Diversity and Inclusion at Ballet West

Highlights:

• Salt Lake City’s own Ballet West is featured in a New York Times article about diversity in ballet. Congrats!
• Mental health and discrimination are closely related.                          
• Supporting diversity and inclusion in the community is part of supporting good mental health.
• City Center Psychology is proud to work with Ballet West on diversity and inclusion.

Here at City Center Psychology in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City, diversity and inclusion form the foundation of our practice. We believe that mental health isn’t all in our heads – it’s also in the world we live in and we are committed to making that world a fair and just place for everyone.

Ballet West’s Nutcracker is a beloved holiday tradition in Salt Lake City for so many families. We’re excited to share this post about diversity in the Nutcracker, which starts at the Capitol Theater (right next door to the City Center Psychology office) on December 14.

DIVERSITY AND DANCE IN SALT LAKE CITY

A few months ago, we had the honor of forming a partnership with Ballet West, a pillar of the arts community here in Salt Lake City, to continue their work on diversity and inclusion in dance. We feel proud to have Ballet West in our home town, not only because of the beauty and joy they bring to our community, but also because they do so while showcasing dancers of every color and background. The world of ballet is changing and Ballet West is helping lead the way.

The proof is in the pudding: check out this amazing article in the New York Times about how the ballet community rallying around the movement to banish yellowface, or the practice of using caricature and exaggerated stereotypes to represent people of Asian descent. Featured prominently is Ballet West’s very own Adam Sklute, creative director. Here’s a small excerpt, but you should really check out the whole article.

“Diversity onstage is paramount these days,” said Adam Sklute, the artistic director of Ballet West. “I want to populate my stage with the kind of world I want to live in, which is culturally diverse.”

When Mr. Sklute took over Ballet West about a decade ago,he was immediately troubled by the “Tea” section in the company’s “Nutcracker,”one of the oldest full productions in America, choreographed by Willam Christensen. “There was a lot of head-bobbing and parasol-swirling,smiley-faced action,” he said. “This was something that in 1944 would not have been considered inappropriate, but when I looked at it in 2007, I thought this isn’t right.”

DISCRIMINATION AND MENTAL HEALTH

What, you may wonder, does this all have to do with psychology and mental health? Here are a couple facts about stereotypes, discrimination, and mental health:

• Experiencing discrimination has been found to be closely related to poor mental health for people of color, including increasing anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and thoughts of self-harm
• Sadly, discrimination seems to start its harmful effects on mental health for people of color in childhood
• Asian Americans may be particularly vulnerable to depression and low self-esteem as a result of discrimination, possibly because they are relatively less prepared to face discrimination compared to other people of color

There are many things people need from their communities to be healthy: recognition, respect, feeling valued. But at the heart of all these needs is one that is even more fundamental: the need to be seen. Stereotypes cloud our vision and mask our community’s ability to see people for who they are. When we see stereotypes, we don’t see people. Within this invisibility live far too many people of color even today.

That is why when it comes to mental health, representation matters. Banishing stereotypes is just a step, but it is an important and necessary step to making sure every person is seen and recognized for who they are.

BRINGING DIVERSITY TRAINING TO THE SALT LAKE CITY COMMUNITY

That is why here at City Center Psychology, we see the work we do in diversity and inclusion training and consultation as going hand in hand with our clinical work as mental health therapists. It’s all part of the same mission – helping to support good mental health for the whole Salt Lake City community.

We have loved bringing our diversity and inclusion training to Ballet West and are thrilled to see their efforts in this field acknowledged on a pretty big stage. Congratulations!

If you are interested in bringing diversity and inclusion training or consultation to your business or organization, email us at info@citycenterpsych.com. We’d love to hear from you.