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Ballerina Research Paper

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Ballerina Research Paper
Molly Herman
Professor George
Perf 200
12 August 2015
Dancing Towards Perfection The perfect ballerina. This is an idea many young dancers strive to achieve from the moment they first lace up their pink, silk ballet slippers. But what is the perfect ballerina, what is the ideal they are attempting to reach and what are the consequences of dancing to an, ultimately, unattainable goal? These questions have started to catch the attention of parents, friends, doctors and dance teaches as the prevalence rate of eating disorders skyrockets within the ballet community. When one thinks of the perfect ballerina they probably envision a white, female dancer who is slim, with a long neck, medium length torsos, long legs accompanied by long arms, a high instep and an average height of 167cm (Nolan). This perfect …show more content…
“Pursuing Perfection, Dancing with Death: Eating Disorders Haunt
Ballerinas.” The New York Times: Arts. 16 Jul 1997. Web 12 Aug 2015.

Estanol, Elena. "Exploring the Relationship between Risk and Resilience Factors for
Eating Disorders in Ballet Dancers." Order No. 3370968 The University of Utah, 2009. Ann Arbor: ProQuest. Web. 12 Aug. 2015.

Lask, Bryan and Ian Frampton. “Eating Disorders And The Brain.” Chichester, West
Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. MyiLibrary. Web. 12 Aug 2015.

Ozgen, Leyla and Ibrahim Kisac. “Drive for thinnes, and body dissatisfaction in Turkish ballet Dancers and ballerinas.” SciencDirect. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 1.1 (2009): 2218-2221. Web. 12 Aug 2015.

Nolan, Brian. “The Ideal Ballet Body.” Dance Informa: Digital Dance Magazine. 1
Jul 2011. Web. 13 Aug 2015

Kiem, Elizabeth. “George Balanchine: the Human Cost of an Artistic Legacy.”
Huffington Post. 23 Mar 2014. Web. 13 Aug 2015. Edwards, Grace. “The Body of Ballet.” Trespass Magazine. 14 Dec 2009. Web. 13 Aug
2015
“Eating Disorder Statistics.” National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated
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