UN
THE RUG
The real names of the victim and the ballet school are altered to protect their identities.
By CJ Hoo
DER
I
n the ballet studio, the music of soft piano notes and pointe shoes beating the ground in unison reaches the tall ceilings. The scarred, black marley bends under the weight of time and reflects endlessly in the floor-length mirrors. This is where Jane Doe, a precocious and dedicated dancer, was sexually assaulted as a young teenager by her trusted instructor. In the waiting room, the tired, green rug tries to hide what has been swept under it.
A Brief History of Sexual Assault in Ballet
Since its creation in the 15th century, ballet’s focus on external beauty has bred a strict hierarchy of power kept in place by a culture of silence. But more recently, in light of the #MeToo movement, ballerinas have begun to come forward about their experiences with sexual misconduct. In 2017, New York City Ballet director Peter Martins stepped down after being accused of sexual abuse and harassment (Liu). In 2021, Sage Humphries filed a lawsuit against Boston Ballet’s Mitchell Taylor Button and his wife, Dusty Button, for grooming and coercing her, among other dancers, into sexual acts (Leavey). While there has been some progress in holding perpetrators accountable, the problem persists. An anonymous study on the Paris "Dead" pointe shoes Opera Ballet in 2018 revealed that 77% of 108 dancers felt that they had been verbally harassed, while the San Francisco Bay Area, where she started her seven-year 26% had either been a witness or a victim of sexual education at The Ballet Academy. assault at work (qtd. in Sulcas). These statistics clearly show Jane started private lessons that the majority of ballerinas still do not 77% of 108 dancers felt that they had been with the instructor who assaulted her when she was in sixth grade. feel safe telling their verbally harassed, while 26% had either Private ballet lessons are a costly stories. So how can been a witness or a victim of sexual assault yet effective way to improve one’s we encourage them to speak out? What can we do to prevent sexual assault from oc- technique because they entail one-on-one time to work on curring in ballet in the first place? And how can we reconcile specific skills or adjustments with a teacher. During their private lessons, Jane’s instructor pushed her harder and harder. our love for ballet? He began telling her, “I just need to work you harder,” and even though The Ballet Academy is a non-competitive dance Jane's Story school, he urged her to compete in the Youth America Grand Jane is a passionate and motivated ballet dancer who was Prix, commonly known as YAGP, because he said he saw so sexually assaulted at her former ballet school. Yet her experience with ballet’s unforgiving hierarchy and culture of silence much potential in her. When the sexual abuse started occurring, Jane was conflicted about speaking out because she has not discouraged her from pursuing a professional ballet still wanted to prove that she had “potential to be something career. Ballet has been a part of Jane’s life since she was three great.” Once she told her parents, Jane immediately left The years old. She was born in Germany and danced at a little Ballet Academy, but she didn’t tell anyone else for four years. studio until she was six years old. Her family then moved to