Subverting the Ballet Hierarchy Through Online Communities
Abstract:
This presentation shares insights regarding the various dimensions of online dance communities created by platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. Fresh perspectives are offered regarding the potential that virtual spaces and online platforms hold for dancers to subvert traditional ballet hierarchies. Current uses of technology subject dancers to constant digital surveillance, and contrastingly offer opportunities for them to resist the status quo. Virtual spaces have democratizing effects. The use of social networking sites offers exposure to mass audiences, which potentially serves to flatten the ballet hierarchy as social networking increases the dancers’ resistance to traditional oppressive expectations through like-minded community support. When speaking out on online platforms it seems there is increased agency and diminished fear of repercussions due to the visibility afforded by mass audiences as well as the diverse populations that may be reached. Virtual spaces are communities that have the potential to amplify dancers’ voices; share their lived experiences; expand dance education; and allow for self-promotion. When professional dancers offer classes online, this shifts power dynamics by challenging the traditional ballet hierarchy in which institutions are the gatekeepers limiting access. As dancers participate in online classes, they experience their colleagues taking ownership of their own embodied knowledge. With participants at all skill levels able to share their knowledge online, the politics and economics of ballet have been disrupted. The question remains as to whether in-person ballet environment will keep up.