Dance students don’t face unsafe pressures

By Jessica Pickens

pickensj@mytjnow.com

In recent years, the media have drawn attention to dancer body-image issues. Winthrop dance majors don’t have any of these pressures put on them in classes. Photo by Stephanie Eaton • eatons@mytjnow.comMovies such as “Center Stage” talk about the touchy subject. 

The film features a slightly overweight girl who gets cut from the company and another girl who struggles with bulimia.  

Body image is an important topic in the dance world, but pressures are not put on Winthrop dance majors. 

Dance professor Sandra Neels danced with the famous Merce Cunningham Dance Company and saw the pressures that are now coming to light. 

“A particular body type isn’t spoken about any longer because of eating disorders,” Neels said. “Directors and choreographers definitely know who they want for their companies and dances, and dancers know what they are looking for by how the other dancers in their companies and works appear.” 

One famous case involving an eating disorder includes film actress and dancer Vera-Ellen. Vera-Ellen starred in films such as “White Christmas” and is painfully thin. 

Vera-Ellen suffered from early signs of aging on her neck and for the rest of her career only wore turtlenecks to hide the wrinkles. 

In the 1950s, Vera-Ellen helped bring attention to eating disorders, especially anorexia, among other actresses. 

Many of the anorexia medical terms were coined while she was treated, according to IMDB.com.

Winthrop dance majors don’t have these pressures and are only required to follow an appearance code for dress and hair, Neels said.

“They have to have their hair tied up neatly,” she said. “And they have to wear tights and leotards as well as ballet slippers for ballet classes.”

As a dancer, Neels had guidelines for herself, but not from the company.

“The only pressure, which I put on myself, was to be thin, strong, flexible and able to perform any movement that was given to me,” she said.

However, Neels also had an image to produce outside the company.

“The image I had for myself offstage was one of neatness, elegance and politeness because I was a member of a well-known and respected company,” she said. “I dressed nicely at all times in public because I wanted to maintain the respect associated with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.”