Ballerina bodies

I like to have one book that I'm e-reading, cause I don't have a bedside lamp here. And I want to lie in bed in the dark and read a bit til I feel sleepy. So I'm not laying awake thinking of my problems. I sped-finished A Princess Bride. I didn't find it as hilarious as when I was 17. I needed another book, and decided to start the newer Malcolm X biography. Fascinating dude.

In other book news... so many great looking books I'll never have time for. Like this new one on ballerinas. Here are some quotes from an article on it:

"A great lover of dance, Kelly admires ballerinas for their immense talent and artistry, but sees behind the scenes a world plagued by anorexia, sexual abuse, low pay and poor working conditions." 

“I think you need first a new aesthetic. You need to get [the ballerina] back to her own shape. I think you have to allow her to be a woman. I am heartened by the presence of the likes of Misty Copeland in American Ballet Theatre. She’s black, she’s busty…that is her natural body.” 

Kelly dates the huge rise in anorexia among ballerinas to the influence of George Balanchine. ... “1963, George Balanchine the great Russian-born choreographer got the all-important Ford Foundation grant,” Kelly said. “He’s able finally to create ballet in his own vision. His vision included a ballerina who was long of limb, lean of frame, tall, narrow hips and a small head – the proverbial pinheads is what the critics used to call them.”

    (CBC)