Royal Ballet School finally ends daily weigh-ins for its dancers amid the ‘body positivity movement being in full swing’ Ballet dancers were made to hit the scales every morning, claims a source READ MORE: Former ballerina reveals class nutritionist told her ‘don’t eat carbs’ The Royal Ballet School has ended the tradition of weighing ballet dancers amid the ‘body positivity movement being in full swing’, a source has claimed. The world-famous British school of classical ballet training has been praised for ditching the weigh-ins, a task that apparently required its performers to hit the scales every morning, reports The Sun. The top ballet school – which is as much revered for its prestige as it is it’s rigorous programmes – trains aspiring dancers aged 11 to 19 and focuses purely on talent, regardless of academic ability. The anonymous source has branded the move ‘brilliant’ and hopes it will inspire fellow dance schools to do the same. The source said: ‘Dancers are told they cannot be over a certain weight, or look a certain way, and had to be weighed-in every morning before training. The Royal Ballet School has ended the tradition of weighing ballet dancers amid the ‘body positivity movement being in full swing’, a source has claimed (stock image) ‘With the body positivity movement in full swing, and mental health such a hot topic, the Royal Ballet School has now stopped this. It’s a brilliant step. Everyone is incredibly supportive’. According to a spokesperson for the Royal Ballet School who spoke to The Sun, the academy has since confirmed that daily weigh-ins are no longer being conducted. The news follows claims made by a young dancer that a nutritionist at the Royal Ballet school told her to stop eating carbs to make her lose weight. India Thompson told a Panorama investigation the so-called expert at the Royal Ballet School had at first admitted she had a good diet. But because teachers had wanted her to ‘lengthen out’ – in-school code for losing weight – the nutritionist allegedly proposed the dangerous advice. India, who was scouted for the prestigious school in 2007 when she was just 11, alleged: ‘I don’t think I knew who I was any more. ‘The nutritionist did say to that I had a good diet but the school wanted me to “lengthen out”. So we would have to find a way to do that which would be to not eat carbs.’ India said she dropped carbs from her diet and would sleep with cling film wrapped around her legs to try and sweat it out. According to the anonymous source, the weigh-ins required operformers to hit the scales every morning (stock image) She added: ‘I lost weight and everybody was really nice to me. My periods stopped completely for a while.’ Teachers began commenting on her weight when she reached puberty and her body began to change. As she developed breasts and her figure began to resemble that of an adult woman, India claimed her teachers told her she needed to ‘lengthen out’. ‘I’d get pulled out of classes to go and sit in the principal’s office so that she could talk to me about “lengthening out”, and what am I doing to make it happen?’ she recalled. The Royal Ballet School (RBS) told the programme it was ‘inconceivable’ a pupil was told to stop eating carbohydrates. It insisted its nutritionists provided ‘healthy eating advice to maximise performance’. Audiences tuning into the show heard testimonies from people who attended Birmingham’s Elmhurst Ballet School as well as the RBS in London. Many were shocked to see the ‘awful treatment’ endured by young teenagers, with some calling for staff at the institutions to ‘hang heads in shame and apologise’. Taking to X – formerly known as Twitter – social media users tuning in admitted it was a ‘tough watch’ as they praised the courage of former pupils to come forward. ‘Watching Panorama, I felt it necessary to post my positive feelings about you women,’ one viewer wrote. Last year, the RBS and Elmhurst received more than £7million in public funding between them. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

This content was originally published here.