Not Just Surface Damage

ballet scene), been told that they would “never make it”, simply because they did not have the body type. Ballet in particular focuses on the dancer’s body, besides the dancer’s technique. There was a case once where a dancer in a Russian ballet troupe was fired simply because she had become “too heavy”, regardless of the fact that she was a good dancer, and the extra weight had not affected her ability to dance.

That being said, the industry does not always focus on image purely.

Especially in contemporary dance companies, or in the hip hop scene, having a less-than-perfect body is perfectly acceptable, as long as you can move and have the technique and performance ability. In fact, a dancer with a sightly larger frame would be chosen over a dancer with a “dancer’s body” if they are a better dancer,