In the News
Dateline: 3/8/04
Lindsay Homwood, AP, reported in the Austin American Statesman:
"The Royal Opera House in London canceled a performance by American star soprano Deborah Voigt because of her weight, a spokesman for the prestigious theater said Sunday. Voigt had been scheduled to play the lead in a summer production of Richard Strauss’ "Ariadne on Naxos," but casting director Peter Katona decide that a slimmer singer would be better for the part, spokesman Christopher Millard told The Associated Press in a telephone interview."
"Katona had selected a black evening dress for the part and believed Voigt would not look right in it (emphasis added), Millard said. "Normally Ariadne is presented on a stylized Greek island with the singers wearing toga-type clothes, but we wanted to present it in an elegant, modern evening dress," Katona was quoted as telling The Sunday Telegraph newspaper. Katona said, "In making these kinds of decision, it is not just a question of how someone looks; it is also how they move on stage (emphasis added)," the newspaper reported."
"Anne Schwanewilms, a more slender but lesser-known soprano, is now to sing the part of Ariadne. Voigt’s weight remains a closely guarded secret, the newspaper said, but observers estimate it to be more that 200 pounds."
"Voigt regularly appears at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. She is to perform there with Placido Domingo in a production of Richard Wagner’s "Die Walkuere" this spring. Later, she will sing at the Vienna State Opera."
Comment: So, let’s see…Now we are going to only have svelte opera singers. It just won’t be the same, saying, "It ain’t over till the thin lady sings."
I admit I am not much of an opera buff at all. Just can’t get into it. But from what my ignorance shows, I am not aware that "movement" or athleticism is instrumental to what the opera is about. Isn’t it supposed to be mostly about singing? And not a…runway show?
And is being overweight a detraction to the opera? I cannot speak authoritatively, but according to the spokesman for The Royal Opera House, Peter Katona, the decision was based not on singing ability, but rather how one looks in a black evening dress.
Her weight is a closely guarded secret—so what?! Can you blame her after this? Who among us wants our weight held up to public scrutiny?
It appears that not everyone is offended by her weight. She is performing with Placido Domingo soon and will also be featured in Vienna.
I wonder what would happen if they had said the same thing to some male with the power and fame (not to mention, frame) of, say, Luciano Pavarotti.
"Bolshoi Decides It’s Over Before ‘Fat’ Lady Dances"
New York Times, P. A6, Sept. 17, 2003
This story is about the firing of one of Russia’s best-known ballerinas and celebrities, Anastasia Volochkova, 27. "She is heavy for a ballerina; she is hard to lift," a spokeswoman for the Bolshoi Theater said. Ms. Volochkova stated that she is in top form, weighing 109 pounds, and is following a strict diet. She spoke of eating spinach leaves and vegetables for her diet, and having given up ice cream, which she loves.
There is a dispute of her actual height. The article reported that she has been said to be 6 feet tall, 5 feet 7 inches, and 5 feet 6 inches. That translates to a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 17.6, 17.1, or 14.8,respectively. Those values in turn translate into BMI percentiles of about 1%, less than 1%, and way less than the 1st percentile! In other words, at the most optimistic value, Ms. Volochkova has a BMI of less than the 1st percentile and yet she is being called "too heavy". [For reference, see CDC growth charts: Body mass index-for-age percentiles and Stature-for-age and Weight-for-age percentiles—click chart names to view downloadable pdf files]
"Someone can weigh 66 pounds and jump badly and be hard to pick up. Another person can weigh a lot, but her technique makes her easier to lift." These were comments from the representative at the Bolshoi, where she won a top prize at an international ballet competition last year. (*Note: Did it ever occur to anyone at the Bolshoi that someone who weighs 66pounds has a hard time jumping because her muscles have wasted to where they are so weak and that perhaps her heart is too weak to do the work???)
It is obvious from the article that much controversy surrounds Ms. Volochkova and not just about her weight. She is evidently quite talented, attractive, and colorful, but also there are some people who don’t like her it seems for a variety of other reasons. So it is hard to tell just why the Bolshoi canned her. But their comments about her being too heavy are very disturbing. There are other interesting revelations about how people in the ballet world think regarding women and men’s bodies. There is discussion about how only petite ballerinas can dance in certain roles and that the women could not be too tall compared to the men, or that the men were poor at duets.
I have found that some ballet instructors can be brutal to their students when it comes to weight and size comments. I have found from many patients that those comments can be very destructive and embarrassing to someone who is full of talent and who can perform but who may not fit the instructor’s idea of how to look. Those pathological people could care less of the humiliation or injury they cause personally to their students. They take someone so full of promise and can do so much harm that their comments alone can be the blow that ends a dance career or triggers an eating disorder.
We don’t know all the surrounding issues and we should all be skeptical of what it is all really about. It is possible that the weight issue is the catalyst to reveal people’s underlying feelings and how they deal with them via fat, weight, etc. In my opinion, the fact that the Bolshoi brought weight and size into it is finally a public declaration of what everyone I have known in ballet has revealed: ultimately in the world of ballet once you reach a certain skill level, you are what you weigh.
I personally hope she is successful in her lawsuit of the Bolshoi Theatre. Perhaps then those in this area of performance will start to consider some of the destruction in which they have been accomplices and reform their "standards".
Back to top.
11651 Jollyville Road, Ste. 150, Austin, TX 78759 • Directions • Email • 512.380.9999 • 512.380.0072 fax
|
• About Dr. Tyson
• What to Expect at the First Visit
• How to Find Us
• Where to Hear Dr. Tyson
• Patient Article Contributions |
