Prestigious ballet academy ‘encouraged children to smoke to stay slim’

Report states pupils were not protected from ‘discrimination and neglect’

Children at Vienna State Opera‘s prestigious ballet academy were allegedly encouraged to smoke to control their weight, an investigation has found.

The scandal initially broke in April when a media report accused the school of inflicting serious physical and mental abuse on its students.

At the time, the Falter newspaper published a detailed investigation detailing “19th-century” methods, alleging that pupils were hit, scratched, pulled by their hair and humiliated over their physiques, with some developing eating disorders.

On Tuesday, a government-backed special commission validated the report, confirming that students at the academy had received insufficient medical care, and also found a general “disregard” for child welfare.

The commission, which consisted of three members, held a total of 16 hearings and interviews with 24 people.

Susanne Reindl-Krauskopf, commission head, claimed that students were advised to start smoking to stay slim and were also addressed by their clothes sizes.

“It is clear that children and adolescents are not sufficiently protected from discrimination, neglect and negative medical effects,” the report stated, adding that students’ training loads were not appropriately controlled resulting in endangered wellbeing.

In response to the commission’s findings, the Vienna State Opera said it has already reduced the number of student performances, adding that it needs to study the report in detail before it can give a more comprehensive reply.

The academy added that since the allegations surfaced earlier this year, it has introduced a course to teach students about nutrition and body image and hired psychologists to support them.

However, the commission has dismissed these measures as insufficient.

The academy, created in 1771, is one of Europe’s most prestigious ballet schools, with many of its alumni dancing for companies such as London’s Royal Ballet and New York’s American Ballet Theatre.

The Independent has contacted the Vienna State Opera for comment.