WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

Attention ballet students ! Something is wrong! Something is very wrong!

Can you see it in this picture? Why is it so? Why do David Hallberger and Marcelo Gomes principals at ABT and the Bolshoi have LESS Instagram followers than this Dance STUDENT in Sydney ?

Why does a 14 year old student have more followers than Iana Salenko principal at Stats ballet and highly acclaimed international guest artist across the globe OR Vladimir Shklyarov Principal at the Mariinsky and Lauren Cuthbertson gorgeous Royal Ballet Principal? Why does your local company have less fans on Social media than some of the local student dancers ? This is upside down and topsy turvy!

We know you love social media , we do too and please don't take this the wrong way? We love seeing your posts and videos. We are as passionate about dance as you are. But we can't figure out why you are looking to your peers for advice , tips , nutrition,stretching and foot exercises and ultimately results? Why do you look sideways when you should be looking up?

These professionals are LIVING your dream, they have done their time as students , paid their dues to the stage. THEY are the leading lights of your industry.

Yes! We ALL love Misty and how she has shone her light so bright on to our world for all to see. But she didn't always have 792k Insta followers . Before her Under Armour deal, before all her recent publicity, she was a hard working dancer at ABT . That's how she got to be principal , through hard work, dedication and determination , not because she now has a large social media following. It's so wonderful that she shares her inspirational stories with us all and that social media affords us that opportunity.

We should be CRAVING the advice of this realm of dancer! These dancers have been home sick hard working students , been nervous at auditions, gotten a JOB! Corps de ballet dancers managing their diets , injuries , schedules , house work , some even completing degrees on top of everything. They have worked through ALL of this and now they are at the pinnacle . This takes way more than good luck, likes and even talent . It takes time and dedication, hard work and commitment.

Many principal dancers share advice with followers on their social media. Take Steven McRae for example, Principal Dancer at the Royal Ballet in London and a crowd favourite on the international gala circuit. Last year McRae did a series of posts on Twitter called #McRaeDanceTips liked and followed by thousands of fans and followers. These were awesomely amazing tips from a dancer who is quite possibly one of the greatest male dancers of this generation! And yet a YouTube video of a 15 yr old and what's in her dance bag gets more hits. Really? Really.

Short term Insta fame or long term career success?………

If we use Steven as an example ...... When he gives advice he is sharing with you the collective wisdom of all his teachers and what he has personally learnt through years of hard work, mistakes and successes. Being the professional that he is, we can rightly assume, due to his degree of success, that he probably had and still has some really exceptional coaches that he listened to and took correction from !

The same goes for all the principal and soloist dancers at that level. They are all and continue to be a product of not only their own hard work and dedication but also of wonderful coaching and historical teaching at internationally renowned training institutions where only the BEST teachers are employed! Usually ex professionals themselves.

We need to compare this to our instafamous student friends giving us advice on how to eat ,stretch more and be as flexible as them. Where did they learn these skills from? At best it's a re hash of their teachers advice , because most are not old enough to have the benefit of experience. Usually these students are naturally flexible and it's easy for them . The same goes for super arched feet . The other current obsession!

So should a 12 yr old in rural USA really be giving advice on how to get better feet and an oversplit ? The answer is NO! People go to university for 6 years to learn the best way to deliver this advice to individuals .

These super star professional dancers may not be posting quite as much as your Insta famous friends because they are BUSY! Busy being a PAID dancer!

Steven also regularly shares posts from his company . Wise dancers know they don't have jobs unless we all support the arts and our dance companies and get audiences to keep purchasing tickets.

Why is it that some 15 yr olds have Facebook pages with more friends than some of the companies they dream of getting jobs at?

Where we live there are many world class contemporary companies.

One has 663 Instagram followers and 5349 Facebook Fans

The other , a more major Cont. company has 17.5K insta followers and 37 k Facebook Fans

In the US a very well respected Contempory company in New York City has 5783 Insta followers………

EVERY SINGLE STUDENT who ever said they want to be a contemporary dancer should be following these pages! If you want contemporary companies to survive and thrive so that you can get a job you should be helping these pages go NUTS!

We implore the Insta famous students to use their social media power for good and encourage their fans and followers to support their local and national dance companies.

You know how to do it, you guys aren't silly! Actually we think you are very savvy! That's how all of this has come about!

We believe companies and brands who are 'all about dance' have a responsibility and a duty of care when it comes to their audience.

We ourselves support young stars of the future as well as Principal Dancers , local companies and everyone in between. We try to ensure continued consultation with dancers , student and professional , their teachers and parents.

So Please , rejoice with your Insta friends, share their joys, their upsets, their wins and loses but please we beg you…. when it comes to inspiration and idolisation , please look UP, to the stars !

Below are the links mentioned if you would like to follow the pages…….

Twitter @_stevenmcrae

Instagram QLDBALLET

IANA_SALENKO

MARCELUA

DAVIDHALLBERGER

VLADIMIR_SHKLYAROV

LONDONBALLERINA