Dance is an embodied art form that places the body in a “dialectical relationship with the social, cultural, historical, political, and physical environment” (Chappell & Varelas, 2020). Consequently, the dancing body is a contested site in debates about cultural aesthetics, particularly balletic classicism versus a liberatory beauty ideal that resists racism, lookism, disablism, classism, and sizeism. Despite decades-long efforts to decolonize ballet, classical aesthetics and movement remain deeply infused in theatrical dance. One reason is that intense training in ballet technique is considered essential for almost all concert dances. This perpetuates Eurocentric body standards that have governed ballet since the seventeenth century–white skin, arched feet, thinness. As DeFrantz argues, “White supremacy is baked into ballet training in a way that moves people of color, trans, gender-fluid and disabled dancers. . . out” (2024). Additionally, classical aesthetics reproduce themselves in movement so that even theatrical dance that consciously contests Eurocentrism–such as modern and Afro-contemporary–are co-opted by it. This presentation will use hiplet, a fusion of hip hop and ballet, as a case study in how Eurocentrism persistently reproduces itself despite creative resistance.
Presenter: Colette Morrow, Purdue University Northwest