In a black and white image, dancer Ann Reinking stands with her long legs in a V, hands hovering over her chest and elbows up. She wears a long sleeve leotard and heeled character shoes; her tie-on dance skirt shows motion. Beneath the photo appears bold text in huge yellow letters “Broadway Bodies.” This text appears in the O of Bodies: “A Critical History of Conformity”. In white text: “Ryan Donovan.”

The Body Politics of Broadway: An Excerpt From the Recently Released Book Broadway Bodies: A Critical History of Conformity Sheds Light on Musical Theater’s Longtime Fixation on Physique

The dominance of what I call the Broadway Body—the hyper-fit, muscular, tall, conventionally attractive, exceptionally able triple-threat performer (one highly skilled in acting, dancing, and singing)—became Broadway’s ideal body as the result of a confluence of aesthetic, economic, and sociocultural factors.

The Best NYC Dance Studios You Can Visit on ClassPass

New Yorkers use ClassPass to jump around between the trendiest (and often, most expensive) boutique fitness studios. But it’s a little-known secret that some of the city’s best dance studios are available through the monthly service, too. Plans range from $45-$135 a month, and allow you to take up to three classes a month at […]