Kendall Jenner is used to dancing through life, but her latest project is causing quite a stir among actual dancers. The young model appeared in a video for Vogue España last week dressed as a ballerina, and giggling as she playfully jumps and kicks around a dance studio. In between playing with the barre or trying on some legwarmers, Jenner says things like:
I love walking around, being able to be free" and "I have a really weird sense of humor, I think.
The video may seem like a harmless little clip, but a number of professional ballerinas have found it to be insulting to their craft. As anyone who's done ballet (or seen Starz's Flesh and Bone) knows, creating those beautiful dance routines comes from a ton of tireless practice and grueling exercises. A number of ballerinas who viewed Kendall Jenner's video were upset that the model and reality star seemed to imply that ballet was a frivolous and simple thing.
A writer for the dance blog Dance Spirit said that "the whole thing reads as pretty disrespectful to the artists who devote their lives to this demanding craft." And even Dance Moms star Abby Lee Miller has spoken out against the video in an Instagram comment, saying:
There are so many amazing dancers in the world... Kendall Jenner is not one of them!
From the woman who discovered Sia muse Maddie Ziegler, you know that she knows what she's talking about.
And responses from other viewers have been equally scathing. Many are upset that Vogue España got Kendall Jenner to dance around instead of an actual, trained dancer.
Others mock the shoot's blind approach to depicting ballet.
But mostly, it seems people are upset that the video belittles the intense effort that ballerinas put into perfecting their craft.
Not everyone was critical of Kendall Jenner's video, though. Allison DeBona, a first soloist for Utah's Ballet West, supported Jenner in a Facebook post, writing "she's a beautiful young girl who's job is to do what she's asked to do." DeBona also recently filmed a ballet video for Vogue Italia, which she shared along with her note.
So what do you think about Kendall's ballet video? Offensive to dancers or just a harmless bit of fun?
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