Rustemeyer 1

Kathryn Scarlett Rustemeyer

Professor Gary Vaughn
ENGL 2089
Ethnography of a D.C.
15 April 2015
Gracefully Abrasive: Examining the Pointe of a Ballet-Oriented Community
I see a lot of what are known as bunheads in the department- they live, breathe,
sleep, and eat ballet, and cringe at the idea of doing anything besides ballet I quickly
realized my aspirations do not lie solely in the ballet worldhaving such a strong
unspoken stereotype imposed in the department made me see how much I wanted to
break out of the stereotype.
Bri Levy, CCM Dance Major
Would it ever occur to you while watching a live ballet performance that the ethereal,
picturesque, waiflike ballerina could in reality be a tomboy who enjoys loose clothes, metal
music, and skateboarding? That the graceful swans in the corps de ballet spend countless hours
bitching about each other behind their backs on a daily basis? You may wonder, how close are
stereotypes about dancers and their mannerisms to their true behavior? While some stereotypes
are unavoidable (mangled feet, heightened flexibility, restlessness), others exist more as tools for
people to fall into in order to feel comfortable around others whom they are trying to impress and
whom they must compete with every day. In the words of one dancer, I guess its not really
surprising that the shift in scenery would bring out a new surge of insecurity and a self-hatredfueled desire to make myself fit in (Levy).
In this investigation of the quirks and necessities of behavior within the ballet world, I
have chosen to take an up-close-and-personal, honest inventory of the roles of fitting in, standing
out, ostracizing, and welcoming in the ballet discourse community. Inclusiveness is rarely the
first thing to pop into peoples minds when dance is brought up, because of its rumored (and

Rustemeyer 2
actual) tendency to be selective and low-budget to the point where highly skilled, hard-working
dancers have a difficult time finding a secure and stable working situation. Because of this rift in
the dance world, it is hard to avoid favoritism and distrust, and sometimes even pure slandering,
within the very circles in which dancers should be able to support and nurture each other as peers
and colleagues.
In order to investigate these issues, I made it a goal to conceive and formulate an accurate
depiction of the true nature of such a busy and competitive discourse community. I also aspired
to draw conclusions about the characteristics that make dancers succeed versus succumb to the
pressure of such an environment. In doing so it was ideal to focus in on one particular discourse
community that I am all-too familiar with: CCM Ballet.
To explain, ballet, a several-centuries-old athletic art form, manifests its potential to be a
fully engrossing, emotionally and physically involving discourse community within the
microcosm of the Ballet Department at the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of
Cincinnati. The rigors and structure of classical ballet mixed with the wide variety in
personalities of students, professors, adjunct faculty, accompanists, etc., make this bubble of
society a genuinely investigable mixed bag of people coming together for a common purpose.
By interviewing members of this community to gather a diverse range of perspectives,
and digging deeper by investigating modes of communication such as emails, bulletin boards,
social media, locker room conversations, and chatter in classrooms and in the hallways, I have
gathered an accurate depiction of the workings of CCM ballet.
The Ballet Department at CCM is currently in its 51st year of existence. As one of the
first college programs to specialize in classical ballet, as well as one of the only colleges today
that permits its students to co-op their junior and senior years if hired by a dance company, CCM

Rustemeyer 3
Dance remains a unique and useful organism. Students immerse themselves in several dance
classes each day as well as take academic and dance-related courses in the mornings and
evenings. In addition, professors and guest choreographers audition the dancers at the beginning
of the semester for placement in pieces for a handful of different performances. This means
students also rehearse for multiple hours many times a week. Needless to say, the Dance
department inevitably survives as a tight-knit community with little down-time.
This proximity and intensity, along with the necessity of assembling and communicating
together as a functional unit, relates CCM Dance to John Swales six criteria for a discourse
community, found in The Concept of Discourse Community. In relation to his first criterion,
which states A discourse community has a broadly agreed set of common public goals (Swales
471), the Dance Department has common goal of turning out dancers with enough skill and
dedication for a professional dance career, which ties this community together as one competitive
animal.
Another common public goal that the CCM Dance revolves around is giving students a
chance to experience life as it would be in a dance company. By providing several performances
each year with material choreographed by faculty, guest artists, and even student choreographers,
CCM Dance in almost every way mimics the cogs and wheels of a ballet company, minus the
getting-paid part of the deal. Dance lovers and curious students from around the UC area attend
CCM Dance shows that include works such as Giselle, Appalachian Spring, and Raymonda, in
order to get a taste of what young, up-and-coming pre-professional dancers have to offer. Many
times students are scouted out for other freelance jobs or even company positions at their very
own CCM shows, which ties into another goal that CCM Dance thrives on: to transition dancers

Rustemeyer 4
into the professional world with its forward-thinking co-op program, which allows students to
leave junior and senior year if they receive job offers, while still completing their degrees online.
The second criterion, A discourse community has mechanisms of intercommunication
among its members (471), proves to be highly relevant as dancers with busy schedules gravitate
towards linked-up methods of intercommunication, including emails, group chats on Facebook,
and more. With technological advancements overtaking every aspect of peoples lives, dancers
are no exception and find themselves checking message after message, every hour of the day and
night, in order to stay in the loop. Those who do not check the messages in many instances fall
victim to angry student choreographers or disbelieving, passive-aggressive peers. This gives a
serious disadvantage to any student who does not own a smartphone or who does not have
Facebook Messenger installed on his or her device. In addition, emails sent from the CCM
Dance Program Coordinator, Colleen Condit, inform students and professors on a daily basis of
any schedule changes, master classes, performance dates, job opportunities, auditions, and more.
Without a doubt, CCM Dance is a discourse community that can make students feel like they
need a microchip installed in order to keep up with everything.
Keeping up with all the details requires a solid amount of feedback from all angles. To
satisfy the third of Swales criterion, which states A discourse community uses its participatory
mechanisms primarily to provide information and feedback (472), both dance students and
professors extend and receive feedback within technique classes and rehearsals as well as, and
especially, in bi-annual conferences. In addition, several times per semester, all dancers are
called in to assemble as a whole to discuss various issues, concerns, and important notes
regarding the department. Topics discussed in this meeting have included: improper conduct and

Rustemeyer 5
treatment of stage management (talking in the wings during a performance, writing inappropriate
things on check-in sheets), dress code clarifications, and general professionalism of dancers.
Concerning Swales fourth criterion, A discourse community utilizes and hence
possesses one or more genres in the communicative furtherance of its aims (472), a wide variety
of communication methods exist in order to promote CCM Dances aforementioned goals as a
unit. From posters promoting CCM Dance performances to an article in Dance Magazine,
ranking CCM as one of the top three colleges in the country for ballet, a multitude of media

Rustemeyer 6
sources boast the benefits of attending, and of supporting, this collegiate program.

Rustemeyer 7

Figure 1: A poster advertising CCM Dances upcoming performance one of this

discourse communitys various methods of communication to the public (CCM Dance Website).
Perhaps the most highly integrated of Swales criteria into the dance community is as
follows: a discourse community has acquired some specific lexis (473). Specified language is
used daily in classes and rehearsals. For example, all positions and movements in ballet are
spoken in French, while Modern technique utilizes its own variety of technical jargon, usually
spoken in English. The sixth and final criterion specifies that A discourse community has a
threshold level of members with a suitable degree of relevant content and discoursal expertise
(473). Many levels of experience mark different participants in the program, ranging from
ambitious freshmen to seasoned seniors to wizened professors. In spite of the age or rank of a

Rustemeyer 8
dancer, true authority within his or her realm stems from proper manipulation of what is
available. For instance, a dancer with limited flexibility may utilize other aspects of presentation
such as personality, charm, and quality of movement rather than relying on a high leg extension
or a flexible back.
So, now that the bases of defining a discourse community are covered, how do people in
this discourse community define "fitting in?" I have made a point to observe behavior, including
candid conversations, side remarks, body language, and how they are woven into class/rehearsal
format. What I have noticed in my secret field work is that dancers give many things away
simply with movements of the eyes and positioning of the upper and lower body. As far-removed
as this may seem from other areas of study, ballet is an extremely physicality-heavy field which
in turn makes dancers able to hyper-communicate their intentions quite clearly on a conscious
and subconscious level.
In addition, the built-up stress that occurs from being constantly compared to others and
the expectations of gaining acceptance to a company (especially for seniors) can conjure up
despicable and even hateful feelings amongst dancing peers at CCM. Many dancers sit in the
hallways and converse loudly and openly about the fallacies of other dancers, who may very well
be in the vicinity and able to hear what they say. The ironic part of this snide behavior is that it
reflects the very insecurities of the dancers who engage in such slander. It also reflects the
(however futile) attempts that some of the less creative members of this discourse community
make to gain authority or fear over others. These peoples behavior signifies, unfortunately, that
in any discourse community, there exist members who contribute in a negative way and actually
reverse the progress of the community towards its ideal functionality and collective goals. It is up
to the more grateful and teamwork-oriented members to boost morale and to bring happiness to

Rustemeyer 9
their peers, unwinding the sarcasm, disrespect, and (not-so-subtle) animosity, and rewiring a
network of positive, forward-thinking classmates who are not afraid to support and respect each
other.
Connecting this behavior to the central questions of this study, I hungered for more
intimate and expository firsthand accounts of how stereotypes affect and attract, or deter,
different people from acting stereotypical at CCM Dance. I also wanted to know how important
assimilating was for different people in order to feel like valid contributors to this discourse
community. In my quest for opinions, I decided to interview one CCM Dancer, Bri Levy, who
entered the Ballet Department as a transfer student during the second semester of her freshman
year. She provided an interesting perspective because of her atypical entrance into the program,
which influenced her entire experience within this discourse community.
Breaking off from another dance department discourse community at another university
made assimilation at once easier and more difficult for Bri. While in many ways a dance
department serves as a template that can be recreated anywhere, many things still felt quite alien
at CCM for her, including the myriad new faces and personalities. In her own words, when asked
what it was like being a transfer student, she said, I didnt really feel completely at home in
CCM until the end of my sophomore year, or really until my junior year. In ballet classes, I felt
like I was leagues behind in terms of technique, but if anything, I enjoyed the challenge and
believe my atypical entrance into CCM is somewhat responsible for shaping my current work
ethic and passion for dance (Levy).
No one wants to be the outcast though, so I quickly began to emulate the other dancers I
saw in the department, she later explains, and describes how she adopted various clothing styles

Rustemeyer 10
that appealed to dancers at CCM Dance and which felt like the norm- such as legwarmers and
colored skirts in class (Levy). Because of her new surroundings and need to belong, Bri created
an updated version of herself, as we all do, in order to feel more comfortable around the
dancers she would be spending the next three years with. She subconsciously subscribed to
certain methodology and the clothing lexis of CCM Dance because she felt the quiet pressure
to conform and to fit the CCM ballerina mold. In relation to Tony Mirabellis Learning to
Serve: The Language and Literacy of Food Service Workers, Bri was acting in a parallel way to
how new waiters and waitresses act when thrust into a new restaurant environment. Immediately
they learn the menu and the specific lexis, and start to formulate in their minds the most
beneficial way to manipulate the material in order to be the best servers. As Mirabelli describes,
When customers ask questions about the menu, in addition to exercising their own authority,
they also introduce the opportunity for waiters and waitresses to gain control of the interaction
(Mirabelli 546). Bri was at once conforming and using her materials in the easiest way possible
at the time to integrate herself quickly into the CCM Dance environment, just like the waiters
and waitresses coming to know a new restaurant and establishing their own authority in the new
terrain.
Bri not only felt pressures to wear certain clothing items, but also to appear slender and
ballerina-esque enough to get any amount of attention from teachers. Although thinness is
definitely not the number-one most important aspect of a dancer, it can contribute to the dancers
overall aesthetic appeal. When combined with trying to catch up in the realm of ballet technique
and all the aspects of complete assimilation, this silent expectation crept up on Bri and fueled her
eating disorder, which had been dormant for a while. In describing this phenomenon, she
articulates, when you spend all day surrounded by mirrors, constantly striving for perfection,

Rustemeyer 11
not to mention when everyone around you has the perfect ballet body (which is something Ive
never really had) and you can see that those with the perfect body tend to get the most attention,
it can be hard not to hate yourself at times (Levy).
In her struggle between wanting to conform and wanting to stand out, Bri has
enculturated herself in many ways, but still relentlessly resists conforming completely in order to
maintain her individuality and style. Interestingly enough, the longer she has integrated herself
into the bunhead discourse community at CCM Dance, the more she desires to escape its
limitations and to rediscover her own passion for dancing. While at times frustrated by her acts
of conformity To this day, I am still sometimes irked by some of the habits I have adopted
(Levy) Bri understands on a subliminal as well as conscious level that humans in any
community must take certain steps in order to belong.
The fearless and unique thing about Bri, though, is that she withstands the whiplash of
negativity and persists to follow her heart, accomplishing several goals such as choreographing
for the Choreographers Showcase, working with the UC Vocaholics group, and creating dance
moves for several music videos. Because of these accomplishments, she has gained a certain
amount of authority amongst her peers and friends, and she makes a point to describe that
authority positions do not last unless the person is genuinely concerned for the general wellbeing
of others in the discourse community: Authority can be undermined by poor treatment of others,
including failure to address and cater to the needs of a group (Levy 4). With all of this being
said, Bris well-roundedness distinguishes her in many ways from people who never expand
from the initial assimilation process, even though she initially struggled with her late start at
CCM Dance.

Rustemeyer 12
Yet another scenario where outsiders have entered CCM Dance midway through the year
was in the case of Xinyi Zhang (Sherry) and Tian Luo (Sky) two Chinese foreign exchange
students from the Beijing Dance Academy who traveled all the way to Cincinnati to further their
dance studies for the spring semester of 2015. When I interviewed them, they both expressed a
high level of gratitude and happiness in relation to studying at CCM Dance. Sherrys response to
my inquiry about if they fit in and felt welcomed was, Yes, yes, very warm (Luo, Zhang). Sky
agreed and added, Nobody is unfriendly (Luo, Zhang).
In comparison to Bris description of her enculturation process, these two exchange
students seem more at peace with their new environment, which could actually be a result of
their language barrier and more extreme cultural differences, coming from a completely different
country. To elaborate this point, I have noticed through my observing process that dancers who
feel vulnerable or insecure tend to criticize people who are just different enough, but not entirely
different from themselves that way, they dont risk being seen as offensive on a global level,
but rather a petty, average, local level. In this way negative-minded dancers are much more apt to
quietly ostracize or isolate transfer students or those who stick out from their own country, who
speak their own language, because they are able to fully assimilate at a faster pace. Although
Sherry and Sky are welcomed here with outstretched arms, in order for them to fully enculturate
into CCM Dance, they would need to stay here long enough to become fluent in English and to
become as comfortable with classical ballet technique as they are with the philosophy and
technique of Chinese classical dance. This entire process could take years, which makes them a
special case.
Another way in which Sky and Sherry are unique is in their breaking of the stereotype for
exchange students within the discourse community of CCM Dance. Many people may think of

Rustemeyer 13
exchange students as shy, timid dancers, but these two have proved to be courageous and
gracious, always excited to meet new friends and share their unique style of dance. They even
performed a ten-minute Chinese classical-style duet, in which they cross-dressed, wore masks,
and eventually revealed their (nearly) nude forms for an entire audience at the Choreographers
Showcase at CCM in March.
As in any functioning discourse community, CCM Dance experiences its ups and downs,
and relies heavily upon the personalities present each year. From year to year, the level of
motivation and the level of cattiness can vary as extremely as the weather, based on efficiency of
communication and on the ways in which the six criteria for discourse communities are met.
Furthermore, many dancers rely on stereotypes to fulfill their worthiness while others dare to use
their dance education to assemble unique identities, and to strive to make the dance world a
better and more honest place. But one thing brings all the members of CCM Dance together:
becoming young professionals in the highly competitive world of ballet, and discovering the
amount of passion and effort needed to live the life of a full-time dancer and artist.

Works Cited
Dalzell, Jenny. "In Training: Ballet Goes to College." Dance Magazine n.d.: n. pag. Dance
Magazine If It's Happening in the World of Dance, It's Happening in Dance Magazine.
Web. 14 Apr. 2015.
Levy, Bri. Facebook Messenger Interview. 14 Apr. 2015.

Rustemeyer 14
Luo, Tian and Zhang, Xinyi. Interview. 12 Apr. 2015.
Mirabelli, Tony. Learning to Serve: The Language and Literacy of Food Service Workers
Writing About Writing: A College Reader. 1st ed. Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs.
Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 539-554. Print.
"Photo Gallery." College-Conservatory of Music: Dance. University of Cincinnati, n.d. Web. 14
Apr. 2015.
Swales, John. The Concept of Discourse Community Writing About Writing: A College
Reader. 1st ed. Ed. Elizabeth Wardle and Doug Downs. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins,
2011. 466-480. Print.

Interview # 1: Xinyi Zhang (Sherry) and Tian Luo (Sky) Foreign Exchange Students
from Beijing Dance Academy
Scarlett: Are people here nice to you?
Sky: Nobody is unfriendly.
Scarlett: Do you feel you fit in here? Like you are someone in our community? Family?
Sherry: Yes, yes, very warm.
Sky: I dont have a car; very difficult. Every night is not safe. But this university is so good.
Scarlett: How are dancers here at CCM different than in China?

Rustemeyer 15
Sky: Oh, very different, because in China dancers get up every morning, at eight oclock and
run. We practice and practice until 10 p.m. every night.
Scarlett: So at CCM you have more time for yourself? Do you enjoy being at CCM or in China
more?
Sky: No free time in China. I love America more. I love China, too.
Scarlett: Do you enjoy this environment? How do you like the teachers here at CCM compared
to teachers at Beijing Dance Academy?
Sherry: Yes, I like it. I think this education is very different because in China the teacher is
very
Sky: is focused, only on very few dancers.

Interview #2: Bri Levy, CCM Dance Major

Scarlett: Because you transferred to CCM your second semester, in what ways did you feel you
had to "catch up" and/or assimilate?
Bri: Transferring colleges is a nerve-wracking experience no matter when or where you are
transferring, but transferring into a department as tight-knit as the CCM Dance Department,
where the majors basically spend their entire days together, makes things somewhat harder than
transferring into a large program or a program where you dont have the same small set of people
in every single class and group dynamics have not been as concretely formed. On the flip side
though, I was fortunate to transfer to CCM in the spring semester of my freshman year, a year
when everyone is still open to making friends and the other people in my class could still relate
to the whole notion of starting out at a new school (I imagine if I had waited a year or two to
transfer, it would have been harder to make friends and assimilate into the CCM culture because
everyone would already have found their clique- I experienced this back in junior high when I
was homeschooled for a year and returned in ninth grade to find all the friends I thought I had
made in seventh grade had moved on without me). Additionally, although the pre-established
group dynamics and status quo of such a small department made transferring in difficult on some
levels, it also had its advantages- when you spend all day with the same group of twelve dancers,
its hard not to form connections (I remember my entire class ate lunch together virtually every
day of freshman year, which is funny considering how far apart we have grown now). Of course,
I felt like I had a lot of catching up to do- I didnt know anyones names, their personalities, what
was expected of me in class or social settings, or things like the dress code, the typical pace and
schedule of a day in CCM, or where anything was on campus. Fortunately, three freshmen took
me under their wing and made sure I was not left out; one even took me on my first trip to
Kroger and pointed out the various landmarks on campus along the way. In this way, I feel like
my assimilation into the CCM way of life was not nearly as difficult as it could have been.
However, not having experienced the fall semester at CCM, I still didnt understand how a lot of
things worked by the time I entered my sophomore year (ex. placement classes, boards classes,
Adjudication), and to this effect, I didnt really feel completely at home in CCM until the end
of my sophomore year, or really until my junior year. In ballet classes, I felt like I was leagues

Rustemeyer 16
behind in terms of technique, but if anything, I enjoyed the challenge and believe my atypical
entrance into CCM is somewhat responsible for shaping my current work ethic and passion for
dance. Also, as a random side note, I was surprised by how much slower the day-to-day pace is
in Ohio in comparison to New York, and especially in comparison to my previous college
experience in Manhattan.
Scarlett: Did/do you feel pressure to conform in a certain way in order to feel like you belong?
How so?
Bri: Yes, I without a doubt felt a strong pressure to conform in order to feel like I belonged in the
Dance Department. On the most basic level, the dress code at CCM was extremely different than
at either my previous studio or at the school from which I had transferred. The notion of wearing
warmups at barre was foreign to me, and I had never in my life worn a colored skirt before
coming here; at my previous school we were not allowed to wear colored leotards, so I had only
brought one with me. No one wants to be the outcast though, so I quickly began to emulate the
other dancers I saw in the department. To this day, I am still sometimes irked by some of the
habits I have adopted- for example, I never would have worn a legwarmer to compress or heat an
injured joint before coming to CCM; I find myself doing it sometimes here, although I really
dont believe wearing a legwarmer helps me at all- I just see it as a way to signal to the professor
that I am injured, but this alone does not seem like a good enough reason for me to wear
legwarmers (in other words, I only do it because everyone else does). The ballet world comes
with its own set of standards no matter where you go, but this is especially true in a conservatory
setting, and especially true for dancers in their late teens, when they are still vulnerable to
societal pressures (but lets be honest, these pressures never truly leave you). I would like to
preface this statement by saying I never necessarily felt pressured by my professors or peers, but
when you spend all day surrounded by mirrors, constantly striving for perfection, not to mention
when everyone around you has the perfect ballet body (which is something Ive never really had)
and you can see that those with the perfect body tend to get the most attention, it can be hard not
to hate yourself at times. I dont recall ever saying to myself, you need to lose weight/starve
yourself in order to fit in, but I lost about ten pounds in the course of my first month or two at
CCM (it should also be noted that I had struggled with an eating disorder in the past, so I guess
its not really surprising that the shift in scenery would bring out a new surge of insecurity and a
self-hatred-fueled desire to make myself fit in). Fortunately, one of my professors stopped me
after class one day to say that I was getting too thin and I didnt look good- of course, this
imposed an entirely different type of pressure to not draw attention to myself, but I think in the
end it was definitely much needed. I will never forget how one of the dancers in my class
introduced himself by asking if I drank or smoked and what the party lifestyle was like at my
previous college. No hello or introduction or anything. Along these lines, I felt a certain pressure
to go to parties and drink with the other dancers. While I never judge anyones decisions when it
comes to these kinds of things, I know that that lifestyle is not for me personally. In my two and
a half years at CCM, I think I have only ever been to one CCM party, and I very rarely just hang
out with the other dancers in the department outside of class. In a way, I suppose I feel somewhat
ostracized for not conforming to the typical college culture (this is something that extends
beyond my time in CCM to my overall college experience), but this is a personal choice I have
made and I would never prefer it any other way.

Rustemeyer 17
Scarlett: What kind of stereotype fulfillment and/or breaking of stereotypes do you see at ccm
dance? Not asking to name names, but do you feel any conflict or tension from any people and
can you describe why this may be?
Bri: CCM is supposedly a Dance department; however, the dancers constantly refer to
themselves as Ballet majors, and much of the CCM Dance culture revolves around ballet; the
majority of the departments students are interested in joining ballet companies and spending the
rest of their lives dancing en pointe. Obviously, it makes sense that our ballet teachers would
give the most attention to those that seem destined for the greatest success in the ballet world, so
we all (to a degree) try to make ourselves fit the ballet mold in order to try to gain the most
attention from our teachers in an effort to secure our success (as if our success in the real world
had anything to do with our success in the department). I see a lot of what are known as
bunheads in the department- they live, breathe, sleep, and eat ballet, and cringe at the idea of
doing anything besides ballet. I do not come from a strict ballet background, and while I thought
I wanted nothing more than to be a ballerina when I came to CCM (after all, I was the ballerina
back home), I quickly realized my aspirations do not lie solely in the ballet world. On the
contrary, while I love ballet class more than anything and know a large part of my happiness
relies on taking daily ballet classes, I would much rather perform contemporary or musical
theater work. In this sense, having such a strong (unspoken) stereotype imposed in the
department made me see how much I wanted to break out of the stereotype. In other words,
while I was definitely a ballerina in comparison to the people I went to school and danced with at
home, I was by no means the stereotypical ballerina in comparison to the people I dance with
now. For a while, I definitely tried to make myself fit the ballet stereotype, taking Prep classes
literally every single night, but since my freshman year, I have filled my time with so many
dance commitments other than ballet, and I could not be more passionate about the things I am
currently involved in. Last year, I joined UC Dhadak International Dance Team (a nationallycompetitive Bollywood fusion team- think Indian dancing, hip hop, and some poorly-executed
contemporary by mostly untrained dancers). I know a lot of people in the department frowned
upon my dancing with the team when I initially joined- even if they wouldnt vocally admit their
disgust, their questions would hint that what I was doing was so below the ideals of ballet that it
wasnt even funny. This always hurt me a bit, but at the end of the day, my dance team is my
family way more than the dancers in the Ballet Department will ever be. This is not that I dislike
the CCM dancers at all, but simply that when I am having a breakdown and need a shoulder to
cry on, or when I need to share a funny story with someone, my dance team is the first set of
people I will turn to. Last night, one of my friends texted me that a family member died, and I
dropped everything I was doing and ran over to console her. Likewise, I have been taken care of
on numerous occasions by the members of my dance team (I know this strays from the point a
bit, but still). Along these lines, I have become an RA, choreographed for the UC Vocaholics, and
created a number of hip hop and contemporary music videos this year- all things that I do not
think the typical Dance major does. I have heard the members of the a capella group I
choreograph for described as freaks by one of the other Dance majors, and I know a lot of
people do not understand why I fill every second of my life with new projects and commitments
that dont pertain directly to the CCM lifestyle, but I love what I do and couldnt care less what
others think of my atypical involvement. Just as I prefer to dress and present myself in a manner

Rustemeyer 18
that expresses my individual personality (short hair, dresses and skirts, bows, coordinating
earrings every day, bright eye shadow, etc.), I think its important- for me, at least- to be able to
find means of expressing myself that resonate with me and about which I am truly passionate. I
see other Dance majors (not all, but some) breaking this mold every day, even if they do not
break out of the CCM Dance stereotype in the same way I do. As artists, we all have our own
individual ways of expressing ourselves, not only in terms of fashion and personal tastes, but in
terms of movement quality as well. I think this years Choreographers Showcase did an
excellent job of showcasing the ways in which dancers tend to separate themselves from the
stereotypes of the dance world. This may not be pertinent, but I know a ton of people who, after
getting to know me, said they had been intimidated when they first met me because I was a
Dance major and they assumed Id be as cold, stuck up, and aloof as all the other Dance majors.
While I personally do not feel the majority of the Dance majors to be adequately described by
any of these adjectives, I suppose the stereotypes of the ballet world and the rigorous CCM
schedule that ensures Dance majors rarely have time to get to know and hang out with people
outside their department make it easy to see why people would feel this way about Dance
majors. 4. (sorry, I totally lumped questions three and four together)
Scarlett: How do students and professors gain authority and how do they maintain or lose it?
What factors into this?
Bri: Authority can mean a number of things, and I dont think there is any one way to define it.
Student authority often comes with seniority- the longer youre in a department, the more
authority you acquire because you have been around to see how things work. However, a student
might also acquire authority through virtue of their actions and personality- I personally believe
that the passion, honesty, and general responsibility I try to bring to everything I do makes me (at
least appear to be) somewhat of an authority, especially in the Dance Department. Having
worked as a Chaperone with a ballet intensive for the past two years, being a member of the
Honors program, pursuing auditions in New York, serving as an RA, and choreographing for the
department are all experiences that I feel have granted me a certain authority within the
department. I have had other dancers ask me questions countless times on a wide variety of
topics (including how to register for classes, advice on what to write in an email to a companys
artistic director, and even how to check out a book from the library). I dont know why people
see me as an authority on these topics (I barely know how the library process works), but for
whatever reason, I think people may see my involvement as an indicator of experience, which
yields a certain authority. Somewhat similarly, I have seen other dancers acquire authority
through leadership roles (ex. choreographic experiences) and personal successes (gaining a job
or serving in a lead role). I think it is somewhat easier for the faculty to gain authority; after all, it
is not really up to us who teaches class. I think we grant our professors a certain amount of
authority though based on their past experience alone, but a large part of this authority comes
from the basic trust and traditions that go along with ballet. The ballet world has a set of more or
less unspoken rules (ex. dont beg for a role, question the directors decision, or complain in
rehearsal), and these rules naturally put a large amount of authority into the hands of the
professor (or even student in charge of a group). However, this authority can be undermined by
poor treatment of others, including failure to address and cater to the needs of a group (for

Rustemeyer 19
example, if a teacher gives a class full of seemingly random combinations that fail to warm up
the body properly, a student may choose to walk out of class). In the end, a large part of authority
comes down to caring- just because someone may technically be an authority figure or may have
knowledge of a topic, they will not be treated as having authority unless they show those they are
working with that they truly care about their position (be that professor or student) and how they
relate to and affect others.
Scarlett: what stereotypes do you think are positive and which are negative (about dancers) and
what do you think is the impetus of such behavior?
Bri: This one is going in note form: - dancers dont party: I think the normal TUCG sees
CCM students as completely preoccupied by their majors and as being too good to party (I know
this is what one of my past roommates assumed before ever meeting me; she also said she
thought dancers would care too much about their bodies to ever drink or do drugs) - all dancers
are cold/aloof: we wear our hair slicked back, tend to walk with confidence, and carry ourselves
as if we are constantly onstage- this can be a bit intimidating; additionally, we generally tend to
hang out with other Dance majors all day due to scheduling and the friendships that are formed
as a result of the sheer amount of time we spend together - dancers have no aspirations/plans for
the real world: dance may seem like something mindless and easy/girly/carefree to the
unknowledgeable observer, but this could not be farther from the truth (we dont just dance
because we arent smart or good enough for a real major) - dancers dont take normal
academic classes: people often fail to see beyond the physicality of dance, which is an issue
because it shows how few people understand how much the dance world demands that a
performer be well rounded - all dancers have eating disorders: dancers tend to be leaner, and in
the college selection process, I think department faculties do tend to accept mostly dancer with
athletic/lean/ballet builds - dancers are dedicated and committed: all we ever talk about is
dance, and we are always heading to or from rehearsal.