School For Sylphs? - San Francisco Ballet School discrimination case - Brief Article

Dance Magazine, April, 2001 by Rita Felciano

On November 18, Krissy Keefer, a local dancer/choreographer, filed a complaint with the San Francisco Human Rights Commission because her daughter, Fredrika Near Keefer, age 8 at the time, had been refused admission to the San Francisco Ballet School. Keefer, who describes her daughter as "musical and really talented," felt that the school's rejection of Fredrika violated a recent San Francisco ordinance outlawing the funding of organizations that discriminate on the basis of body type. Since the San Francisco Ballet Company, which runs the SFB school, regularly receives support from the city's Grants for the Arts program, Keefer felt that she had a case.

In its response on December 6, the San Francisco Ballet rejected the claim of discrimination on the basis of weight and height, citing statistics on the broad range of height and weight levels among its Level One students. The SFB School's published criteria for admission include the following requirements: "a well-proportioned, slender body; a straight and supple spine; legs that are well turned out from the hip" and "an ear for music and an instinct for movement."

In an additional brief, filed on January 8, SFB pointed out that Grants for the Arts recipients are not able to use the funding for education and training activities and that the school's funds come from tuition and gifts alone.

Keefer's complaint hit a sore spot in many circles. The story was reported by newspapers across the country, and Keefer herself was invited to appear on ABC's The View and Good Morning America. Both major local ballet critics wrote opinion pieces in support of the ballet company's right to choose students it considers best suited for the kind of training the school aims to provide. Others in the news media decried ballet's "elitist" attitudes and questioned the role of public money in an art form that, they argue, serves a minority of the public. At the very least, the controversy has stimulated discussion on what kind of dance training is suitable and desirable for young children.

As of press time, the Human Rights Commission was awaiting a decision by the City Attorney on whether Keefer's claim has legal merit.