Queensland Ballet recently sounded the alarm to bring boys back to the ballet studio after seeing a 36 percent drop in male enrolments to Queensland Ballet Academy since 2020. When ballet boys have always been few and far between, this statistic is definitely a concern.
We spoke to Queensland Ballet Academy Artistic Director Christian Tàtchev about what they’re doing and why it’s vital for the sustainability of the ballet industry that we address this, and fast.
When did you first notice the decline in boys applying to Queensland Ballet Academy?
“Queensland Ballet Academy formally became the Academy in 2016, when we merged various programs. Up until COVID, the numbers for the men applying to Academy were going up and up. And then in the COVID year, we had the bottleneck because our pre-professional program cohort had nowhere to graduate to because there were no jobs. They couldn’t really finish their course, so we managed to modify their fees and they ended up doing that course over two years and we had students from underneath them, so the overall numbers of boys were still looking quite good. It was probably the second year and third years after COVID when we noticed that, especially in the younger levels, the boys numbers had dropped dramatically. It made sense to me because when you think of that period, a lot of the training happened online from someone’s kitchen or living room, but for the boys there’s a limitation on your dance training when your focus is on jumps and turns and you’re stuck in the home. I think at that time, a lot of the boys wanted to go outside and kick a ball and do something more physical than just hold onto the kitchen counter.
We were hoping the decline would change slowly, but looking at the numbers coming to auditions, sometimes we wouldn’t even have a boy in the class at all. This has never happened before.”
Is this an Australian issue or more broader?
“In Europe, I look at my peers’ pictures on social media and where in the past they might have had 12 boys, now they have eight, but they still have them. They don’t have a class that has no boys at all. But we’re talking about a culture that respects the arts and if you turn on the news in Europe, you hear about the news, the weather and then there will be a section on the arts as well and on dance. In Australia, we are not as strong in supporting the arts in general, and this is reflected in our funding with our Academy not receiving federal funding.”
What role does funding play in this issue?
“We’re now talking about boys as part of our diversity plan. I think that’s terrible because when I think of diversity, I don’t think of gender; I want to be thinking of engaging more First Nations talent. I want to be engaging dancers from outside our predominantly white art form. I also want to think of other spaces like people who need accessibility support. I want to think of people with diverse backgrounds. If Queensland Ballet Academy had the funding to provide scholarships that could be going to boys and retain their talent, I think we would be having a different conversation.”
The program has been running a few weeks now. What are you seeing in the studio?
“We have 20 boys registered. Some of them are coming from as far as the Sunshine Coast to participate. It’s a very positive environment. The skill level and ages are quite varied, but we try and cater so that they’re all engaged. But the main thing they’re really doing is getting together in a positive space where they’re sharing their passion. We’ve seen them from the first class when nobody knew each other and they went to the barres and nobody spoke, now they’re a group of young men connecting. They’re talking, interacting. They want to feel included, they want to feel supported, and they want to feel safe. It’s logical. A basic human need.
Even if they don’t end up with ballet as a career, they’ll continue to be good ambassadors for the art and could be our next audience members. They’ll be the ones telling the positive story and changing that perception or that stigma.”
Why should teachers encourage their boys to participate in The Boys Ballet Project with Queensland Ballet?
“The more opportunities we create for boys, the more boys will come. They’ll all have a good story about the experience they’ve had and come back to their regular studio classes with that.”
How important is it for boys to see a future and a community with other male dancers?
“At Queensland Ballet, we actually have a Boys in Ballet Committee now, and it’s a company wide commitment, not just the Academy. We meet and talk about strategies, and we need to get those boys into the men’s class, to see the jumps and the turns, to see the physicality and the support they receive from each other, just like they would if they were a member of a club or sporting team. It’s not about chasing a swan on stage in white tights. Maybe it was years ago, but it’s not so much anymore.”
Over the years, there have been many attempts to secure more ballet boys in training. It feels like a constant battle. In the next edition of Dance Informa, we’ll continue our conversation with Christian Tàtchev and delve deeper into the problem.
In the meantime, if you get the chance to join this program or any boys-focused ballet classes for that matter, or you can encourage a young person you know to join one, please do. Ballet needs boys. Ballet boys need other ballet boys. And ballet needs you to do all you can to support them.
Students can register for The Ballet Boys Project from Queensland Ballet here.
By Nichola Hall of Dance Informa.
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