Jeppe Hansen says Royal Winnipeg Ballet pressured him into leaving school
CBC News
Posted: Jul 8, 2013 4:33 AM CT
An aspiring ballet star is accusing the Royal Winnipeg Ballet of unfairly kicking him out of its school after he began acting in pornographic videos.
Jeppe Hansen, 22, had danced on stages around the world and studied in Montreal, New York City and his native Denmark before joining the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in September 2012.
“My identity is built on being a ballet dancer,” he told CBC News.
“For me to come there was a big opportunity for me.”
But earlier this year, Hansen appeared in his first pornographic video — a side project and an opportunity, he said, to express himself in a new way — and RWB officials found out.
“They told me … they didn’t have any space for me because I did porn,” he said.
He accused the ballet company of unfairly trying to define what constitutes art.
“You cannot be in a company or with the school or whatever because you’ve decided to take a different standpoint artistically — not because you physically can’t do it, or because you’re not good enough,” Hansen said.
“Being told because you’re doing something else that’s interrupting with what we think you can do is really difficult because they know it’s your passion, they know that that’s what you live off. They know my entire identity’s built on it. So it was really difficult to be told that and to be told, ‘You know what? There’s no space for you here.'”
Hansen said he left the school in late March. In April, he left Winnipeg and moved to New York City to pursue adult entertainment full-time under the screen name Jett Black.
“It was more important for me to be me and to do the things I wanted to do for once, and not what everyone else wanted,” Hansen said.
“Being a ballet dancer is restrictive. Everyone tells you what you have to do, how to look, what to weigh, how to perform [and] be the artist you are.”
Hansen appeared in his first pornographic video in February with the website CockyBoys, under the performance name Jett Black.
In addition to sex-only videos, the website’s owner, Emmy-award-winning producer Jake Jaxson, says he’s trying to blur the lines between mainstream entertainment and adult entertainment with films that include a plot along with sex scenes.
“The films are meant to be entertaining and sexual at the same time,” Jaxson said.
Jaxson said his films challenge what society considers to be mainstream and the kind of artists the public celebrates.
“I don’t like movies that show young people’s heads cut off or their arms ripped from their body. And everyone goes and watches that … and those performers are not looked at as being outside of the mainstream,” Jaxson said.
pretty
Sometimes what we thought was our path just isn’t.
I’m sure he’s ok for some, but not my type at all.
What ever happened to friendly Manitoba…sigh
Go home lil boy lol
Jett Black was a spoiled brat that wanted it all. The company’s rules clearly state that any member that wants to perform ( no limiting adjectives were used) while part of the company must have prior written permission. It is not limited in any way as the author misinterpreted it. It further goes on to say that if a member wants to dance elsewhere during a break, that too requires permission. If the first part of the rules were limited to dance, as the author says, then there would be no reason to have two parts to the rule. This also functions as a ‘morals clause’…most mainline businesses don’t want porn associated with them. He’s an adult acting like a spoiled child…you can’t always have it all, all the time. You knew the rules going in and changed your mind..they have that same right. He’s been dancing for 20 of his 22 years and threw that away. Ballet dancers prime years are few. The British Royal ballet pay starts at £22k/yr.+ £1k for each add. yr, solo=£32,5K and 1st solo=£39K. The NYCB is the highest paid in the U.S. with the ave.= $60K/yr. and top dancers $100k+. By contrast, gay porn performers make about $200-$1000/ scene regardless of time spent and no royalties. He doesn’t even have a monster cock or something else to demand more. His type is a dime a dozen in porn, where he was a standout in ballet for his age/experience. If porn paid that well, you wouldn’t see porn stars on RentBoy hustling… their films boost their presence and their hourly rates. That’s where the money potentially is. He could have spent his prime making good money and gone into porn post career/accident. You can make ‘daddy’ porn into your middle years, not so with dance. He choose poorly and will regret it. No other ballet company will hire a known trouble maker given their limited openings and droves of applicants. Hard lesson learned.
I am not going to argue with the previous writers statements as he seems to have more knowledge on the subject of RWB and other Ballet companies BUT unless I missed something in the article it isn’t clear if Jett Black initiated contact with CBC re the story or if it was a reporter that hunted him down trying to make the RWB look bad. I am not sure I would call Jett a spoiled brat or not but what I will say is that the ballet worlds loss is porns gain. This is one very good looking young guy with an ass to die for. (not the largest cock) but that dance honed body is indeed special
If dance is where his heart is then he should go in it all the way and give up pron you can’t do both it seems so he needs to make a choice it is his to make.
it seems he already made his choice because he knew the rules of the ballet company before he did the porn which is clearly against their rules and more than likely against any other ballet companies rules as well.
Totally agree with Behairy. He could have known that the RWBS has it rules. Think first before you make a choice…
I think this is a matter of choice. He has chosen to expand his possibilities as an artist, but RWB chooses not to have a potential porn star in their cast. As simple as that. As a Winnipeger, I said that RWB is a company with a long tradition and no many ballet companies can call themselves “Royal” that title is earned and if they don’t want their company associated with the porn industry, I don’t blame them. I can’t say whether his decision was right or wrong, I guess we just need to wait and see if any other ballet company will be willing to give him a chance and if the porn industry will make him a star.
Thank God they Kicked his Trashy Ass to the Curb. I’m sure his next Career move, will be that Sex Changee, since he already looks like he’s Half Way there. s a female, he’d make more Money anyway, considering his ASSets and Equipment, put him in the SMALL league.