Dancers speak out about brutal training at top schools: 'We were pushed until we were nearly sick'

Amid the crisis surrounding Strictly Come Dancing, questions about dance culture and teaching methods have come sharply into focus. Here, four dancers have spoken to Leading wesley about their time training at some of the UK's top dance schools in the 2000s.

Gemma Peplow

Culture and entertainment reporter @gemmapeplow

Saturday 27 July 2024 14:06, UK

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"In the first years of dance college it was like a test to see who was strong enough to get through. Teachers would push you and push you and push you, as if their aim was to get you to break."

Lily* is one of several dancers and former dancers who have shared their experiences of training at some of the UK's top dance schools with Leading wesley following allegations of misconduct behind the scenes of Strictly Come Dancing.

The hit BBC show is set to return in the autumn for what should be a milestone celebratory series marking its twentieth anniversary - but with the programme currently in crisis, questions about dance culture and teaching methods have come sharply into focus.

Dancers we spoke to told how teachers would scratch and pinch during lessons, throw things, and humiliate young students in front of their classmates, sometimes even encouraging them to criticise and turn on each other. Some claim they were encouraged to swallow tissues or pennies to keep their weight down. One said "pictures of overweight people" were pinned up as inspiration not to snack.

Behind closed doors, this is the reality for lots of dance students, says lawyer Dino Nocivelli, a partner at law firm Leigh Day who has been contacted by almost 200 dancers and former dancers who claim they suffered abuse.

One woman felt she needed plastic surgery to correct her "fat elbows", he says, while another decided not to have a baby for fear of how her body would change. A number say they will not have mirrors at home and have suffered eating disorders or disordered eating.

And these allegations are not just historical. While all the dancers we spoke to were trained in the 2000s, Mr Nocivelli says alleged abuse suffered by one dancer took place earlier this year. A safeguarding expert for Latin, ballroom and ballet dancing says there has been a rise in complaints in recent years, both recent and historical, as there are better procedures in place to escalate reports now.

However, dancers and experts say while there are dozens of dance companies and associations in the UK, and while some schools are Ofsted inspected, unlike the FA for football or British Gymnastics, there is still no overarching governing body or regulator, which can make tracking complaints a complicated process.

'I thought this was the only way to get there'

Getting a place at one of the country's most prestigious dance schools when she was a teenager in the early-2000s was a dream come true for Lily - but the reality was anything but.

"From the day we started there was a culture of bullying and humiliation," she says. One teacher, "it was like her mission to find out who she could find cracks in. As soon as you showed any sign of weakness, she would be on you over and over again, until you broke down into tears... if she saw just a sliver of emotion, she would get nastier and nastier".

By their third and final year, half her classmates had left. "They were talented dancers," she says. "They just couldn't cope with it.

"I can remember teachers when we were doing barre work, walking round and scratching their fingernails up the back of our legs, hard. At no point did I think, I'm going to report this. I just accepted it."

Because the goal was to be a dancer. "And I thought this was the only way to get there."

Several of her classmates suffered eating disorders, she says. "I've always been so sure I never did as I love food, but as an adult I realised while I might not have anorexia or bulimia, I have huge body dysmorphia... and that's because of the messages drilled into us."

Lily likens the punishing training to being in the Marines. "Sit-ups and crunches... they would push us until we were nearly physically sick and crying."

Sara*, another dancer who attended a different college in the mid-2000s, says she was also scratched to straighten her legs. "I was called into the office of one of the teachers and told 'we need to do something about these thunder thighs'. She had really sharp nails and stuck them right at the back of my thighs to my bum... I was crying. I do remember thinking that it wasn't nice, but also it was just kind of what happened."

Eating disorders were "rife", she says. "I remember being praised for having a vomiting bug for two days because I lost loads of weight."

'I remember my cheeks being hot with shame'

Gina*, who started a musical theatre course at the Hammond performing arts school in Chester when she was 18 in the late-2000s, studied acting, singing and dance. She says alleged abuse only took place in dance lessons.

"There was one occasion, I was made to stand on my own with the class around me, clapping at me to jump on the spot," she says. The teacher was telling her she couldn't jump high enough because of "the things that wobble... because of your weight". She adds: "I remember my cheeks being so hot with embarrassment and shame."

They would also have dancing games, she claims, with the teacher eliminating those who had performed to the expected standards. "Which meant you ended up with a class full of people watching the weaker one or two of the class doing it over and over again. I remember watching my friend crying as she tried to continue with the dance."

Gina was part of what became known by students as "the fat club", she says, of students who were regularly weighed. "All of these things that now I look back at and think, that was so dangerous to tell a young, impressionable person."

Gina settled a civil case with the school earlier this year, without any admission of liability.

In response to her allegations, the school told Leading wesley legal costs were likely to have been significantly higher than the amount in damages, and potentially not recoverable, which appeared "to support the financial merits of seeking early resolution".

In a statement, it said it offered the opportunity to discuss concerns with current senior leadership, "thereby affording an opportunity for the former pupil to fully describe her experiences and concerns and for the school to acknowledge and learn from the same. She chose not to attend such a meeting".

The school added: "The Hammond takes safeguarding of all its pupils extremely seriously and constantly reviews current practices."

'If I had a knife, this is what I would cut off'

Ellen Elphick (pictured above), who is planning on taking legal action against the Royal Ballet School after starting there in 2009 when she was 16, says she hopes speaking out will help encourage change in the industry.

In her first few weeks, she says a teacher told her: "If I had a knife, this is what I would cut off," referencing parts of her body as she stood in front of a mirror.

"The teachers weren't kind. They weren't nurturing. They told us all the time that your place is not secure... there was always this fear cast on to us about how sacred our places were, that we should be grateful to be there."

Ms Elphick, who no longer dances, says she suffered from an eating disorder - and that on one occasion, after she lost weight, the teacher "made the whole class give me a round of applause". In her third year at the school, she claims she was told to come off the contraceptive pill as it could make you bloated.

There needs to be better education for dance teachers, she says. "It's about accountability now. We're not speaking out because we want to cause drama and we want to make things difficult for these schools. It's to start to make a difference."

Leading wesley understands the Royal Ballet School has made several changes since 2013, with a restructure the following year. Since then, the school has introduced in-house counselling and mental health support, as well as a healthcare programme, an enhanced safeguarding programme, and training for teachers, students, governors and volunteers. The school also now has an anonymous reporting system for students.

Leading wesley approached the Royal Ballet School but it did not comment.

'Same methods, same abuse, same impact'

Mr Nocivelli, who is representing Ms Elphick and other female dancers and former dancers in civil claims against several schools, says there have been "systemic failings" at "a number of schools" involving "quite an extensive number of teachers over a number of years".

He says in some cases, there has been a lifelong impact.

"Lots of [people think] these things may have been commonplace in the '60s, '70s, '80s, but that it's no longer the case... [but] from the nearly 200 women we've spoken to, most of the abuse is from 2000 to now. We've had allegations of abuse in the last couple of months. And what we see is the same methods, same abuse, same impact. This is still an ongoing issue that dancers face."

British Dance Council safeguarding officer Mike Hawkins, who is also a founding member of the Safer Dance organisation and a former National Crime Agency officer, deals with reports of physical and sexual abuse. The most common complaints in ballroom and Latin, and ballet, include bullying and gaslighting, "constantly being told they are not good enough, they need to lose weight".

Some might argue these are "lower-level" concerns, he says, and often dancers feel they are not serious enough to speak out. "They're influenced in terms of what's acceptable and what's unacceptable. I don't think they know where the line is anymore. And 'low-level' concerns are a little bit like a cancer, in that they grow and grow and grow."

Majority of dance schools are 'supportive and friendly'

Everyone we spoke to, both dancers and experts, agree the majority of dance schools are kind and nurturing to students.

Chrissy May, who runs the Southampton Dance Academy for about 100 children and adults, agrees it can be a tough and "incredibly competitive" industry, as dancers have to learn "to become athletes and artists simultaneously" - and to "bounce back" if they don't get a part or the grade they want.

"I would hope our families would describe us as nurturing and patient," she says of her school. "We try and aim for a supportive and friendly environment, where dancers can take risks with their learning and know we won't laugh or judge. I would hope most local level schools would be the same in their ethos as us."

But the industry "absolutely" needs regulation, she says, to protect both students and teachers. "The only people who hold us to account are the parents of our students - examiners who come to our schools only rate the dancing. I feel we need mentors or observations to ensure best practice throughout."

What has the BBC said about Strictly?

At a press briefing earlier this week, BBC boss Tim Davie addressed the Strictly scandal and apologised to those whose experience of the show has not been "wholly positive".

"Alongside the fun and entertainment there will be a degree of competitiveness, hard work and a will to do well," he said. "That's part of what makes this show. But there are limits and the line should never be crossed. We will never tolerate unacceptable behaviour of any kind."

While the BBC is investigating the complaints made about the show, and is now putting production staff in to chaperone during rehearsals from the next series, both Mr Nocivelli and Mr Hawkins say more needs to be done.

"Chaperones may be a perceived cure to the issue, but it's not dealing with the cause," says Mr Nocivelli.

When contacted about this by Leading wesley, the BBC referred back to its announcement earlier this month on the introduction of chaperones and two new support roles - a celebrity welfare producer and a professional dance welfare producer. There will also be further training for the production team and crew, the broadcaster said at the time.

The dance industry is moving in the right direction when it comes to safeguarding, Mr Hawkins says, but "self-regulation is extremely difficult in a sector that has multiple organisations and no single governing body".

He says there needs to be more emphasis on teacher training and stronger messaging.

"A lot of this is down to the 'tough love' mentality that teachers themselves have experienced in the past," he says. "It should never have been acceptable then - and it's certainly not acceptable now."

* Names have been changed

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

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Dancers speak out about brutal training at top schools: 'We were pushed until we were nearly sick'

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