Week 3.5: So You Think You Can Dance?
March 20, 2026
Let’s take a break from Russian ballet and just focus on global ballet for a moment.
Raise your hand if you like scrolling on TikTok. Congratulations, you’ve probably contributed to the most controversial “shift” in ballet choreography!
“Stop the Scroll” Content
If you have spent any time on “BalletTok” (Ballet TikTok), you would instantly recognize the work of Eva Nys. She has amassed 1.6 million followers and 174.1 million likes on TikTok by photographing elite dancers and videoing ballet classes from Master Ballet Academy. Her most liked videos feature dancers doing technically difficult steps, with a video of a dancer doing twenty pirouettes en pointe gained 1.8 million likes. Eva’s content as a photographer is meant to “stop the scroll” with technique that amazes dancers and non-dancers alike.
However, Eva Nys, along with other “stop the scroll” photographers like Jordan Matter, is blamed for sensationalizing ballet. Discourse on TikTok and Reddit (r/BALLET) seems to revolve around the shift in ballet from artistry to awe. Critics argue that Eva’s content has shifted choreographers to focus on tricks rather than musicality. In a response to a Reddit post criticizing her heavy involvement with Master Ballet Academy, Eva claims she visits the studio in the early spring to “take pictures and videos for them to advertise summer intensives” (Nys). Because social media metrics have become the new currency for prestigious academies, dance photographers and choreographers alike favor immediate visual impact over cultivated artistry.
Implications
In major ballet competitions like Youth America Grand Prix, dancers often perform famous variations such as the Esmeralda variation. To stand out among other talented dancers with the same canonical variations, competitors often add extra turns, higher extensions, and/or longer balances. Check out this video of two side-by-side Esmeralda performances.
Has ballet been reduced to who can do the most turns or who has the highest leaps? Short-form algorithms wants it to be that way. Or should we ask Timothée Chalamet for his input on this as well…
We’ll be back in business in the next blog post with a testimonial from a VBA alumna!
Works Cited
Fogarty, Miko. “Miko Fogarty, 15, – Esmeralda Variation – YAGP 2013.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 Sept. 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MRZIt9c3_M.
Nys, Eva. “What’s the deal with Eva Nys and Master Ballet Academy?” r/BALLET, Reddit, 4 October 2023, https://www.reddit.com/r/BALLET/comments/16du5ie/whats_the_deal_with_eva_nys_and_master_ballet/.
TheBunduBallerina. “Yuan Yuan Tan – Esmeralda Variation 2002.” YouTube, YouTube, 11 Oct. 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak5vH0V3BGc.
Reader Interactions
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Hi Claire, I’m happy you’re bringing the social media aspect into your project, because it’s how the majority of casuals would get to experience ballet. I know you’ve taken a really neutral stance to lay out the facts of BalletTok sensationalization, and how photographers like Nys are being blamed, but I just wanted to get your opinion on whether you think their work has a detrimental effect. I think Nys is just doing her job, which is to get people attracted to the Master Ballet Academy summer intensives. Because of the rise of social media, do you think turning ballet into a highlight reel is good for it’s development and growth? I can definitely see how it undermines the actual art form in favor of the flashy parts, but just wanted to get your take on whether that spotlight is beneficial or detrimental to the sport. Really well done!