Dance Education: Body positivity

Dance Education is a series of articles that will focus on various aspects of the teaching-learning environment, methodology, practice and more. Bringing together varied perspectives from across regions, ideologies and styles, we hope to encourage an active dialogue about what one might consider to be one of the most significant links between the performing arts and the world at large - the teacher and the taught.

''Perfection is an illusion, we tell ourselves. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, we say. For each one of us, notions of beauty and perfection are defined. Whether we acknowledge it or not, these terms not just get defined but also redefined in our minds and psyche with time. 'Beauty' and 'perfection' seem at first to be words with positive connotations. And that they may be in an objective paradigm. Not so in the real world where definitions of beauty look for examples. These examples become standards of beauty. Having set a standard, the entire population meets or not this standard. Those who meet are accepted, those who don't are relegated. But to return to 'defining beauty'. Who defines beauty and why? If one were to restrict this dialogue to beauty as being that of the body and appearance, do capitalist economic forces define beauty in a way that is different from natural unmodified bodies? Do the socio-cultural elite of any time or geography dictate definitions of beauty to serve their own hierarchical interests? Are definitions of beauty created to control the free body and mind of a people? In the real world, there is obviously a complex interplay of power structures that fabricate definitions of beauty. To fall prey to these fabrications is the bane of our existence today, pandering to standards that alienate one person from the other. In the constant bombardment of media content that lends itself to these fabrications, we fall further. In trying to 'step up' to these standards, very few realise that it is the beginning of a  downfall. 

In the world of dance, especially classical dance in India and within the diaspora, the past few decades have set forth certain standards of beauty - of body shapes and sizes, of Aharya (costume, jewelry and accessories) and of complexion, skin tones, etc. Do all performers then toe the line that defines these standards. NO. Are there successful artistes who do not bide by these standards of beauty? YES. Then there must be no problem! Then there must be no need for this article. But we sit down to discuss issues of body positivity (the lack of) and skewed definitions of beauty and perfection because professionals who remain unaffected by societal standards of beauty are too few. While their accomplishments stand tall for the worth of their sweat, far too many students of dance continue to be held against irrational standards of beauty. The worth of their sweat often is over-shadowed by these standards. Some students of dance are even directed away from becoming performers based on opinions on skin colour, height, weight and more. Social media threads and closed-room peer discussions point in this direction. How do professionals navigate these popular notions of beauty? How do we dismantle deleterious barriers that hold back worthy individuals and their work? How do we mould these notions of beauty in ways that uplift and not constrict? Big questions and complicated answers? What seems like a huge ask only requires that we start with one question and the rest shall follow. So where does one begin? In the classroom of course.

What seems like 'just' a start - the classroom- in fact is the bigger deal. In a world where children are constantly exposed to the utilitarian value of beauty in all spheres of life, it is of course important that systemic changes are required if we as a society must move away from skewed notions of beauty and worth. I present here the value of a dance teacher as a person who holds responsibility and power. By virtue of their position in the classroom, teachers can enable far-reaching changes amongst the generation that will eventually step into professional spaces. How does the teacher acknowledge this responsibility and effect change? Should today's dance classroom include a module on body awareness and body positivity or should body positivity be reaffirmed in multiple ways in the dance classroom? That would constitute the difference between talking and walking the talk. 

For starters, as teachers, do we ask ourselves what our own conditioning is with respect to definitions or standards of beauty? Who or what represents beauty for us? And how consistent are we in translating our beliefs into practice? For teachers who present their students in recitals, performances and dance ballets, are implicit standards of beauty applied to the selection of dancers and characters? Does the fair-skinned girl become goddess while the larger-built or dark-skinned child become Asura? Do stage positions reflect in any way an adherence to populist notions of beauty? In the dance classroom itself, is a certain body type admonished over another? A healthy and strong body is a viable tool for a dancer. Very often, a strong or fit body is confused with numbers on the inch tape. Do teachers allow this confusion to enter the dance classroom? To be aware of the narratives that have molded our current notions of beauty is an essential in any teacher's training kit, I would assert. One could draw from the experiences of teachers from previous generations who may or may not have articulated their intention to instill a sense of body positivity but did so nevertheless. Simultaneously, one must learn from prejudiced opinions that one may have suffered and ensure that these are not unconsciously passed on to students. Teachers who have suffered demeaning opinions about their weight may find themselves fretting over a student's weight gain in spite of not agreeing with this prejudice. It is important that we actively therefore acknowledge our actions and body language that may arise out of the trauma that we have suffered in the past. To undo and unlearn internalised trauma is part of undoing the prejudice for future generations. 

Another answer may lie in revisiting textual references of beauty and  recalibrating the lens through which we view these texts. How these texts are presented and interpreted for students can inform their perspectives on appearance and the dancing body. How are glorifying paragraphs about 'creeper-like waists' and 'bow shaped brows' discussed in the dance classroom? How does a student differentiate between description of appearance and virtue? Should these descriptive paragraphs be viewed objectively as the poet/author's opinion on beauty or should it be held as a standard for all? How do dance students view beauty as defined in texts on dramaturgy and dance? How would they describe a beautiful person? The teacher holds an important place in facilitating discussions and debates that could crystallise thoughts and opinions of the student themselves. When students are able to form their own templates of beauty, the classroom becomes truly diverse and inclusive. The sensibility that they then bring to descriptive poetry and the choices they make about 'what' they will preform and accept, will be in alignment with their bodies and minds.

"When I entered the performance scenario, I was stereotyped as a graceful /soft dancer and was not allowed to do items on Shiva. I assumed I was not strong enough to portray Shiva until I realised that Shiva does not need to be portrayed with acrobatic gait or movement. This realisation dawned on me after much turmoil and I therefore believe that as teachers we must be cautious about what we tell our students. It is our duty to equip them to handle diverse situations and characters but we must never restrict their choices and possibilities." says Janane Sethunarayanan, Bharatanatyam dancer and teacher. "As a teacher, I find that a great task to encourage children to talk and be aware of body positivity is to have them research and share about persons with physical challenges who have reached great heights in their chosen careers. It could be a Paralympics athlete or Beethoven. Another constant that should be a part of the dance classroom is to provide fresh perspectives on Mythology and the stereotypical depiction that we have grown up seeing. Get the student to write down what they like and dislike about a character. And once they have, the teacher can draw attention to how characters (positive or negative) are depicted with certain colours or appearances and how they must interpret or understand these depictions. That this in no way reflects on our actual appearance must be made clear." 

On the other hand, mythology itself can be used to teach students that all kinds of body types have always been celebrated, says Manasa Joshi, Kathak dancer, actor and teacher. "Since mythology continues to be integrally connected to dance, it could be a place to start discussions", she thinks. "My skin tone, while it was never talking point in the dance arena, was something people pointed out in the film industry. To add to this, I also saw a lot of girls around me with crystal clear skin that made me conscious of my own skin. I burnt my hand as a toddler and the scars of that burn have grown with me. I would be apprehensive of wearing clothes that revealed the scar but with time, I have outgrown these apprehensions. As a student of dance, even if I didn't face any discrimination, I have seen many of my friends have harrowing experiences. We never questioned why group performances meant that all the dancers should look similar in terms of height or weight; or why a soloist was expected to be a tall person. Thankfully today, students question the aesthetics of every movement and decision taken in the class, making the teacher all the more accountable. As a teacher, there is a need to understand the body- all teachers should develop on this need. The dance classroom is not a place where competitors are created to run a race. It is a place where a student must feel enthused to learn the art form. It is definitely the teacher's responsibility to not allow comparisons of any sorts to creep in and risk killing a student's love for dance."

This is but a beginning to many discussions that should be encouraged in the dance classroom and beyond: for prejudices to give way to a more empathetic and equal environment where art is not restricted by narrow views, for students and performers to occupy a diverse future. To encourage students to navigate the many biases that exist today and cultivate a voice that defies them is essential and not as difficult as it seems. 

Published in Ananya Kalasinchana. Do not reprint or republish without permission from the editor.