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Wellness for Dancers
A healthy body image: needle in a haystack?
One of the inevitable issues faced by dancers is that of body image. Blame it on George Balanchine, or just plain blame it on modern-day society and the media-fed hype of Hollywood. Whatever the cause, dancers--in and out of the studio--face a veritable onslaught of outside influences that set the body image baton at an unrealistic, unhealthy level. That's probably no shock to anyone reading, but it is nonetheless important to acknowledge this fact, and do your best to thwart it.
Speaking as a fitness and yoga professional who also has had a professional dance career, I make no claims to be a psychologist, or medical practitioner. What I do know, however, comes from a combination of extensive education in physiology, years of teaching and guiding dancers through both technique and weight concerns, and the experience of having been in their shoes myself.
First off, parents, it is especially important that you remain an objective ally of your child when it comes to teachers', directors', and choreographers' behaviors towards her. Speaking for the professionals I've worked with, the majority seem to have the dancer's best interest at heart. However, there are always those select few, who, through either ignorance, insensitivity, or the need to wield the power (or perhaps all three!), will subject dancers to their own harsh judgments regarding how their physiques compare with some ill-conceived body ideal. Whether through blatantly abusive taunts or "friendly," subtle comments, these words penetrate deep. Your reaction as a parent to ANY such events is that of action. Speak to the instructor at the earliest possible convenience (without your child present) to confirm what happened and to express your warning that this behavior will not be tolerated, that you will pull your daughter out of this person's class if such an occurrence happens again. Stick to your guns if this does happen....I've watched way too many
parents back down from this stance simply because they did not want to "rock the boat." This is your daughter's esteem we're talking about, and this person is behaving in an abusive way. Period. There is no excuse that makes this justifiable, short of a dancer suffering from morbid obesity, with the instructor expressing (to the parents) a concern for the child's health.
As for what else you can do to minimize any dance- or society-imposed influences on your dancer's body image, here are some tips:
Sit down with your daughter to discuss some of the natural, normal, and HEALTHY changes that occur during the course of adolescence. Explain that there will be those in the dance world (to say nothing of Hollywood) who will hold the misguided opinion that these changes are unattractive and/or aesthetically unacceptable for "serious" dancers. Emphasize that this is untrue, that no one has the right to make broad stroke generalizations on what body shape is and isn't attractive, and that trying to to "outsmart" the body from making these changes is not only dangerous, it actually increases the likelihood that additional weight gain and imbalanced eating will occur well after your daughter has finished dancing.
Encourage your daughter's curiosity and admiration of healthier role models than just the odd few whose bodies make shocking, attention-getting magazine covers. These days, fitness comes in so many shapes and sizes, from sports figures, artists, and even some pockets of the dance world. Go out of your way to vocally admire the physiques and accomplishments of those whose bodies appear strong and capable, not weak and undernourished.
If you're concerned that your daughter is genuinely overweight, have her checked by her physician, and visit a dietician. Emphasize the health concerns of the situation, as opposed to aesthetic lamentations. And please don't do this if it's only coming from the studio--if your own eye says that you're daughter is slim, but the teacher says otherwise, the last thing your daughter needs is for you to validate this distorted viewpoint.
If your daughter shows signs of ANY troubled eating, drastic changes in self-esteem, rapid weight loss and/or gain, don't wait and hope these symptoms are just part of a "phase" that will eventually go away on its own. Consult a reputable eating disorders program--there are so many different types, there is bound to be own that best suits your situation. Even if you don't believe there is a full-blown eating disorder happening, even if your daughter denies that there's a problem (most will), act on your instincts before the problem escalates.
Teachers have no place putting dancers on a diet or restricting their eating. At most, they should reinforce--on a general level only--the benefits of good nutrition on sports (hence, dance) performance, stress the importance of maintaining a HEALTHY (read: not emaciated) body weight, and encourage adequate water intake. Anything more is beyond their scope of practice. For starters, unless they're a Registered Dietitian, they lack the expertise to make any such recommendations, particularly to young, growing bodies! Secondly, this action creates an atmosphere of scrutiny for the dancers, one that can help set into motion the wheels that lead to disordered eating down the road. Avoid instructors who take this ignorant, abusive route; or, at the very least, let the instructor know that your daughter will not participate in any such restrictions.
These actions may or may not seem drastic, but they serve a secondary, if just as important function. They illustrate to your daughter (remember: actions speak louder than words) that you are dead serious when it comes time to protecting her body image, and ultimately, her health. If we can instill this sense of bodily respect and protection early on, our dancers will understand this concept on a deeper level. Waiting until your daughter's bodily perceptions begin to tumble, then attempting to counter these accumulated outside influences with a "Don't worry; you look fine!" statement won't likely carry much weight. On the other hand, just as adults who perpetually diet in their undying quest for the unobtainable body ideal send a powerful message to our young, impressionable adults-in-training, so too does taking an unrelenting stand against those who would perpetuate these harmful, unrealistic expectations. This, as it turns out, may be our most valuable weapon against poor body images, eating disorders and chronic dieting yet!
While the dangers of distorted body images--and thus the risk of health-threatening eating disorders--are, indeed, present in the dance world, taking distinct steps in minimizing their impact can go a long way in avoiding trouble. What's more, by confronting these factors early on, it not only helps reset the body image expectation baton down to more reasonable levels, it helps prepare girls for the continued bombardment of equally ridiculous body images imposed on women by the media, fashion industry, and Hollywood. So one potential harm gets twisted into a possible help! -ep
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