Body-shaming in prestigious ballet schools worse than elite sports, claims leading lawyer

Ellen Elphick says she wants to bring attraction to the harm caused by body-shaming successful ballet (Image: -)

Body-shaming of aspiring dancers by immoderate of the world’s astir prestigious ballet schools is worse than thing experienced successful elite sport, a starring lawyer representing affected performers has claimed.

Dino Nocivelli, who precocious helped erstwhile Royal Ballet School pupil Ellen Elphick scope a fiscal statement with the organisation aft she alleged suffering assemblage shaming during her clip there, said helium was representing astatine slightest 5 different performers with akin claims that scope from experiencing maltreatment successful the 2000s up to the contiguous day.

But helium warned that the maltreatment helium had seen successful the ballet grooming satellite was dissimilar thing helium had seen successful high-profile sports specified arsenic shot and athletics.

He is present calling for an urgent gathering with civilization caput Lisa Nandy, claiming much needs to beryllium done to safeguard dancers during training.

He said: “In galore cases, the mode that radical comprehend different people’s bodies [in ballet] and dainty them isn’t right, and we’ve had allegations of rather improper things. I bash a batch of cases wrong sports, truthful I cognize however hard it is to marque it arsenic a professional, and to marque it to the apical of the game.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - 2020/06/19: A presumption of a motion of the Royal Ballet School successful London. Britains (Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

“I afloat get that to marque it arsenic a ballerina, you person to beryllium physically fit. But successful presumption of what we’ve heard from our clients, being told oregon encouraged to skip meals, oregon for radical to beryllium smoking oregon making themselves sick, with radical making superior comments astir people’s bodies, it’s precise damaging. I haven’t seen this successful immoderate different athletics successful my full career.”

The spouse astatine instrumentality steadfast Leigh Day specialises successful actions for survivors of abuse, and has worked connected cases relating to misconduct wrong younker clubs and spiritual institutions arsenic good arsenic sports.

His lawsuit Ms Elphick, who attended the Royal Ballet School betwixt 2009 and 2012, starting arsenic a 16-year-old, claims she had suffered lifelong intelligence harm aft suffering alleged assemblage shaming.

The Royal Ballet School reached a fiscal colony with Elphick, but has said it does not judge liability for the ex-pupil’s experiences and has not issued an apology

Nocivelli said different dancers are present making akin allegations astir being body-shamed which helium said had had lasting interaction connected their carnal and intelligence health.

One pistillate is moving with Nocivelli to bring a assertion against a schoolhouse she attended betwixt the ages of 11 and 19.

ELLEN ELPHICK ; Ballerina ; The Royal Ballet School ; London, UK ; 2011 ; Credit: Johan Persson / (Image: Johan Persson / ArenaPAL)

She told The Stage she had “always wanted to beryllium a ballerina” and felt similar a “poster girl” astatine the institution, but was near “mortified” aft being diagnosed with a hormone deficiency and prescribed medicine that resulted successful changes to her assemblage and figure.

She said: “I ne'er developed an eating disorder, but I developed disordered eating. My narration with nutrient is not normal, and I person since been officially diagnosed with assemblage dysmorphia.

“I stayed until I was 19. I graduated, nevertheless I didn’t spell into a vocation successful ballet. My intelligence wellness was truthful bad, I decided I needed to permission the ballet manufacture completely. I find it excessively achy to beryllium portion of that world. I surely wouldn’t let immoderate girl of excavation to spell distant to boarding schoolhouse to bid successful ballet.”

In his missive to Nandy, asking for a meeting, Nocivelli states: “My clients powerfully judge the civilization successful the ballet satellite needs to alteration and that much indispensable beryllium done to safeguard the well-being of students and let them to beryllium heard. I would similar to delight petition a gathering with you to sermon this contented and however we tin instrumentality this forward.”