Mental health of dancers

Superficially, we admire passion, success and the actual dance performance in a dancer's life. Yet, what is hidden behind the facade remains unseen, rarely addressed, even suppressed.

The mental health of dancers has been conceiled for many years and still remains a taboo nowadays.

However, topics such as unhealthy perfectionism, the development and the creation of teaching climates that lead to eating disorders, addiction disorders, anxiety disorders, the feeling of inadequacy, body shaming and other unhealthy mental strategies are more prevalent among dancers.

There exist methods to support dancers actively to establish a healthy attitude towards exercising, dance training, eating habits and performance pressure. Amongst them, one finds methods such as empowerment strategies and mindfulness based exercises. These may help dancers to develop the ability to stand up for themselve and their bodies' needs and to take realistic decisions.

The topic of mental health among dancers need to be addressed swiftly among dancers, dance pedagogues and dance institutions.

Contact me here if you feel like implementing such ideas.