My dance and the ideal body: looking at ballet practice from the inside out

Abstract

This paper argues for a change of thinking about the ‘ideal body’ in relation to ballet as a dance form and how it is studied. It distinguishes between spectator and practitioner perspectives on ballet, and draws on the practice of established dance artists and that of the author to write about the first‐person experience—from the inside out. Using a balletic concept, en dehors/en dedans, as a metaphor, the discussion moves from looking at the outside product of the ballet inwards to look at the inside processes or practice. The impact of the spectator perspective on the characterization of practice is considered, raising questions about the construction of binaries such as free/rule bound and the perception of the body and form as fixed. A case is made for ballet study as a somatic practice, and how engaging the first‐person experience and perspective on the body allows the individual dancer to develop as both artist and technician.