The Ballet Misfits Rename of the Game

How do we misfit purposefully? Picture by Unsplash/Tikkho Maciel @tikkho

One key quality of ballet is “fitting in”:
Shapes and movements are clearly defined; the idea of a uniform corps, specific body type, the etiquette, the ritualized classes, and a narrow “pretty&pink” aesthetics.

This “fitting in” is what kept ballet alive and unchanged when most of the world looks vastly different now than several hundreds years ago.

Which, on the very positive side, is why we still get to enjoy it!

On the flip side, we know it also created all kind of limitations, feelings of inadequacy, abuse, exclusion, training dogmas and injuries.

Here is where I think adult starters of ballet can be a real driver of change. And it’s why I was drawn to rename this blog to “Ballet Misfits”.

Because it’s not that we have to cancel and abolish ballet. There is value and movement wisdom in the history, the traditions, the century-old practice, and the very clear movement patters. There is undeniable beauty. There is a deep calm and simplicity that serves as such an important reminder against the noise and over-extension of this world. And after all, pink is a gorgeous color!

But as old starters, we have a chance to break with the dogmas, the tight boxes, and the uniform façade of ballet. Because we do not have to follow one particular syllabus, or one particular track through the institutions, nor work ourselves through the ranks.

We can CHOOSE and CREATE.

We can choose whom to work with, which resources we use to educate ourselves, we can create our own stages and productions, we can be the stewards of our own training. We can wear what we want, we can take as much time as we want for recovery, rest, injury prevention, and reading ballet research papers. We can introduce so many colors beyond pink. We are not in a rush to be “done”, we don’t have to accomplish anything by a certain age. We can play, question, challenge, and innovate. We can model how to set boundaries.

But: It’s hard. The desire to fit in is an ancient survival reflex. Complying with how everybody does it or wants us to do things has such a strong pull (as we can clearly see on social media).

The point is: “Misfitting” does not mean “ugly”, or “not being capable”, or “not progressing”, or “settling for less”. In fact, misfitting does not have inherent purpose in itself.

Misfitting simply means BEING FREE. It means giving yourself permission, space, and the tools that you need to advance as good and effective as possible, while staying true to yourself. It means acting based on your individual situation, your specific body type, your own emotional make-up, and your artistic preferences. Misfitting allows you to figure out what works to make you the best possible dancer, even if “what works” is very different from what the person next to you needs or if it goes against common ballet rules. Misfitting appreciates showing up with your misfitting insights, share them with your community, so that we all can learn from you.

The ballet world needs more Misfit stories.

What’s yours?