The Royal Ballet School has come to a financial agreement with a former pupil who claimed that the body shaming she endured during her enrollment resulted in lasting psychological harm.
Ellen Elphick, 31, had accused the prestigious Covent Garden institution in London of failing in its duty of care.
During her time at the school from 2009 to 2012, she reported struggling with an eating disorder that led to anorexia, which she attributed to the body shaming she faced from several instructors.
The Royal Ballet School stated that it does not accept liability for Elphick’s claims and has not issued an apology. This settlement is reportedly the first of its kind regarding allegations of body shaming in the ballet field.
A representative from the RBS commented, “We are glad that both sides could come to a mutually agreeable resolution and we wish Ellen and her family all the best moving forward.” They emphasized that the institution takes the welfare of its students very seriously.
Elphick recounted that during her first year, she was made to stand before a mirror while an instructor pointed out fat she would remove with a knife from her legs and buttocks, expressing her disgust towards those body parts.
She also described instances of being poked in her thighs and buttocks without consent while maintaining a pose and having her head forcibly turned by a male instructor when she was facing the wrong direction.
In her second year, Elphick reported regularly drinking coffee and inducing vomiting to control her appetite, as well as smoking cigarettes—a behavior she stated was tacitly approved by a teacher who allowed her and her peers to smoke during a trip to the US.
During her third year at the school, she alleged that photographs were taken of her for job applications to ballet companies. She said a senior teacher criticized her buttocks in one of the images, marking it as her “issue.”
Elphick was diagnosed with atypical anorexia and body dysmorphia, conditions she still grapples with today, contending that the maltreatment she faced hindered her ability to pursue a dance career.
“Reflecting on my time at the Royal Ballet School and the eating disorder that developed, I believe there could have been more supportive teaching methods during my years there,” Elphick stated.
“I’ve encountered numerous children who faced similar issues, and I realized how prevalent the problem was among my peers who endured the same type of treatment.”
She stated that bringing her legal claim to light was essential for raising awareness so that future dancers could engage in the art form without suffering long-term damage like she has.
Elphick is one of over 50 former dancers who informed the BBC of a persistent “toxic” environment characterized by body shaming and bullying in some of the UK’s top ballet institutions.
On Thursday, her lawyer, Dino Nocivelli from Leigh Day, remarked that the settlement represented “a crucial step in finally bringing attention to the body shaming and abuse that numerous ballerinas have had to endure, along with the profound effects it leaves on them.”
He reiterated the call made in 2023 for the government to launch an inquiry into body shaming and abuse within ballet, stating, “We cannot remain passive while another generation of ballet dancers endures similar suffering.”
