"The Ballet of the Masses"

6 September 2024

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Research in Dance Choreography and Performance- University of Roehampton

"“Johan Cruyff should have been a dancer,” declared Rudolf Nureyev, the famed 20th century ballet dancer, choreographer and Soviet-defector (The Times, 2016). Likewise, Cruyff admitted, “Dancers are the cleverest with their feet, next are footballers,” (Dance Life, 2016). Football and dance are two pillars of English physical culture - cultural activities centred on the moving body. However, arts and athletics often live in different camps, defined by gender roles, sociopolitical contexts and purpose. 

I distinguished choreography from dance and studied English national football through an improvisational, choreographic method. By understanding the ball as a Forsythian choreographic object, rules as an improvisation score, players as creative performers, and football movement as a distinct language, I began to deconstruct the layers of English identity expressed through football performance and projected onto the performers by the audiences themselves. 

Cover Art Photography: “Discofoot” - CCN Ballet de Lorraine