“I started to take ballet seriously aged 10 when I was 11 I joined a top vocational school. I suffered bad emotional abuse the teacher frequently shouted and once hit me when I didn’t apply a correction correctly. Before class I developed anxiety where I would regularly feel nauseous however I thought this was normal in order to improve and to be the best dancer I could be.
When I was 14 I got told my thighs wobbled too much when I performed an exercise which led to an eating disorder which lasted for 2 years. I joined another vocational school aged 16 and the teacher regularly told individuals to ‘tone up’ and that certain body parts wobbled too much. The anxiety from the ballet world still affects me today. I hope more people continue to speak out so our voices are heard.”
-Anonymous
