Free People Clothing Ad Causes Offence to Dancers

Free People clothing have been causing outrage in the dance world with their latest advertisement. Comments such as ‘appalled ‘dangerous’ and ‘offensive’ have been regularly used in the backlash. So who are Free People and what exactly have they done?? Free People is a bohemian lifestyle brand that sells women’s clothing, accessories, shoes etc. They recently released an advertising campaign featuring their range of ‘movement’ clothes. Take a look at this video before we go on…Free People Presents: FP Movement Ballet So, this advert portrays a girl practicing ballet and implies that she is a seasoned professional. Are you thinking the same as me? She doesn’t look like a trained ballet dancer in that video does she? This girl has obviously danced at some point, maybe still does as a hobby, but ballet since the age of 3? I very much doubt it. Technically her skill level is lacking; sickled feet, poor alignments, improper placements, lack of turn out. She does not make the lines with her body that any seriously trained dancer would. I had to turn away at one point because her poor technique en pointe could easily have caused a broken ankle, so dangerous! So why did Free People not employ a professional ballet dancer to portray the image they wanted? There are thousands of beautiful ballet dancers out there who could have communicated the message perfectly well, even pre-professional ballet dancers at a ballet school. Ballet dancers have to train hard for years to enjoy the privilege of pointe shoes. They must be at a specific level of training in order to wear pointe shoes and dance en pointe. A lot of you will know that you can’t even get pointe shoes fitted in a store without proving to the fitter you are at the required standard. It's not that people who aren't professional can't be portrayed reaching for their dreams. (In fact, that would of been a much better message) but the problem is, that in this advert this girl is being portrayed as a professional. In reality she looks like a girl who is just starting out, and loving what she is doing. To get the point across that all people can pursue their dreams and anyone can dance, Free People should have portrayed a dancer that simply ‘moves’ to music, with bear feet or soft shoes , not a dancer that is attempting to do ballet en pointe. An advert for sportswear featuring a footballer shooting towards the wrong goal would not be tolerated. A pianist claiming professional status, then massacring a melody on an advert for a piano manufacturer would certainly hit some negative notes with the audience. Some things in advertising are just not allowed - an amateur dancing on pointe to portray a professional is another. Ballet.Is.Tough. It takes more than athleticism, it requires artistry as well. Many dancers and industry professionals would agree that this advertisement is ultimately marketing a false image of ballet to consumers. If Free People had portrayed an image that this girl is a novice, following her dream & passion (whilst wearing soft shoes) then that would be totally acceptable, inspiring even, and highly commendable to the brand for acknowledging all levels of training. The overall issue here is representing something as professional when it is clearly not - it’s a deliberate intent to represent a professional ballet dancer, yet the girl's skill level is simply not up to standard. It’s clear no ballet dancer or dance teacher was consulted during the research for this advert. Yes, the model is undoubtedly beautiful and she makes the clothes look great, but she’s not the professional ballet dancer the story is making her out to be. It’s certainly not her fault, she is only doing what has been asked of her, which makes it even more irresponsible of Free People to not only be sending out a false image of ballet but also putting the model in danger and risking serious injury by asking her to dance on pointe. Free People are yet to comment on the (I’d say justified) outcry to their advert. *The opinions expressed in the above article are mine alone and do not reflect the opinions of Dancewear Central. The information provided is for informational or entertainment purposes only.