What I'm about to say might seem off topic at first, but bear with me.

Over the last few years, a handful of documentaries about K-pop have debuted.

They dive deep into the rise of certain Korean bands.

That's how a lot of people in the U.S. learned about so-called K-pop academies,

schools where young kids go to essentially be groomed into pop superstars.

These schools sound a little culty. The kids barely have any control over their own lives. Because

they're not just trained in music and dance, they're molded from clay in the worst ways. They're

told what to eat, what to wear, and who they can socialize with.

Not everyone who goes to these schools actually makes it into a band.

And even many who do suffer from mental health issues they developed as a result of these schools,

not to mention the struggles they face once in the public eye. That's kind of brutal. I mean, a lot of these schools, not to mention the struggles they face once in the public eye.

That's kind of brutal. I mean, a lot of these stars are just kids when they're put on this

assembly line. American audiences were shocked to learn the dark side of a pretty universally

beloved genre. But there's another institution that's been operating in a similar way, right here in the world of ballet. Specifically, the New York City Ballet and its pre-professional division,

the School of American Ballet. This world famous company was founded by one of the most iconic choreographers

in history. It set itself apart not just by pushing artistic boundaries, but stepping into the

worlds of fashion and pop culture. But in 2017 and 2018, the beloved ballet company was hit with two

major scandals. At first they seemed like

separate situations, but soon people realized that this widely admired institution had problems

brewing for years. As sketchy financial documents were uncovered and protesters gathered

outside theater doors,

people started to wonder.

...