As one of the most graceful and elegant art forms, ballet has been adored for centuries. People regard dancers with amazement at their ability to waltz with ease, leap with power and balance with control. On stage, each performer has what seems like an exuberance of energy, with no sign of fatigue ever in sight. They’re able to perfectly fouette and turn. They move together as if the stage is full of replicas of just one dancer. Their leaps and stamina cause everyone to gasp as the ballet dancers surprise everyone with their limitless strength.

Any ballet you attend, the majority of the cast will be female. Whenever you hear of kids excited to start dance, they are most often girls. Tutus, pink tights and pointe shoes fill our minds when ballet is mentioned. And girls.

Guys in the ballet world are harder to come by. Competing with sports like soccer and football, dance does not appeal to the majority of boys. Guys in white tights are not considered masculine. But those involved in dance or anyone who has attended a performance can see their strength as they lift the ladies, jump with great height, and can do what seems like a million pirouettes.

I can attest to all this. Having danced since the age of four, it's been a major part of my life. I had classes every night then rehearsals on the weekend. I traveled to big cities in order to audition, attended weeks long summer intensives, and even attended an arts boarding school to specialize further in the art. My whole high school life centered around the beauty of creating and expressing through my body.

One might guess with the majority of students being girls, they would be favored. But this is most certainly not the case. On the contrary, boys who join dance have constant support and encouragement from all teachers. Programs will accept guys just for being guys who are interested in dance, not much experience is needed. Whereas a girl that same age, who has been dedicated and trained for years, and is at a much higher ability level, might not be accepted in a program due to an abundance of female talent.

These facts are not denied. Everyone in the dance world knows they are true and sadly has come to accept them. But just because ballerinas are a dime a dozen, does that give instructors and directors the right to treat them with less respect? The women minority happens to make up the majority of something for a change, yet that still does not change the patriarch engrained in the art, our society, and our culture.

During one ballet class, one of the male dancers was trying to sneak a snack in between combinations at the barre. Food is not allowed in class, and while this may not seem like a big deal, everyone in my class saw what he was up to. My male instructor noticed, and just chuckled. "Ladies," he said, "Boys will be boys, and while it’s not fair, it’s just something you’ll have to get used to in life." And he continued on with the class, letting the boy finish his bite.

I was shocked, but not completely surprised.

For one program, I remember auditioning alongside a male dancer who was a year older, and in this case, very passionate with dance. But he had no experience in ballet. He had no technique, was off the music, and could not get into the rhythm. I ended up seeing him months later at the program. But most of the talented other female dancers, I didn’t. He was determined, but we all work hard. Each dancer literally puts in their hours of sweat, blood and tears. Those other girls in the room who had dedicated years to the art most likely didn’t get in though, not because they were bad, but just because there were other girls similar in talent.

Ballet is an old art form with roots dating back to where women couldn’t wear dresses exposing their ‘scandalous’ ankles. Men originally dominated the field and even Louis XIV of France performed many roles. But as ballet transformed, women began dominating, and the art form evolved into its now known rigid self.

The strict nature of ballet leaves the voice of dancers hard to be heard. The number of girls and their talent in dance today have become conventional and taken for granted.

I love dance and continue to love dance. The passion I like many others have steam from the joy to dance and create. But that still does not make these injustices alright. The beauty of dance may appear to be gracious, but the underlying truth reveals prominent inequalities, rooting in the art and our culture's core.