Matthew Paluch mulls on dancers’ social media use – is Insta becoming a chore?
If you use social media and love dance it’s very likely you follow your favourite artists on a number of different online platforms. I’m Gen X, so I use social media, but probably in a more diluted way compared to those younger than me (no TikTok here). Instagram is my weakness, but of late it’s become more chore than pleasure. Why? Because a lot of accounts seem to have gone down the ‘commercial route for personal gain’ direction rather than producing themed content for their adoring bunhead fans, who get more from intimate studio and live performance material than anything else.
Therefore I find myself musing over the role social media now plays within the dance world – specifically ballet – and how it’s potentially influencing the way dancers present themselves and are consequently perceived. Once, dancers were recognised purely on the merit of their performances as audience members didn’t have access to anything else. Yet 2023 couldn’t be more different, with attainable insights now ranging from pet snuggles to the brandishing of luxury leather goods (#ad).
Instagram has been around for 13 years, and of course advertising for much longer, even in relation to dance. Margot Fonteyn, arguably one of the most famous – if not the most famous – dancers of all time, was often pictured in Dior and Yves Saint Laurent mid-20th century. I don’t pretend to know the inner workings of these relationships, but I’d presume it was along the lines of ‘you scratch my back and I’ll bedeck yours with haute couture’.
And who will ever forget the iconic image of Sylvie Guillem for Rolex circa 1993, smiling and zipping her infamous extension up to almost ear level with the tagline: “They call this position six o’clock. Sylvie Guillem’s Rolex calls it five fifty-eight and seventeen seconds precisely.” Considering Guillem’s campaign happened 30 years ago, one would have come across it sporadically in glossy magazines and maybe the odd billboard. It’s a very different situation exposure-wise in the current social media, self-branding world we live in.
So it’s somehow inevitable that conversations concerning appropriateness and balance are taking place – well they are in my circles anyway. But who or what is the point of reference in all of this? When does topical presence become saturation? What qualifies as one too many collaborations being endlessly plugged on Insta? And does everyone still find the time to be a committed, focused artist?
I don’t mean to sound like a party-pooper, as most of my adult life has been spent championing for the agency I feel dancers deserve. But more often than not I currently groan when opening Instagram and witnessing the content, as there seems to be far less dance footage and artist journey posts, and way more ‘check out this loot I’m pushing for freebies’ endorsements. Kardashianism (as in Kim et al) has left Los Angeles and arrived in Opera Houses the world over it seems.
None of this can make discussions behind closed doors easy. Dancers, no matter how famous, are generally contracted. So does the employer have the final call when a decision needs to be made about plugging a specific product or sanctioning an ongoing commercial relationship? And dancers with large public followings tend to have managers, so that’s another level of business diplomacy that needs to be considered. IMHO it’s all gone a bit cray-cray in the last 12 months, and the balance is evidently skewed way more in one direction.
Here are some Instagram followers numbers for context. I’ve included six companies and their highest profile members (online), and Kardashian for added comprehension:
Kim Kardashian 364m
American Ballet Theatre
Isabella Boylston 698k
James B. Whiteside 429k
New York City Ballet
Tiler Peck 469k
Jovani Furlan 154k
Mariinsky Ballet
Maria Khoreva 649k
Royal Ballet
Marianela Núñez 589k
Steven McRae 232k
Paris Opera
Dorothée Gilbert 136k
Hugo Marchand 132k
La Scala Ballet
Roberto Bolle 858k
Nicoletta Manni 154k
It’s important to note that individuals have different approaches to how they make use of their celebrity status. Some of course include aspects of mindfulness and dance education, others less so. And I’m not proposing what’s considered the appropriate equilibrium, but I’m also aware of people in important positions concerned over ‘tone deaf’ output. Being in Vogue is one thing – a form of infomercial in a very recognisable building is quite another.
So here’s to a more aware 2024. Isn’t that what we’re all working towards anyway? Social media isn’t going anywhere, and personally I’m fine with that (thank you Mark Zuckerberg for giving New York City Ballet the tools for ‘Flash Footage’) but hopefully the short term future will be full of important, potentially difficult conversations which will manifest in more proportional content output, without removing anyone’s freedom of expression. Most things tend to come down to self-awareness – just ask Kris Jenner.
Matthew Paluch( Guest Author )
Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.
Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was fomerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011 and has been a freelance writer since 2010. He is a Trustee (2021) of the Royal Academy of Dance and works in the Law Sector.
Matthew Paluch mulls on dancers’ social media use – is Insta becoming a chore?