Row over rape in new Royal Ballet show
New production The Wind faces criticism over ‘gratuitous abuse’ of women on stage
The Royal Ballet has been accused of indulging in the “gratuitous abuse” of women, after it portrayed a woman being raped on stage in a new work, The Wind, despite Arthur Pita, the choreographer, insisting that the outcome was “empowering”.
THE Royal Ballet has been accused of indulging the “gratuitous abuse” of women on stage, as audiences said they “despaired” at another rape storyline in its choreography.
The company, along with the wider ballet world, has been criticised for its treatment of female characters, with sexual violence in recent shows condemned by audiences.
Yesterday, it was accused of showing women abused on stage in a new work, despite choreographer Arthur Pita insisting the outcome was “empowering”. The Wind, based on Dorothy Scarborough’s 1925 novel, tells the story of the breakdown of Letty Mason, an ingenue who moves to the barren wilds of 1880s Texas. Hastily married to a local, she is attacked and raped by a cattle buyer before enacting her revenge.
Kevin O’hare, the Royal Ballet’s director, said the company was “committed to presenting works that are thought-provoking, raise debate and celebrate dance.”
The criticism comes on the back of Kenneth Macmillan’s
The Judas Tree, which included a visceral gang rape scene that left audience members disturbed at the “graphic visual degradations”.
Writing about The Wind, critic Luke Jennings said: “In the past few seasons, the Royal Ballet stage has seen record numbers of female characters brutalised and killed.”
In a review for The Observer, pointing out “yet more sexual violence” on stage, he listed productions of Sweet Violets, Frankenstein, Mayerling, The Invitation and Las Hermanas as including rape or murders, in addition to “the number of recent abstract works in which women are split, splayed and otherwise manhandled”.
In May this year, The New York Times ran a similar comment lamenting the allegedly troubling attitude towards female characters, re- questing: “No more gang rape scenes in ballets, please.”
The Royal Ballet’s marketing material warns that The Wind “contains scenes of an adult nature and features sexual violence”.
Invited to comment on Royal Ballet’s triple bill on its own website, one audience member, Natascha Lancaster, complained: “The dancing was excellent but am tired of watching violence against women. Her winning out is given a few seconds, while the violence lasts much longer. Is this really ‘a woman’s point of view’?”
In an interview with the Financial Times, Pita said he had chosen to show the “before and after” of rape on stage rather than its graphic details, saying: “I just don’t think it’s necessary to show it. I think the audience’s imagination is much worse.”
He added the way the storyline developed was “empowering” for the female character, with her assault giving her the courage to defeat her attacker. The show sees stars Natalia Osipova and Francesca Hayward both take the role of Letty, with Ed Watson as a warrior ghost.
O’hare said: “The Royal Ballet has a broad repertory of classics, heritage works and new commissions exploring a wide range of stories, themes, historic events and current affairs. The bill forms part of a season of programmes showcasing this breadth.”
The debate follows similar controversy at the Royal Opera House, which saw a “gratuitous and graphic” sexual assault booed at the opening night of Guillaume Tell in 2015. The opera company’s then-director, Kasper Holten, stood by the artistic decision, but the scene was altered so the actress involved was not stripped naked on stage.
The issue of sexual violence against women in art has become a topic of debate in recent years, with actresses taking issue with gratuitous scenes in film and television. Shows including Game of Thrones, The Fall and Ripper Street have been criticised.
The Royal Ballet triple bill, which includes The Wind, was awarded two stars by The Daily Telegraph, and runs until November 17.