10+ Myths About Ballet That Moviemakers Made Us Believe

year ago

The images of graceful ballerinas are often used in popular culture, especially in movies. Thanks to these pictures, we’ve learned the backstage secrets of this profession, but there are also a great number of myths that come along with them. Real-life ballet dancers decided to bust some of the myths that we’ve been believing in all this time.

Ballet dancers fully remake their pointe shoes.

In movies and TV shows about ballet, you can often see a scene where a dancer significantly alters her pointe shoes: she rips them apart, performs some manipulations with the fabric, then sews them back. However, this approach is now considered obsolete. There was a time when pointe shoes were made from burlap, which made them wear out quickly and require some modifications. So, dancers had to fill the shoebox with epoxy varnish or glue before wearing them.

Modern pointe shoes don’t need this because the shoebox is made from plastic for better rigidity. Therefore, it’s no longer necessary to remake your pointe shoes. But it is still true that each ballerina adds ribbons and elastic bands herself because new pointe shoes usually come without them.

Ballet dancers’ armpits always look perfect.

Movie ballerinas always appear on screen with clean-shaven armpits, even during rehearsals. It seems that the absence of hair in this area is one of the professional requirements.

Of course, during the season, ballerinas are required to dance with perfect armpits, so they not only shave this area but also use a number of remedies for skin irritation and ingrown hairs. But some of them admit that they let their armpits have some “rest” when they don’t have to go on stage.

Ballerinas’ feet don’t look really pretty.

As a rule, movie ballerinas have problems with their feet. Due to constant dancing in pointe shoes, their feet get injured, so dancers have to endure pain for the sake of art. Surely, their toes and nails look quite unpresentable.

However, according to real ballerinas, this is not something that happens regularly. Of course, they can have corns and calluses, just like anyone else, but dancers definitely don’t suffer the way it’s shown in movies. In addition, they have many tricks that help them protect their feet from injuries.

For example, there are special gel pads that help them dance in a much more comfortable way.

Dancers have to be on strict diets.

It seems like slender ballerinas would only be able to eat very little, and this stereotype is often promoted in movies. Many of us probably remember that Nina, from the movie Black Swan, would eat mainly cucumbers and grapefruits, and when her mother bought a cake, she refused to eat it.

Here is what real ballerinas say about this, “We sometimes train from 10 to 7 with very short breaks. Therefore, we need to eat well because you need fuel for that. Yes, there is a skinny culture in ballet. But we understand that starving yourself and trying to get a full performance out, that’s just not possible for a human to do that.”

One ballet dancer described her typical daily diet like this, “My breakfast is coffee and avocado toast with scrambled eggs. I have a banana or an apple for a snack. My lunch usually consists of a soup. And I have a salad and a steak for dinner. But sometimes I can also eat potato chips, chocolate, or ice cream.” Another ballerina said, “For breakfast, I definitely have to eat something high in carbs so that I have enough energy: pasta, pizza, Nutella bread, or a cheese sandwich.”

They wear light clothing at rehearsals.

Dancers in movies look like they’ve just stepped off the pages of a magazine, even at rehearsals. However, if you take a peek at a rehearsal at the Royal Ballet, for example, you’ll see young people wearing comfortable, warm clothes. Some of them even dance in jackets.

Here is what a real-life ballerina says about her clothes for rehearsals, “I always take a warm vest to rehearsals. It’s very important for a dancer to keep their torso warm. So if I take a break, I won’t need to warm up again.”

They all wear leg warmers.

It might seem like leg warmers serve the same purpose during a rehearsal as a warm top — they keep dancers’ muscles warm. And in movies, ballerinas often work out in them. However, this item of clothing is not that common in real-life ballet.

According to ballerinas, it’s important for mentors to see the position of dancers’ knees during dancing, while thick and long leg warmers can hide them. Even if a dancer chooses to wear this item of clothing, she usually does so during a home workout, like the heroine of the movie Flashdance.

On the other hand, the movie scenes where a dancer is wearing only one leg warmer are more believable. According to the representatives of the Australian Ballet, this means that a dancer coddles a niggling injury in that leg.

All ballerinas have long hair.

You are unlikely to see a ballet dancer with short hair in a movie. Many people even believe that since a ballerina has to wear a bun during her performances, this means that her hair should be long enough to be put up like that.

In reality, there is no such requirement for women because they can wear a fake bun when necessary. According to one professional ballerina, a ballet dancer can even have a pixie cut.

Having a tattoo is normal.

In movies about ballet, a tattoo is a sign of a free-spirited and self-confident artist. In Black Swan, for example, the main character’s rival flaunted a big tattoo on her back.

However, real dancers tend to laugh at these kinds of moments in movies. According to them, tattoos and piercings are extremely rare among representatives of this profession. Only accomplished ballerinas might consider having their skin tattooed in a conspicuous place and not worry about their future careers in classical ballet.

Ballerinas always wear a tutu during their performances and look like fairies.

For people who are not ballet-theater regulars, the very phrase “a ballerina costume” exclusively evokes associations with the image of a fairy whose invariable attribute is a tutu. So in movies, dancers usually perform in tutus that are delicate shades of pink or white, and they resemble fairy tale princesses.

In reality, ballet costumes can be strikingly diverse. Here’s what a real dancer says about this, “Throughout my career, I maybe wore a pink tutu twice when I played Sugar Plum and Aurora. At all other times, it was dresses, leotards, and some interesting costumes in different colors.”

If a dancer falls, the performance will be ruined.

The main characters in movies about ballet are usually very unlucky when it comes to partners: these men drop them on the floor or push them. And after an accident like that, ballerinas are picturesquely lying on the stage and waiting for help.

But according to real ballerinas, this never happens in real life. “It looks very weird. Even after being seriously injured, a dancer will do their best to continue the performance. When something like this happens on stage, dancers react very quickly to make sure the audience doesn’t notice anything.”

Representatives of one world-famous ballet company also mentioned that it’s a myth that a dancer can say goodbye to their career after a serious injury. According to them, this is possible but highly unlikely. Ballerinas tend to be regularly injured due to intense physical activity, but thanks to the efforts of physical therapists, they quickly get back on the rails.

By the way, some theaters use unusual tricks to prevent falls. For example, members of the Australian Ballet pour Coke on the stage to make the floor slightly sticky and prevent dancers from slipping.

Men also wear pointe shoes.

In movies, male ballet dancers may also wear pointe shoes. However, in reality, these shoes are considered an element of a women’s costume. Men don’t usually dance in pointe shoes, but it may take place if they need to play a mythical character with hooves, for example.

The fact is that female dancers usually weigh less than men, and men are more at risk of injury when they dance in pointe shoes.

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Preview photo credit Red Sparrow / Chernin Entertainment and co-producers, Black Swan / Searchlight Pictures and co-producers