When the viral clip of actor Timothée Chalamet saying that he did not want to do ballet or opera because “nobody cares about them anymore” first appeared on my TikTok for you page, I was outraged. I still am. As someone who grew up in dance and has always appreciated the performing arts, I was offended that someone with a platform as large as Chalamet’s would make such a senseless remark. I was glad to see critiques of him from others online, and I laughed at the pettiness of ballet and opera companies around the world. However, one thing has begun to bother me about some of the responses I have seen online. That is the performative nature of the outrage.
Now, what do I mean by this? I am seeing people online argue tooth and nail about why Chalamet’s remarks were wrong, but I had a feeling they actually do not care about ballet or opera either and simply want to add fuel to the fire — or have been looking for a reason to hate on Chalamet. Most of the creators I have seen commenting have never posted about either ballet or opera in other videos. Even conversations I have had with people in real life have felt performative. Friends who have dismissed or acted bored when I talk about dance have suddenly made it seem like Chalamet’s comments were a personal affront to them. This feeling I had was reassured when I read that Doja Cat, a Grammy-winning artist, who had posted a TikTok criticizing Chalamet, revealed she actually does not know anything about the two mediums either.
I am a self-proclaimed lover of the arts, and while I am not an expert on opera, I do know a good amount about the ballet industry and its importance, as I wrote in an article earlier this school year. You absolutely should still care about ballet and opera. Without them, we would not have the theatre or film industries that we do today.
The remarks stuck with me so much because I have had similar things said to me my whole life. When I would tell people ballet is my favorite dance style I would get responses of, “but it is so boring” or “no one actually likes ballet.” I then heard similar remarks in high school when I joined the school newspaper. I very clearly remember one of my friends telling me that “nobody actually reads The Dart” after excitedly telling her that our new edition was about to come out.
While these words may seem harmless to the person saying them, the person listening to them is being hurt. To hear someone say that the thing you are passionate about means nothing to everyone else is so discouraging.
Billionaire pop star, Taylor Swift once said, “the worst kind of person is someone who makes someone feel bad, dumb or stupid for being excited about something.” This quote has always resonated with me because there have been many times in my life where people have made me feel bad because I was excited about something that was not exactly mainstream — like ballet.
When I say you should care about dying art forms, I am not trying to say that you should all go out and buy tickets to a ballet or opera. I understand that they are not for everyone. What I am saying, however, is that if a friend, family member, classmate or anyone you meet in life tells you that they love to dance, go to the opera, visit museums or do anything that is not considered mainstream, do not dismiss them or tell them you do not care. You should care. You may not realize it, but we need people to care about these “dying art forms,” especially as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into our lives, and human creativity is under attack.
The people who care about these art forms are the ones contributing to culture and creating incredible works of art. The 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony incorporated dance into the event’s festivities and former American Ballet Theater principal dancer, Misty Copeland, performed at the Oscars as part of the “Sinners” musical performance.
Ballet and opera are centuries-old art forms, and I believe — and hope — that they will exist for centuries more. So, while they may not be at the forefront of pop culture, Chalamet was wrong. Ballet and opera are still going strong, and hopefully they will continue to act as hubs for creativity and passion.