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Showing posts from May, 2014

The Problem with "Toe Shoes"--Free People's Aggravating Ad

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Free People ad showing model in pointe shoes When I first saw Free People's "Movement" ad mockingly posted on fellow dancer's Facebook pages, I chuckled--then I cringed, and when AdWeek's article came out a few days later, the response comments telling passionate dancers to basically "get over it," started to make me upset. The under-valuing of trained dancers is nothing new.  Taking something that is an incredible athletic feat and making it look like a walk in the park, well, that kind of achievement lends an art form to misconceptions about just how difficult it really is.  If professional dancers weren't so consumed honing their craft and pouring their bodies and souls into their art 24/7, maybe they would have gotten around to promoting ballet to the masses and securing a higher working wage for company positions, but they've been a little busy training, rehearsing, recovering, performing and being some of the most beautifully sc