Distorting Dance Reality
November 13, 2012

A few weeks ago, our sister publication Dance Spirit posted a picture of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Chelsea Adomaitis as its photo of the day. Not long after, we spotted an altered image circulating on Pinterest.

Look closely—the dancer’s torso has been trimmed by nearly half and her foot has been winged to the extreme. Why Photoshop reality in dance? What does it tell young students about the industry’s already sky-high expectations to make an image of sky-high extension even more superlative? Talk about unattainable.

Read up on encouraging healthy body image in your students in “Positive Reflections,” check out tips on approaching the weight issue safely in “A Touchy Subject,” and urge your dancers to look to reality for inspiration, not trimmed and clipped distortions designed to go viral on the internet. The real thing is hard enough to achieve!

Photo: original (blue) image by Lindsay Thomas

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