“You’re in ballet? Is it anything like Black Swan?”

If you’ve ever wanted to understand the phrase, “If looks could kill,” ask a dancer that question. It’s a very quick way to make enemies, but it also brings up a couple points about how ballet and the arts are portrayed and viewed by the general public. Most ballerinas actually aren’t drug-abusing psychotics. There may be some exceptions (Gelsey Kirkland comes to mind) but all in all, we’re really just normal people. Somehow, however, popular media keeps coming back to the idea that dancers aren’t all there, and that’s what sticks to the public conscious. So today, I’m going to debunk some common ballet myths and separate the truth from the stupid.

Myth #1: Ballerinas are anorexic

This is one of those myths that, unfortunately, has some basis in reality. A lot of ballet requires the dancers to look graceful and ethereal, like a spirit. This was most easily accomplished with very skinny dancers, which did lead to some using drastic measures in order to get hired. However, this has largely fallen out of practice, with the Ballenchine style of ballet being the only modern form to rely on super skinny dancers. So while some people still have slightly unrealistic expectations, it’s no worse than in the rest of the world. Nowadays, there’s actually more height discrimination than anything else, as the dance world pushes for taller and taller dancers. But that’s a matter for a different time.

Myth #2: Ballet is easy

This actually goes back to Black Swan, and how many people seem to think that Natalie Portman learned how to do ballet in only a year. This is a flat out lie. Portman did learn enough to do the close up shots of her face and arms fairly well, but she actually had a body double for the full body shots and the actual dancing in the form of American Ballet Theater soloist Sarah Lane, who goes largely uncredited in the final film. Lane has gone on to say that the only problem she has with this is that it makes it seem like you can master ballet in a year, which is beyond impossible. You could be dancing until you were 60 and never even come close to perfect. As I’ve said far too many times, it takes a lot of work to be a dancer, which actually sort of brings us to our last myth…

Myth #3: Ballet is for girls

This one goes all the way back to childhood, a time when boys and girls were kept as separate as possible. The logic behind this myth is basically that almost every little girl wanted to be a ballerina at some point, so it must be a girly thing only for girls, right?

Well no, not really.While ballet is predominately female, male dancers have been experiencing a strong surge in popularity and demand. Guys in ballet almost have to work harder than the ladies- they’re expected to be able to jump six feet in the air and lift people over their heads. Can you do that? I didn’t think so. Also, everyone’s heard stories of the football and soccer players who take ballet classes. They use them to gain agility, and to work on building strength and stamina that they can’t get just by going to practices. And, on a less serious note, what guy can honestly say he wouldn’t want to spend time with a bunch of pretty girls?

So there you have it. I hope this little session has enlightened you, and that you use this knowledge for good. Because you don’t want angry ballet dancers on your tail. Trust me.