Considering every broad and her mother owns a pair of ballet flats these days, it’s safe to say ballet has successfully re-infiltrated popular culture. But that might not be a good thing. In this episode, Hannah and Maia, along with movement artist Susanna Haight, trace the evolution of dance in the Western zeitgeist - from the days of George Balanchine, to the introduction of camera phones into the training space. If we’re living in a time of girlhood, and girlhood is all about ballet, and ballet is all about hyper femininity, and femininity is all about self-regulation, and self-regulation is the prevailing force of our social media surveillance society… then we may just be trapped in a dance panopticon. But what does this mean for dancers? Tangents include: Maia being hit on by her pre-recorded, virtual Peloton instructor.

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Intro and outro song by our talented friend Ian Mills:

⁠https://linktr.ee/ianmillsmusic

Sources:

Sarah Crompton, “‘Ballet has the same appeal as Princess culture’: Alice Robb on how would-be ballerinas are taught to be thin, silent and submissive” Independent (2023).

Elizabeth Kiem, “George Balanchine: the Human Cost of an Artistic Legacy” Huffington Post (2014).

Cecily Parks, “The arts are slowly diversifying but ballet needs to catch up” New School Free Press (2023).

Irene E. Schultz, “What is a Ballet Body?” Medium (2020).

Frances Sola-Santiago, “Balletcore Is Still Huge In 2023 — Here’s Why It’s More Exciting Than Ever Before” Refinery 29 (2023).

Avery Trufelman, “On Pointe” Articles of Interest (2023).