More Dancers Allege Bullying and Body-Shaming at UK Ballet Schools

More dancers have come forward to allege a culture of body-shaming and bullying at a UK ballet school, according the the BBC.

In September BroadwayWorld reported on a BBC investigation stating that two of the UK's most prestigious ballet schools had been accused of a 'toxic' culture of body-shaming and bullying.

The claims included Royal Ballet School in London and the Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham. The new claims allege similar behaviour at the London Vocational Ballet School, known until earlier this year as the Young Dancers Academy.

The BBC reports that it has now spoken to more than 100 former dancers who attended UK schools from the 1990s through to the present day, and who all claim they experienced a "damaging" culture. All schools dispute the accounts given to the BBC.

The report references poor mental health care, being praised for losing lots of weight, being humilated by staff and staff making "inappropriate comments" about dancers' appearance and sex lives.

Joe Tidswell, who attended Elmhurst, alleges that he was body-shamed about his physique by a teacher, contributing to him developing bulimia nervosa. He graduated from the school in 2019 and describes it as a "damaging environment for young people with mental health issues".

Elmhurst says it was not made aware of any complaints by Joe during his time there.

It added: "The promotion of good physical and mental health is an absolute priority at Elmhurst Ballet School and we will always act immediately whenever issues are identified." 

The school says it now employs a mental health nurse specialising in disordered eating and a "further registered mental health nurse and a counsellor to ensure our students have all the support they need."

Following an inspection in October, the school has been rated "Outstanding" by Ofsted. The inspection report states: "Staff at all levels are highly skilled and knowledgeable."

Watch BBC Panorama's The Dark Side of Ballet Schools on BBC iPlayer

Listen to the story on File on 4 on BBC Sounds.

Photo Credit: Garry Knight from London, England, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons Attribution 2.0