Perfection In Dancing

Dance began as a form of communication and storytelling. Thousands of years ago dancing served as a way for people to tell a story and helped distract themselves of the hardships they faced. Furthermore, dance was a form of storytelling through communication, which then turned into using storytelling through dance as entertainment. According to the History World, many dancers during the BC time danced in front of only a few people to get a story across. That later turned into hundreds of thousands of people as dance was used by many. Today, dance is also a form of entertainment and storytelling, but in a modern sense. However, today perfection and technique are stressed more than they were in the past. Yet, the passion for dance has not changed. Many dancers who share this passion also have many of the same qualities. Among a discourse community of trained dancers, one expects to find individuals who are healthy and active athletes, expect perfection from themselves through competition, and religiously attend dance performances.

Perhaps the very first image the general public would see in their mind’s eye, upon hearing the word “dancer”, is that of a darling little five year old girl in a pretty pink tutu and delicate ballet slippers stepping into her local dance studio for the first time. Take someone a little deeper into that thought, and they might see an overly thin, pale sixteen year old young woman, with collarbones and ribs showing working herself almost to death to earn a minor part in a dance chorus. Suggest that someone describe a dancer in the height of their career, and you might hear of a Prima Ballerina with the Moscow Ballet. Ask someone to visualize a dancer in later years, and they might picture an older woman with a greying bun atop her head, leading a class or perhaps helping younger dancer perfect a performance, who is likely ailing

I have been dancing since the age of two. When asked about my career aspirations, there is no hesitation before saying “I want to be a dancer.” Being a dancer means putting all other distractions aside, and focusing on my craft. Currently, I dedicate over forty hours a week to dance, which is a schedule that requires sacrifice. When I am dancing, the rest of the world fades away, slipping out of my mind with relaxed importance. For that moment in time, I am completely free, wholly focused on my goals, letting me know dance is what I’m meant to do. With this realization comes a responsibility to myself and the work I have put into improving my craft thus far, and I know I must seek out the best opportunities for growth and continued learning.

During my research, I found various interviews with dancers of all different backgrounds based on how they felt about the dance world and the struggles that come with it. I picked out a couple of questions and answers that helped me develop a better understanding of my chosen area for this dissertation. Having read a number of interviews, I found the majority of answers were very similar which may suggest most dancers, even if from different genres, experience a similar pressure and fears when it comes to this industry.

“Dying to be Thin,” produced by PBS, is a documentary that examines the troubles that persons who are affected by eating disorders go through and the constant, daily struggles they face with health and body image. The film tells the story of a number of young women who battled mainly anorexia and bulimia and mixes a variety of ages to give a “during” and an “after” perspective. Many of the women in the video were ballet or some similar type of dancer. Dancers, by their own account, are encouraged to be thin. The issue really came to the forefront after a young ballet dancer from Boston died of heart failure at the young age of 22, with an eating disorder deemed to be the cause. The narrator goes on to introduce more young women and detail the potential illnesses that their eating disorders can cause. Chronic low blood pressure, kidney and liver damage, severe early osteoporosis, and heart failure are all common things seem in patients who suffer from eating disorders. Most patients have dangerously low body weights, body fat percentages, and, often, young women will experience amenorrhea, which is the loss of menstruation. All of the people in the video wanted to be better and were seeking a road to recovery. The video showed though, how difficult that can be since the eating disorders can be so wide ranging and have a number of different root causes. Often patients develop eating disorders as something that they have control over, in a world that they feel is out of their

While the speaker has succeeded in providing an enhanced image of the performer, the act of assigning meaning to the performance and the representation used holds the capacity to limit the experience. As the speaker continues to reconfigure her strip tease into a “[graceful] and calm” artistic dance, he makes a simultaneous attempt to distance himself from the crowd, making no mention of his gender or race directly (5). However, the speaker’s attempt to portray the dancer from objective eyes falters as his

For over a decade, I stood at the same barre in front of the same mirror, and I watched myself change. Without my knowledge, ballet began to shape me as a person. Because of the grueling hours spent refining my technique, I developed discipline. Despite the hard days of practice, I never gave up. My body learned as well, and my muscles still contain the leanness of a dancer. Whenever someone compliments me on my ability to tie my hair into a bun on the top of my head, I always smile conspiratorially.

Every year thousands of students are recruited to be student athletes at colleges and every year approximately 8 million individuals suffer from eating disorders. According to Psychology Applied to Modern Life, eating disorders are defined as “severe disturbances in eating behavior characterized by preoccupation with weight and unhealthy efforts to control weight (Weiten, Dunn, Hammer, 2011, p. 470).” Eating disorders can include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder. With risk factors such as low self esteem, pressure from family, friends and coaches and access to unlimited to food it is no wonder that collegiate athletes have higher rates of eating disorders than regular

Three laps around the gym, minute long planks, crunches, sit-ups, and pushups in a matter of thirty minutes. As a dancer, experiencing and realizing the strength that needs to be present in order for an athlete to grow is vital. We go through long hours of choreography sessions, pain and strain on our bodies, and vigorous training. Many people will disagree on the status of if dance is a sport or not. Both Mary- Elizabeth Esquibel, in her article “Why Dance Will Always Be a Sport” and the infographic entitled “Is Dance a Sport?” attack this controversial dilemma. Even though these arguments use different formats, they use rhetoric similarly.

Eating disorders are a very serious psychological condition that affects your mind so that you are more focused on your food and weight than you are on everything else. The most known and most commonly diagnosed eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder; however, these are not the only eating disorders. Eating disorders cause psychical and psychological problems, which at their worst can even become life threating. Statistics show that more women are affected by eating disorders, but men none the less can still be affected. “Age (most common from teens to early twenties), Family history (hereditary), emotional disorders (people with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder are at a great chance), transitions (moving, heading to college, or anything that can bring emotional distress), and sports (ballerinas, gymnasts, runners, and wrestlers are at a higher risk) also can play a role in who is being affected by an eating disorder” (Eating Disorders).

Another issue in this community would be the competition for the fame. Many dancers who aspire to improve, dream of holding the centerstage in the spotlight. The race to become the best is certainly something that every dancer is willing to achieve. The deadlines for dance gigs, making choreography, and the efforts to improvement are extremely strenuous. It is a good feeling when an individual knows he or she is best at something, but when the individual is constantly doing it like a chore and thinking it as a job to get done, there is no fun in what he or she loves to do anymore. In an article, “Trending Now: #Competition by Candice Thompson”, a dancer Ida Saki states she “remembers feeling somewhat look down upon as a trickster with no artistry

Pressure to reduce weight has been the common explanation for the increased prevalence of eating-related problems among athletes and dancers. One of the reasons that ballet dancers may be at risk for developing eating disorders is that they may have to diet in order to maintain the sylph-like bodies that are required for the discipline of ballet. Lowenkopf and Vincent (1982) have suggested that female adolescent dancers run eight times the risk of developing eating disorders compared to their non-dieting peers. Ballet is also an activity that is low in energy expenditure, and Cohen et al. (1982) reported that while age-matched swimmers or skaters might expend 500 calories in a similar length session, a dancer would only expend 200 calories.

This paper explores my main question, “how does movement through dance affect the mental and emotional dimensions of wellness?” I will explore the many unknown benefits that come from dance as well as share expressions of my personal thoughts on the subject. I will also share my personal experiences as well as others’ experiences with dance. In the research portion of my paper, I will cite studies supporting both the mental and emotional benefits of dance. This paper will also explore the perspective of a professor of dance, as well as the lived experiences of actual dance students. My interview will support my paper as it reinforces the findings in literature. I will discuss my future plans on the subject of mental and emotional dance; stressing the need for individuals to dance as the benefits can be

In the article, Academy for Eating Disorders Position Paper (2009), the five authors conduct a study with dancers to determine the environmental factors which influence the prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. According to the conclusions of the study, the dancers from more competitive dance schools were more inclined to partake in behaviours consistent with individuals who have eating disorders. This conclusion supports the hypothesis that the environment of an individual may contribute to the onset of eating disorders because the dancers, who participate in activities which require a more focused attention on body shape and size, were more likely to develop anorexia nervosa. I believe the study illustrates the multi-determined nature of eating disorders as it indicates that not only are there biological influences, but also social and environmental factors which impact an individual’s dietary

Many of my fellow dancers would say negative things that no aspiring dancer wanted hear such as, "She's the worst dancer in this whole entire dance studio." Instead of letting their harsh words bring me down, I used their insults as motivation to work harder so I could one day prove them wrong. Every time I danced, I didn’t just focus on my weaknesses, I would also acknowledge my strengths to keep me motivated. Jackie Robinson restrained from losing his dignity when members of the diamond world would tear him down, likewise I learned to build a thick skin and not letting their cold remarks pave a way to my