“Ballet is anatomically incorrect.” Quote from-William Forsythe, in a wonderful film about his company.
I had a weight problem when I was a teenager. At the National Ballet School of Canada we were weighed once a week. Our weight was posted in the dining room, week after week. On Fridays, when my class was weighed, we would skip breakfast but drink lots of coffee, to stimulate urination, water loss, and weight loss. So we went to ballet class at 9:00 without nutrition and dehydrated. Not recommended for a good lifestyle.
The funny thing is that I didn’t have any weight problems before I went to school. I was so skinny as a child that my mother used all kinds of tricks and punishments to make me eat.
Unfortunately, at the time, little was known about metabolism and a good diet. I know the school has corrected that now.
The absolutely most incredibly talented dancer in our school at the time also had a weight problem. She was chosen for a solo by a visiting Russian professor. She lost tons of weight and danced brilliantly. People were fascinated when she took the stage in the school show. Time and space stopped when she danced.
But after he left for Russia, he gained weight again. Then, a few months later, he was supposed to join the National Ballet Company. she didn’t. We heard that she ended up in the hospital with a “tropical illness.” Hey? Looking back, I don’t think so. I think he starved to death. Too much. Just my theory.
About a year later I put her on the street. I was going through a “I’ll never dance again” period. She worked at a phone company and actually helped me get a job there. (I lasted three months).
After cutting all ties with my school, I mysteriously lost weight. My mother called me “the skull”, she was so skinny.
A famous ballet story dealing with weight is “Dancing On My Grave” by Gelsey Kirkland. It is a thriller for a ballet biography, very fascinating.
What does this all mean? First, it means that our teachers knew very little about being slim and healthy. It’s no one’s fault at the time.
But we do now! So how do you fit into that size zero tutu?
I remember an amazing moment after I had just finished my Cecchetti Master Exam. My examiner was Margaret Saul, much feared at the time. (and somewhere in the eighties of it). My exam was the last one for the day, and after my exam partner and I left the studio, Mrs. Saul came out. She smiled at me and said, “You have chubby arms, like Karsavina. They make the right line.” (Disciple of Cecchetti and partner of Nijinsky).
I think I didn’t hear that correctly for about two weeks. Karsavina? Tamara?
So it’s just a matter of perspective.
And, to the point, fat does not make you fat. Carbohydrates make you fat. Except for Ezekial or some other brand of FLOURLESS bread, forget about the bread. “Empty calories” means no nutrition. People sensitive to wheat or gluten tend to gain weight and bloat with fluids. Now it’s easy to find gluten-free and wheat-free products.
Proteins, vitamins and minerals are found in meats, fish, eggs, dairy products, vegetables, legumes, nuts, salads and fruits. Isn’t that enough for you? For essential fatty acids, a little flaxseed oil and a little ultra-purified fish oil supplement your daily omega 3 intake.
Unfortunately, our culture is attuned to the billion dollar diet industry and the processed food industry. This often leads to muscle loss, while a healthy diet will help the ballet dancer build muscle mass.
You have to eat fresh food. Set realistic goals. Unplug from the junk and stay healthy in your ballet shoes and pointe shoes – lose weight safely by eating REAL food, good fats and oils, and forget about empty carbs.