Frozen landscapes: a Foucauldian genealogy of the ideal ballet dancer’s body

Abstract

This paper explores the social construction of the ‘ideal’ body of the female ballet dancer in North America. Specifically, the author constructs a Foucauldian genealogy tracing a body shape that came to dominate the principal female dancers of the New York City Ballet, and how this body shape continues to be normalized through references in a range of popular magazines and through the images and written text of children’s books about ballet. The author argues that some attempts to counter the discourse of an ideal ballet dancer’s body may unintentionally contribute to the reinforcement of the dominant discourse. The ethical implications and ramifications of a counter‐discourse located at the site of the dancing child are presented as of concern and worthy of further exploration. A suggestion is offered for unfreezing the frozen landscape of this ideal body shape through resistances and counter‐discourses located throughout society.