Why anyone who loves to move and is willing to work hard should sink their chops in the dance world.
By Margi Young
Issue: April 2001

No doubt you've heard the phrase, "She has (or doesnt have) a dancer's body." Such a comment can be untrue, hurtful and discriminatory for so many
people who want to dance, but don't fit the concept of the "ideal" traditional body type.

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It's All In The Genes

Did you know that genetics determines your body type? Three categories apply to all people: The endomorph, a soft, round body; the mesomorph, a hard, muscular body and the ectomorph, a thin body with little muscle tissue. To learn more about your genetic type, check out the chart below to see which one most closely describes you. No matter which type we resemble, everyone can be healthy, in shape and look greatthe main elements of a dancer.

ECTOMORPH
Thin, Delicate Build
Tall
Lightly Muscled
Hunched Shoulders
Has Trouble Gaining Weight
Muscle Growth Is Hard
Little Fat And Muscle Tissue
Flat Chest

MESOMORPH
Hard, Well-Developed
Muscular Body
Mature Appearance
Rectangular Shape
Thick Skin
Upright Posture

ENDOMORPH
Gains Or Loses Weight Easily
Develops Muscle Easily Soft Body
Underdeveloped Muscles
Round Shape
Trouble Losing Weight
Develops Muscle Easily
Preponderance Of Body Fat
Over-Developed
Digestive System

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A Balanchine Act

Why does this term "dancer's body" exist? We live in an image-obsessed culture where thin is in. Naturally, dancers (who are like living artwork) are expected to have lean, well-defined bodies.


In the 1930s, famed ballet choreographer George Balanchine told the world what a dancer must look like. The "Balanchine Ballerina" was about 5' 6" tall, extremely thin, with a long neck and simple features. Because many in the dance world revere Balanchine, his preference has become the prototype against which potential ballet dancers are typically measured. One supporting but false argument is that all ballerinas need to look the same to create a magical illusion.

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Costume Savvy

Outside of the professional ballet world, there seems to be a wider acceptance of dancers who don't possess the Balanchine "look." Yet, when choreography calls for a group of dancers to be uniform, there is still a tendency to cast similar body types. However, if your ensemble comprises a variety of body types, well-designed costumes can hide attributes like a long torso, big hips or large breasts.


Deborah Nelson, the head designer for Satin Stitches, Ltd., in Minneapolis,
creates costumes for high school dance teams, marching bands and ice skaters. Her use of design and sewing techniques helps her to make all participants appear to have the same body type. "I'm striving to have everybody fit in," she says.

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From The Beginning

Modern dance has historically embraced all body sizes and types as being beautiful and inspiring. Starting in the early 1900s, Isadora Duncan danced with her voluptuous body in free-flowing tunics. Today, choreographers such as Bill T. Jones, Mark Morris and Doug Varone work with dancers who are, first and foremost, great movers. Using a variety of body types to display a more realistic sampling of human beings has resulted in very interesting, personal and diverse looks.

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Case In Point

Molly Shanahan is the artistic director of the 12-member modern company Mad Shak, in Chicago, which features dancers with a variety of body types. The praise she gets about her company and dancers proves to Shanahan that it doesnt matter if dancers' bodies look different, as long as they know how to use them. "It's the dancers who fall outside the traditional body type who are compelling to me," she adds.


Mad Shak members work collaborativelyeach playing a big role in developing the movement vocabulary. Through teaching and developing the artistic sensibilities of her dancers, Shanahan encourages them to get into their individualityto explore what it feels like to be in their own unique skin. This way, she uses the range of ideas and body types to create a movement base that is full of variety. Summing up, Shanahan says, "Bodies are beautiful. Whether people have wider shoulders, larger hips or longer torsos, it's cool to see different shapes
moving together." For more on Mad Shak Dance Company: www.madshak.com.

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On The Screen: Lotte Prima Ballerina

Lotte wants to be a ballerina and neither her unconventional dancer's body nor her father and everybody else who scoffs at the idea will stop her. This 24-minute short from German director Marc-Andreas Bochert recently made its NYC première at the New York International Children's Film Festival.

Margi holds an MFA from New York Universitys Tisch School Of The Arts and a BA from Mills College in California, both in dance.