During the Italian Renaissance, a dance was formed that was considered to be highly technical and in a category of its own. In the fifteenth century, ballet was created and later expanded on thanks to both Russia and France. Having three main styles – classical, neoclassical, and contemporary, ballet entertained the biggest stages all over the world. But according to Francesca McCarthy, the dance needs to be done away with as it was built around “white European ideas”. 

McCarthy’s ideas were shared by Britain’s Northern School of Contemporary Dance as they decided to do away with ballet for being too gendered and built on white ideas. While the head of undergraduate studies at the school, McCarthy stated, “It is essentially an elitist form. Young people need to pay to take ballet classes as a general rule and for a vast number of potential students, they’ve not had access to ballet.”

Close

Continuing with her opinion, McCarthy inserted, “It is a very specific form that is built around particular white European ideas and body shapes that are often alienating to young people who do not fit that aesthetic ideal. There are issues relating to body, money, language and movement vocabulary.” She added, “most of [the NSCD’s] ballet staff were trained at a time where divisions in the teaching of ballet were clear and men lifted women.”

Users online shared their own opinions, writing:

  • “White European ideals brought civilization to the world. That is no good for the modern Leftist wanna-be tyrants that want a slave class and nothing else.”
  • “The Left and ‘progressives’ hate white people. The Left’s ideology is dominated by race-hatred of white people. Erasing European culture and identity is the preliminary to erasing European people themselves.”
  • “So they’re saying because ballet comes from a white European culture – it’s bad??This would mean anything connected to a white idea, it’s bad? You people are more than crazy.”

One user had a completely different take, suggesting, “Funny how all the things which require the most skill are the ‘white’ things and need to be eliminated. It’s all just another way to make the lazy and untalented feel good about themselves.”