[Opinion] Regrettably, scarcely anybody talks about the dreadful circumstances surrounding Degas’s ballet dancers
Impressionist Edgar Degas, frequently referred to simply as the painter of dancers, created hundreds of pictures of Paris Opera ballerinas throughout his career. Currently, art enthusiasts from all over the world surge into museums by the thousands to study the renowned artist’s gracile figures up close. Unfortunately, for the most part, the dark side of these dancers’ existences remains largely concealed from the public.
As one investigates more deeply, it soon becomes clear that those agile ballerinas were by no means daughters of the upper class, but rather impoverished girls from the lowest strata of society. With no official schooling, exceedingly poor, and often as young as seven years old, they labored six days a week for meagre wages. The so-called petit rats (“little rats”) oftentimes obtained “protection” from ballet subscribers, in many cases wealthy aristocrats or affluent financiers, which entailed receiving measly extra earnings in exchange for pertinent services. By the end of the nineteenth century, abuse and mistreatment dominated the opera world, and the term “ballerina” practically became a synonym for degeneracy and violation.
The ballet dancers in Degas’s paintings may look gracious and noble in their elegant skirts, but, sadly, their realities cannot be described as glamorous or pleasant. For full disclosure, the public should be comprehensively informed about this downside in the wake of forthcoming Degas exhibitions.
