The Royal Ballet School of Britain has announced that their new artistic director, Iain Mackay, believes that the future of ballet lies in dancers who are larger in size and gender non-standard pairs. In an interview with The Times, Mackay stated that the audience can better identify with these dancers, rather than the traditional ballet performers.
Mackay said, “The audience wants to see dancers that they can relate to.” When asked about the possibility of plus-size ballerinas performing on the world’s grand stages, Mackay was confident, stating, “Definitely [..] I think it is already happening. These dancers require more physical fitness than ever before. They are performers who can tell a story and are incredibly technically skilled.”
Mackay also mentioned that ballet studios are now focusing on strength training for both male and female dancers of larger sizes, as the ballet has moved away from the traditional repertoire for slim dancers.
The question that arises is why the audience should identify with these dancers. After all, one buys a ticket to a ballet performance to admire the art and the perfect work of the dancers, not to become Giselle or Odette. It is likely that the audience in Britain will have to spend more money to see Miss Piggy on stage. Or they can stay at home and watch an old classic ballet on video.