Boys in Ballet?

If you are friends with me on Facebook, or keep up with the ballet and dance world in general, you will have heard the news. Lara Spencer, cohost on Good Morning America, made fun of Prince George for taking ballet as part of his schooling, and for enjoying it. As a ballet dancer myself, I obviously had many thoughts about this, but the dance world as a whole responded. And I think that this is the perfect time to celebrate boys in ballet, and the male dancers that captivate us for every single performance!

Lara Spencer’s Comments 

Spencer, one of the cohosts on GMA, started off her pop news segment by covering what Prince George studies in school. His varied curriculum includes computer programming, religious studies, and ballet. Spencer was seen to be laughing herself and pausing for audience laughter, before saying that he wouldn’t enjoy ballet for long. (See video below) Why on earth she or the show’s producers thought this was acceptable, I will never know. Boys in ballet is not a punchline. Firstly, as a society, I think that we are working at bucking gender stereotypes and celebrating our achievements no matter what gender we are. Ballet is a physically demanding art for both men and women.  We don’t mock little girls for wanting to play football or study STEM, why is she going out of her way to mock George for enjoying ballet?

Secondly, ballet has been proven to improve both your mental and physical health. (There are some very interesting studies being done on the impact of dance on people suffering Alzheimer’s right now!) At a time in society where we are fighting to get children away from screens and get moving, why would you denigrate someone enjoying physical activity? Athletes have been going to ballet class for decades now, in order to improve their own flexibility, strength, footwork, and stamina. If football and rugby players (traditionally “male” roles) can do ballet, why isn’t it okay for George?

I’m going to be sharing some of my favourite male dancers with you, but I want people to think about all of the other male dancers out there. The younger boys who end up quitting because people like Spencer have made it okay to mock them. The ones who gave up for more “masculine” sports. And the ones who gave up their passion because they just got tired of fighting. If you know of any boys or men who are interested in ballet and dance, please encourage them. They deserve it as much as anyone else pursuing their passion.

And yes, Spencer put out a half-assed “apology” on her Instagram, but at this point the damage is done. Perhaps an on air segment where she acknowledges it live, and doesn’t include a random picture of a field would be a start… As a Canadian, I don’t tend to watch Good Morning America, but you can bet I will be avoiding ABC and their shows altogether from now on.

3 Male Ballet Dancers to Watch

These are some of my favourite male ballet dancers that I love to see perform! They are from different companies and have had different backgrounds in training, but all are amazing to watch. If you are lucky enough to see any of these dancers perform live, you will be able to appreciate just how hard they are working and what has gone into their craft.

Alexander Campbell and Steven McRae, Royal Ballet

Alexander Campbell and Steven McRae are two of my favourite dancers to watch, both Principal dancers at the Royal Ballet in London. Quite different dancers, they are each captivating in their own way. And in an odd twist of fate, both are Australian!

I would say that McRae is probably the most infamous current male ballet dancer on the planet, and for good reason. Probably known best for his creation and performance as the Mad Hatter in the Royal Ballet’s Alice in Wonderland, McRae is known for his personality and speed when he dances. In addition to the Mad Hatter, he also created the roles of the Creature in Liam Scarlett’s Frankenstein and Prince Florizel in Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale. Although he is also known for his ability with modern styles, I personally love his character roles and the commitment he brings to them.

I was lucky enough to see Campbell perform as Basilio (the lead male dancer) in Don Quixote when I was visiting London, and it is one of my favourite live performances ever. (And if you happened to see the live stream at your local theatre, you would have seen him, as well!) He began his training in western Sydney, and continued his training at the Royal Ballet School in London. He joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2005 and was promoted to first soloist in 2009. He then joined the Royal Ballet in 2011 and promoted to Principal in 2016. Campbell perfectly balances technique and charisma. And if you have watched the documentary about Alexander and Steven above, you will know that he is actually hard of hearing and has to wear hearing aids to help him. Given his impressive musicality and quality of movement, you wouldn’t know.

Liam Caines, Royal Winnipeg Ballet

I am spoilt for ballet living in Winnipeg, as the Royal Winnipeg Ballet is a world-renowned company on my doorstep. Caines joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet (from the RWB School in 2007, was promoted to Corps de Ballet in 2009, and Second Soloist in 2017. He is an incredibly versatile dancer and can perform the role of the Lion in The Wizard of Oz as spectacularly as the role of Horse in James Kudelka’s Vespers. I find Caines to be quite an earnest dancer, and it is one of the reasons I love seeing his performances. As an audience member, you can see that he truly loves to dance. It is also quite impressive that he was chosen to partner the infamous Canadian ballerine, Evelyn Hart, in Vespers. In the video above (from Ballet in the Park 2019) you can see part of Caines’ performance as the Lion in Oz!

What do you think of this boys in ballet news? 

Cheers,
The Historian
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