London ballet school accused of bullying and body-shaming

Dancers have called for a national inquiry into how schools are run
Unsplash / Laura Gomez

A London ballet school has been accused of body-shaming and bullying young dancers.

The accusations, which come out of a BBC investigation for Panorama and File on 4, include claims of dancers developing eating disorders while attending the school.

One dancer, Madeleine Cunnah, 18, told the BBC she was close to suicide during her time at the London Vocational Ballet School (LVBS) in Shepherd's Bush.

The teenager, who studied at the school between the age of 11 and 14, said teachers compared her to an elephant and a bodybuilder.

She said: "One teacher would say things to me that were awful.

"You sound like an elephant when you land, maybe if you were lighter, you would land lighter.

"You look like a bodybuilder."

She told the BBC she developed anorexia while there and gave up dancing despite winning a place at the Royal Ballet.

She said: "I knew I had to quit ballet or I was going to die.

"It's left a deeply ingrained sense of worthlessness in me, which I fear will stay with me the rest of my life."

She added that she blames LVBS for "manipulating" her "young vulnerable mind", adding: "Because when I went to that school, I didn't think there was anything wrong with my body."

The LVBS, previously known as the Young Dancers Academy, told the BBC it believed Madeleine had enjoyed "a positive experience overall at the school" and had no records of any complaints she had made.

It added a 2017 Ofsted report concluded its work in promoting pupil development and welfare was "outstanding".

The ballet school is among those that have been accused as part of a BBC investigation. The broadcaster says it has now spoken to more than 100 former dancers who attended UK schools from the 1990s through to the present day, and who all claim they experienced a "damaging" culture.

The BBC also spoke to Dino Nocivelli from Leigh Day solicitors who said he had heard evidence from 180 former dancers who say they experienced bullying and body-shaming from staff at ballet schools.

He says his clients attended 12 different schools including LVBS and want a formal inquiry into ballet schools.

Mr Nocivelli said: "We need a culture change, but this can only be achieved when ballet accepts there is a problem and that it has to change."

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