Ballet dancing drag queens: Edge Hill University produce "The Buttcracker"
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Feb 2019, 14:03 GMT
Edge Hill University academics are challenging the image of ballet by re-creating and queering photos of ageing and fat dancers in The Buttcracker.
Rupturing the traditional image of thin, heterosexual, athletic, young dancers, Mark Edward and Helen Newall have constructed photos of famous ballets and songs renaming them Gaysell (Gisele), La Sifilis (La Silfide) and Sugar Bum Fairy (Sugar Plum Fairy).
Moira Shearer, who played Vicky Page in Powell and Pressburgers The Red Shoes, is another of our heroes, and was a British ballerina who made the move from ballet to film stardom. Here, Mark portrays Moira, who plays Vicky, who is which is portrayed in the wonderful ballet-within-the film. This photograph is thus a performance within a performance within a performance within a performance... No wonder Mark and Vicky feel like theyre going mad.
Rudolf Nureyev was a Soviet ballet star who defected to the West, and subsequently partnered Margot Fonteyn. Often lauded as the greatest male ballet dancer of his time, he demonstrated that while ballet is a beautiful art form, it also requires agility, immense strength and great physical prowess, things Mark has in spades. We decided on our version of the name because often there are leaps that Nureyev could do that Mark can only dream of, but with the help of a mini trampoline for these shots, he gets near enough
Posing is hard work! Mark had to leap repeatedly, or hold uncomfortable poses for long stretches of time to achieve the right look for the camera. This shot was taken during one of our many tea breaks.
Mark as Pavlova, in another classic pose from The Dying Swan.
Louise la Cavalier was an extraordinary fierce dancer who famously executed difficult dance steps more usually performed by male dancers, including thenotoriously difficult barrel turn. This shot pays homage to her work in Human Sex as part of Canadian dance company, La La La Human Steps.
