the autobiography of Gelsey Kirkland, a former “Balanchine Ballerina.” In the book, Kirkland wrote that Balanchine wanted ballerinas to starve for the good of the performance.
“Balanchine Ballerinas” became increasingly aware of their bodies, aiming to achieve the “perfect body” exemplified by Balanchine’s muse, Suzanne Farrell. Ballerinas at the time sought to emulate Farrell to gain Balanchine’s approval, according to Um.
Um explained that the majority of current ballet masters are aware of the prevalence of eating disorders and encourage their ballerinas to be comfortable with their body image. However, many masters still believe that skinnier dancers are better performers.
“Eating disorders are much more prevalent in our society than people talk about,” said Erin Strong, Instructor and Chair in Theatre and Dance, and Um’s faculty advisor for the project.
While dancing with the Boston Ballet School, Um met many girls who were self-conscious about their bodies.
Though she has not personally witnessed these eating disorders among dancers at Andover, Um wanted to increase awareness of the dangers of eating disorders in general within the dancing community with her presentation.
“I know so many of my friends who are dancers that have struggled with eating disorders and never talked about it,” said Um. “I hoped to enlighten students about the dangers of eating disorders.”
