this is really stupid but...

Yes, I read in an interview somewhere that one of the things required of the show was that they had to have healthy-looking actor/dancers; so as not to bring about bad body image amongst young people.

Because there is NOTHING healthy about how thin dancers actually are. Their bones stick out and break really easily because nearly all dancers are anorexic. This is not something that should be portrayed on a show aimed at young girls.

All the girls on this show are slim, and there is nothing on the show that says being otherwise is bad. They're just not unhealthily so. So it's not a 100% accurate portrayal of ballet dancers, but it's a deviation that has to be allowed.

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I think it is on purpose, and I'm totally in 2 minds about it.

It's good that at least one show for children in the universe isn't based around the thinnest girl they could find, so they could dress her up in cute outfits and make that half the show. It's definitely sending a more positive message about body image than is shown.

However, if children are supposed to want to become ballerinas after watching, won't some of them be told they're too fat to dance from day 1? Isn't that sending an unrealistic message, too? And anorexia is a major concern for serious dancers, so it is something the show should probably deal with more. Yeah, it covered both anorexia and bulimia for like 2 seconds, but it's probably spent more time on male homosexuality than it has on negative body image.

I find Xenia and Alicia and every other dancer on the show to be quite thin. And if your filming for 10-12 hours. Petra and Grace were quite thin.

I love the fact that they did this on purpose so as to not send a bad body image for young girls. BUT! I am also passionate about ballet....and if any of you have watched the movie "Center Stage" I love that film in all regards, but also because it didn't have girls who were scary anorexic thin, but it did have girls that were realistic enough to be seen visually as real dancers for ballet. Any of the girls on Dance Academy have bodies to dance---but to dance Ballet...realistically, Grace and Petra were the only ones who seemed realistic. And the guys. So while I love the wonderful message, sometimes it did irk me that their bodies (Mostly Tara, Kat and Abigail) weren't realistic for ballet as a profession, unfortunately. But definitely fine for ANY other kind of dance. And all of them are very talented. Abigail the most as far as range. So while I wouldn't change how they casted the girls, because eating disorders are far too common......I did appreciate in Center Stage they kept it realistic while at the same time not hiring the dancers who are far too thin looking. But if girls who really do want to become ballerina's.... they shouldn't not take heed of what Dance Academy shows to be ok. Maybe it's alright in Australia but young dancers should watch Center Stage, to kind of really look up to being a dancer and see what it's really like. In Center Stage they did address body types, and one girl being too large. But she was much larger than all the dancers in Dance Academy. But that's really how it is. Even your feet being too flat or your shoulders being too broad, or little things like that can affect whether you become a prima ballerina, or a professional ballerina at all. Even in the ensemble or core. I would know. I have danced my whole life and don't have the body type to be a ballerina---which is why I never got as good at most girls and was also told by two teachers I didn't have the right feet or body type. Ballet is extremely hard----and definitely needs a certain body type for it to work. But I do think however, it's held to ridiculous standards, as anyone really can dance ballet and it still be beautiful if you just use the right technique.