Renaissance Redneck: Its ta-ta to the tutu

Photo by Scillystuff
No, I’m not referring the recently deceased South African Anglican bishop and theologian Desmond Tutu. I am referring to the fact that the ballet dress known as the tutu is being hauled away to the sacred woke burial grounds.

But then it occurred to me that no longer will little girls wear the silk, starched doily wrapped dress, for dance recitals, tea parties, or as a Halloween costume. Perhaps, instead of the “Swan Lake” attire they will now don the swashbuckling costumes worn in the opera the “Pirates of Penzance” or the suspendered OshKosh B’gosh overalls from the musical “Oklahoma,” if they are still feeling musically whimsical at tea time.

“Shiver me timbers, would you fancy a spot of tea, Matey?”

I don’t pretend to be a fashion maven or even fashionable in any fashion. The reason this topic caught my attention is because I have been concerned for the feet of the ballet dancers when they are “on pointe,” or dancing on the tips of their toes. Our human toes were not designed for this stance, so the pain they endure must be excruciating. I perceive the pointe dance position as being one of the ultimate sacrifices an artist/athlete can make for their beloved art form. Even if the pain is bearable, this technique deforms the foot, which is akin to the historical practice of female foot binding. I realize, of course, that the ballet dancer has a choice. But there again, ballet slippers have been described as being both beautiful and cruel.

In 1975, a study led by Dr. James A. Nicholas and published in The Journal of Sports Medicine reviewed 61 different activities, concluding that ballet was the most physically and mentally demanding, followed by bullfighting and football. Therefore, getting leveled by a 250-pound linebacker or the thought that you may be gored by your 1,000-pound opponent while waving a red cloth at them is an easier task than that of the ballerina performing on stage.

Many ballet dancers are cursed with ailments known “ballerina feet,” which can be a combination of problems and/or “trigger toe,” an injury to the tendons controlling toe movement. Stress fractures are also common in the foot bones of ballet dancers. Another infirmity due to this dance form are bunions and callouses forming on the feet. To relieve themselves of these deformations, ballerinas have been known to “operate” on their own feet with razor blades to slice the foot impediments off, often resulting in infection. There is a lengthy list of injuries associated with ballet dancing, both short term and long term. If your child becomes infatuated with the ballet, you should have a podiatrist “on retainer” for routine check-ups.

Ballerinas are between 5-foot-2 and 5-foot-8 tall and weigh between 85 and 130 pounds. Because they must remain petite, many ballerinas surprisingly smoke cigarettes to fend off hunger pangs and to speed up their metabolism. It seems odd that they would smoke due to the rigors of the dance, again this is another sacrifice made for art’s sake.

There has been much attention paid to repeated head injuries in the pro football and boxing ranks, which can evolve into chronic traumatic encephalopathy. This disease doesn’t always become apparent until many years after the repeated brain trauma has occurred.

I suspect that the reason the spotlight has been focused on boxing and football injuries is due to the respective sport’s violent tendencies. There is much criticism towards these two sports genres, and rightfully so. Ballet, on the other hand, is a beautiful art form, which attracts a different audience than football or boxing. But I think we would find that many of the critics of football and boxing are folks who attend and enjoy ballet performances.

David Kittredge is a regular Lifestyles contributor to the Eagle Times. You can send comments to him via the editor at [email protected].