As A Ballerina, I Hate 'Ballet-Core'

My biggest passion turning into a '-core' or aesthetic was not in my plans. On why we're doing it wrong.

A couple of years ago I encountered, for the first time, the famous and slightly controversial aesthetic that was heavily inspired by the ballet lifestyle. My Pinterest homepage rapidly transformed from vacation pictures to pointe shoes and tutus while my Instagram account was strictly based on the white & pink color schemes and dance studio pictures. I felt incredibly seen as a dancer, for I have been a part of this community since the early age of four, and currently, I am still performing this wonderful manifestation of artistry.

However, as passionate as I am about dance, I must admit it is not the healthiest environment to grow up in. Yes, it is beyond beautiful but the toxicity of it shall not be overlooked. While dance instills discipline, creativity and perseverance it has also led dancers to struggle with body image and eating disorders influenced with the pressure of unrealistic body types, which also goes along with the obsession for perfection—straight lines, pointed toes, flawless technique, and the toxic mentality that mistakes equal failure is deeply rooted from an early age.

For a very long time I was entirely enamoured by the idealization of ballet, which also led me to somewhat ignore the struggles I had to go through merely for the societal standard it brought, simply because it looked cool.

Let’s talk about the ballet/ballerina-core phenomenon that has taken over the fashion world and social media in the last couple years.

Ballet, for context, is a theatrical dance that originated in the Italian Renaissance Courts in the 15th century. It was later on developed and popularized in the 19th century with the introduction of pointe shoes. Early pieces like Giselle from the Romantic Movement and Russian creations like Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker helped this art expand and become what it is today.

Even though ballet has existed for a very long time, in the past it was not considered a proper vocation for a woman, since the reputation of dance during the Regency era had shifted from a royal status to women being used as mistresses for noblemen after performing. Eventually, as time passed and society changed, ballerinas started gaining a better reputation, mostly because of the many forms of new media advocating in its favor.

The elegance, visual aesthetics and costumes utilized in ballets have inspired multiple fashion designers for a very long time, and I strongly believe that they are the ones who, subconsciously and inadvertently, commenced this new fashion trend.

Firstly, I feel the need to talk about ‘Rodarte’ by Kate and Laura Mulleavy, who were responsible for creating the beautiful, dramatic, feathered tutus for the Black Swan (2010) film, which has had an immense impact in the ‘corification’ of ballet.

“After discussing the director’s basic needs, the sisters hunkered down to design the costumes for the “Swan Lake” performance at the film’s climax. “It was our job to step into Darren’s head and take the audience to that extreme moment where you feel as though ballet is the most beautiful thing in the world,” says Laura, “Because if you didn’t believe that it was truly beautiful, how could you believe Nina would go through all that for this end product?” (Vanity Fair, Marnie Hanel. January 7, 2011)

Odile, the Black Swan. Sketch by Kate Mulleavy.

Natalie Portman’s performance in Black Swan (2010) was a pivotal factor in creating and/or transforming this trend. The cinematography of the film—which, in my personal opinion is amazing—unintendedly curated a specific look a ballerina should carry, and while this representation is not entirely wrong, and the film did a great job in representing the toxicity of the dance world, ballet does not always look this way. I strongly believe that this persona was idealized mostly by people who are not entirely familiarized with what the ballerina look actually looks like.

If you look up ‘ballerina core’ on Pinterest, you are most likely to find pictures like these:

Collage made by me with Pinterest photos.

And no, I am not saying this is wrong or not accurate, in some cases, it is. But I am exhausted of receiving comments like ‘Oh you’re a ballerina? You don’t really look like one’ simply because I am not wearing pink leg warmers and a white bullet skirt. And although the costumes really enhance the performance, what should be admired and praised is the beauty of the movements, the choreography, the music, the stories, the complexity of the artistry it takes to be a ballerina, not just what you’re wearing.

I would also like to comment on the extremely romanticized struggles dancers live with. The need for perfection, seeking validation, checking yourself out in the so-called fat mirrors gets to a point where it is sickening. And I really think that one of the most important points of Black Swan (2010) is the remark of how unhealthy this could be and many of us are not considering this fact, completely overlooking the message of this movie.

I believe that we all have the right of following the aesthetics that we feel identified with and there is truly not a right or wrong way to do so. Ballet is beautiful, and aesthetic. I love dance and I love that people love it as well. However, please let’s not make it a fetish and romanticize the toxicity it could possibly bring. This piece is simply my opinion on this topic as a dancer with no intentions of offending anybody and you are all free to interpret it in your own way.

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Hello there! I have been wanting to talk about this for a really long time and I think I am finally satisfied with the way I expressed my thoughts on it. Once again, this is merely my opinion on this topic, not trying to initiate any type of hate at all. I hope you enjoyed reading, let me know your thoughts on the corification of dance.