Directors talk about weight - a survey of ballet company directors indicates no single policy on dancer weight; some have no policy, others may publically post weights and discipline dancers who fail to maintain mandated weight - Brief Article

Dance Magazine, Nov, 1997 by Gail Cox, Paul Ben-Itzak

At Columbia City Ballet, officials monitor dancers' weight and post the figures publicly on a weekly basis. At Cleveland San Jose Ballet, performers hit the scales at the beginning of the season, but results are confidential. At both companies, those who fall above or below the weight mandated in their contracts can be fined, placed on weight probation, removed from parts, or fired. Still other troupes, including those represented by the dancers' union, the American Guild of Musical Artists, have no contractual provisions about body size. Teachers contacted for an October Dance Magazine report on schools consider health and nutrition an important part of a dancer's education, and often their schools offer professional counseling. Artistic directors, however, can have different priorities. An informal Dance Magazine survey revealed no magic formula, but rather a surprising range of approaches.

CCB's weight guidelines are spelled out in its contract, which states that the dancer is "prohibited from dramatically altering the physical appearance he/she presented at the audition. This includes . . . alterations in hair style, hair color, or substantial weight gain or loss." The contract defines substantial weight gain or loss as "a fluctuation of more than five pounds from the Member's performance weight determined by the artistic director and the ballet mistress or master. The Member will weigh in each Saturday . . . and record his/her weight . . . on the weight chart posted at the Columbia Conservatory of Dance." Dancers who fail to weigh in are fined $20.

"Physical appearance is very important," said artistic director William Starrett. "I have a lot of rules, and a lot of people have had trouble with it. . . . With the chart they can see a variance. It works well. It makes them more aware and forces them to eat properly." Starrett said dancers are encouraged to read about nutrition, but that he's most concerned with the artistic impact and overall look of the company. If dancers are unable to meet his weight standards, he maintained, "They're no good to me. I can't paint with fat paintbrushes. I'm trying to get people to really love ballet. The audience won't pay if it's not special, not magical. It is not worth $25."

Starrett has sole discretion over the disciplinary action, which can range from a monetary fine to termination. The director said he usually gives dancers two weeks' probation during which to lose the weight, however much or little it is. Starrett has fired dancers because they gained weight. He fired one, he reported, "over a lousy four pounds."

Meanwhile, at CSJB, artistic director Dennis Nahat works with dancers to determine an appropriate weight and physical appearance at the beginning of the contract year, according to company officials. Disagreements are submitted to a physician and nutritionist who "take into consideration the peculiar requirements of ballet performance and presentation." Dancers who fail to correct a weight or other physical appearance condition within two weeks of the weigh-in, or upon receipt of a written, private notice from Nahat, can be fined $2 for being three pounds over the stipulated weight, and $5 per day for an extra four to nine pounds. The enforcement of these fines is up to the director. A dancer ten or more pounds overweight would see a physician at his or her own expense. Failure to fulfill the weight requirement more frequently results in weight probation, which can affect casting and could ultimately lead to dismissal at the end of the season, according to Linda Jackson, artistic associate at CSJB (Nahat was unavailable for comment).

Jackson said that no one has been fined in many years, and that Nahat is more likely to assess a dancer visually and rely upon appearance and not the scale. Jackson described a healthy atmosphere. Dancer Holly Morrow agreed, calling the procedures "very effective." She particularly favors the weigh-in, which she said "is great because it helps you gauge where you should be, and reveals how much weight is gained in the off-season."

Not all ballet companies are so meticulous about weight. "What kind of policy can you have?" said Eliot Feld, insisting that weight problems are not an issue for his Ballet Tech. "It is hard to have a policy based on an aberrant circumstance." Although Feld recognizes that there can be a Darwinian quality to the profession, and that some dancers have an ongoing struggle with weight in the quest for theoretic perfection, he said employees are human beings first and dancers second. "If you love the dancer as a person, this is the real thing. There are some wonderful dancers who don't have the `ideal' body."

Mark Morris went one step further, declaring that he finds finds extremely thin dancers grisly; "Sometimes I want to go backstage and give them a sandwich!" His dancers are often said to look like real people: "Guess what?" he said. "They are!"