Queensland Ballet recently sounded the alarm on letting boys return to the studio after male enrollments at the Queensland Ballet School dropped 36 per cent since 2020.
We spoke to Queensland Ballet Academy Artistic Director Christian Tàtchev to find out what they are doing and why it is vital that we address this issue quickly for the sustainability of the ballet industry.
When did you first notice a drop in the number of boys applying to Queensland Ballet School?
“The Queensland Ballet School officially changed its name to the Academy in 2016 when we merged a number of programs. Up until COVID-19, the number of men applying to the Academy had been increasing. Then in the year of COVID-19 we hit a bottleneck because we The pre-professional program group had no place to graduate because there were no jobs and they couldn’t actually complete their program, so we managed to modify their fees and they ended up taking two years to complete the program and we have below them. Students, so the total number of boys is still looking pretty good. Probably in year two and three after COVID, we noticed, especially at the younger level, that the number of boys dropped dramatically. It makes sense because when you think about that period, a lot of the training was done online in someone’s kitchen or living room, but for boys, when your focus is on jumping and turning, your dance training There would be restrictions. I think a lot of boys at that time wanted to go out and play football and do something more physical than just grabbing the kitchen counter.
We hope this downward trend will slowly change, but looking at the turnout at auditions, sometimes there are no boys in our classes at all. This has never happened before.
Is this an Australian problem or a wider problem?
“In Europe, I look at pictures of my peers on social media, and they used to have maybe 12 boys, now they have eight, but they still have boys. They don’t have a class with no boys at all. But we’re talking about a A culture that respects the arts, if you turn on the news in Europe you’ll hear the news, the weather, and then there’s also a section about arts and dance, and in Australia our support for the arts in general is not that strong, and that’s reflected in that. Our college does not receive federal funding support.
What role does funding play in this problem?
“We’re talking about boys now as part of our diversity plan. I think that’s bad because when I think about diversity, I don’t think about gender; I think about gender. I want to think about attracting more Aboriginal talent. I I would also like to look at other spaces such as people who need accessible support if there is funding for Queensland Ballet Academy to offer scholarships to boys. And retain their talent, I think our conversations will be different.
The program has been running for a few weeks now. What did you see in the studio?
“We have 20 boys registered. Some of them even travel from as far away as the Sunshine Coast to attend. It’s a very positive environment. Skill levels and ages vary but we try to cater for their needs so they all Get involved. But the main thing they really did was come together in a positive space and share their passion. We met them from the first class and no one knew them, they went to the bar and no one was there. Talking, they’re a group of young people connecting. They want to feel included, they want to feel supported, they want to feel safe.
Even if they don’t end up pursuing ballet as a career, they will continue to be great ambassadors for the arts and may become our next audience members. They will tell positive stories and change that perception or stigma.
Why teachers should encourage boys to participate Queensland Ballet’s Boys Ballet Program?
“The more opportunities we create for boys, the more boys will come. They will all have a good story about what they experienced and take that story back to their regular studio sessions.
How important is it for boys to see a future and build community with other male dancers?
“At Queensland Ballet we actually have a boys ballet committee now, which is a company-wide commitment, not just an academy commitment. We meet and discuss the strategies we need to get these boys into the boys’ division and look at the jumps and Turn around and look at how physical they are and supporting each other like they’re part of a men’s group. This isn’t about chasing swans around the stage in white tights. Maybe that was a few years ago, but it doesn’t matter that much anymore. .
There have been several attempts over the years to get more ballet boys trained. It feels like a constant battle. In the next edition of Dance Informa we will continue our conversation with Christian Tàtchev and explore this issue in more depth.
In the meantime, if you have the opportunity to participate in this program or any boy-centered ballet class, or you can encourage young people you know to do so, please do so. Ballet needs boys. Ballet boys need other ballet boys. And ballet needs you to support them in any way you can.
Students can sign up for Queensland Ballet’s Ballet Boys program here.
Created by Nikola Hall of Informa Dance Society.
