Ballet Dancers Mental Health Essay
When most people think of ballet, they think of little girls running around in pink tutus, but for most ballerinas this is not the case. Ballet dancers have a history of being underestimated and underappreciated and many people don’t realise the skill that goes into making all of their movements look effortless.
However, the intense pressure on dancers can often lead to mental health issues that can follow them throughout life. ….
… is the toxic diet culture of the ballet industry. Mental health disorders such as body image issues and eating disorders have always been prominent in dancers, which has led them to be dangerously normalised. In fact, dancers are … more likely to develop an eating disorder than the general public. With such
…show more content…
Remarks such as ‘I can see your lunch’ are worryingly common and can be extremely damaging to a dancer who is struggling with body image. Even teachers who think they are being size inclusive can still be harmful, for example commenting positively on someone’s weight loss, even if there aren’t any negatives about weight gain. This can lead to the dancer feeling as if they are only valued if they are slim, which is promoting unhealthy eating habits. Not to mention the pressure to fit into costumes and look like the rest of the corps de ballet. Costumes, especially tutus, are expensive and it is known that parts are often chosen partially based on whether the dancer can fit into a certain costume.The ballet industry strives on comparison and perfectionism which is heavily translated through the teachers, with most comparing dancers to each other and having them compete against one …show more content…
The premise of ballet is to be constantly chasing the dream of how an ideal ballerina moves. What many don’t realise is that this standard is physically unachievable. It is impossible to be completely turned out in every movement, while having your hips totally square and your legs up behind your ear. I think this is the main reason why perfectionists are drawn to ballet: the idea that nothing is ever good enough and even when you are at the top of a company, there are always things that you can improve
Situational Irony In Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron'
671 Words | 3 PagesEveryone develops differently, which causes an impossible feature to equalize. In trying to equalize the ballerina, the government allowed for one ballerina to carry more weight allowing everyone to see her true
Summary Of Martha Schabas Various Positions
644 Words | 3 PagesChantal was unable to maintain the level of ballet she was at now than at her previous weight. This demonstrates the lengths that ballet dancers will go to achieve the ideal silhouette, despite the fatal health risks endangering their future as a dancer. Schabas granted readers an insight into the danger of the beauty standards in ballet and how yielding to them can turn
Effects Of Harrison Bergeron
1046 Words | 5 Pages“They were burdened with sashweights and bags of birdshot, and their faces were masked, so that no one, seeing a free and graceful gesture or a pretty face, would feel like something the cat drug in” (Vonnegut para. 10). Here it expresses the extremes that society has implemented in the attempt to make everyone the same. The ballerinas are burdened with weights and physical deformities to force them into normality. They are no longer able to express their creativity through dance or to stand out from the crowd. They are reduced to a level far below themselves, and their individuality is
Fear In Eleanor Roosevelt's Stepping It Up
1804 Words | 8 PagesIn the biography, “Stepping It Up,” by Editor, Anthony, a young dancer with the love for music, grew stronger in his pathway of music as he gradually conquer his fear of public humiliation. The young hip-hop dancer started off in fifth grade as a boy with the fear of public humiliation after he discovered that society don’t always accept his talent of dancing. Instead during his school year, those who voluntarily chooses to dance with the girls in the special events, like parades and carnivals, would be treated diverse and different from the others. This finding causes irrational fear as well as an enteral struggle to gradually form and build up inside Anthony as he slowly matures toward eight grade. That is when Anthony realizes that in order to grow stronger in his path of dancing, he must seek and face his fear to truly conquer it.
Essay On African Americans
1065 Words | 5 Pages“[My dance instructor] Cindy believed that ballet was richer when it embraced diverse shapes and cultures. There would be times in my career when I would struggle to remember that, but I would eventually come back to that conviction, that the stage on which I performed was brighter for having me, even if some in the audience or dancing beside didn 't always agree” (“Misty Copeland
Summary Of Jane Desmond's Article 'Embodying Difference'
1098 Words | 5 PagesIn her article, Embodying Difference, Jane Desmond argues that dance offers important insights into the ways moving bodies articulate cultural meanings and social identities. In other words, she explains the importance of studying the body’s movement as a way of understanding culture and society. She has two main arguments. First, she argues for the importance of the continually changing relational constitutions of cultural forms. Desmond further explains that the key to shedding light on the unequal distribution of power and goods that shape social relations are the concepts of cultural resistance, appropriation, and cultural imperialism (49).
Informative Speech On Irish Dancing
729 Words | 3 PagesThere, we complete drill after drill after drill to perfect technique. We practice all of our dances multiple times, and at the end, we drill all of our jumps, spins, and turns. Classes last hours, all with little time to rest in between dances. This is to build stamina. Dancers are required to keep the appearance of energy up on stage, so that they can complete the dance well without seeming tired.
The Nutcracker: Gender Stereotypes
1301 Words | 6 PagesBeyond the ballet profession, discrimination is a big issue making it the biggest problem in ballet because discrimination in the outside world seeps into ballet and vice versa. Changes were made to the “Nutcracker” in response to anti-Asian hate that spiked during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Ballet was able to make an impact on racism by changing the tea scene demonstrating the importance of cultural equality (Hernández, 2021). Luckily, as discrimination gets eradicated from society it is disappearing from the ballet world. As stated by Phil Chan, in Hernández’s (2021) article, "Folks are finally connecting the dots between the idea that
Persuasive Essay: Is Dance A Sport?
918 Words | 4 PagesThere are many other aspects of dance then just learning the “moves”. A dancer must have well trained technique, flexibility, muscular body, know terminology, memorize steps and so much more. There are so many important aspects of dance most people do not realize. If dance was given more publicity, more people would view it as a
Gender Stereotypes In Ballet
1720 Words | 7 PagesAccording to Ramamurthy, “The stereotypical and highly coded representations of women in popular culture have been given attention by many critics” (846), which remains true for both men and women in ballet. Women must have a slender body, dainty arms, and a look of poise and grace. Men look almost similar, in that they must have a slender masculine physique but also a gentle appearance. Although male dancers can appear masculine, they often receive criticism for appearing too feminine and not manly. This judgment occurs often, no matter if dancers appear different from the stereotypical view, they will endure endless criticism.
Gender Roles In Billy Elliot
1854 Words | 8 PagesThis role has diminished through the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, but the need to be masculine remains in countless men. Makeup, tights, and ballet shoes are not considered manly. Therefore, a subsequent stereotype has become prevalent. Persistently, people erroneously believe all danseurs to be gay, weak, and feminine. Frequently, male dancers are left to feel inadequate and are discouraged from their art because their manliness is questioned.
Choreographic Cognition In Dance
1173 Words | 5 PagesThe ability to create and recreate is a cognitive function which helps in solving the question of learning. Mental images play a major role in determining how dance is composed and conceived by the choreographer, the dancer and ultimately the audience, for whom the art work is being created. What readily drives a choreographer in creating dance movements can easily be at least one of the following factors: the need to fulfill a function with the dance, to embellish an opera, a response to an outside stimuli, the need to work with a particular dancer or the need to move to the structure of movement suggested by a piece of music. Ultimately, there is a craving to be satisfied. Mason opines that “the processes of dance making have been likened to an irrepressible ‘evolutionary urge’ ”
Gymnasts Mental Health Essay
889 Words | 4 PagesTeen girl gymnasts mental health in the United States in the past 10 years has been affected severely due to gymnastics, one of the reasons for that is that gymnasts tend to compare themselves to their teammates or other gymnasts. Comparison can take a huge toll on a gymnast and make a gymnast feel not good enough. Enlightenment thinker, Adam Smith, believed human beings are naturally inclined to view themselves as others see them. We feel the need to succeed and do better around other people which puts pressure on the gymnast and makes them feel as though they need to do better or do as good as another gymnast.
Analysis Of Igor Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring
1032 Words | 5 PagesThe word “ballet” brings to mind words such as “grace” or “beauty” when heard by many people. The definition itself states that it is a form of dance that uses precise steps and light, graceful motions. This definition was in the minds of those who attended the Théâtre des Champs-Élysèes in May 1913, but rather they were greeted with the complete opposite. When Igor Stravinsky’s ballet Rite of Spring opened, the audience was greeted with swift, chaotic music that quickly became a whirlwind of sound. The music softened and the curtains opened to a primitive dance, causing mass hysteria throughout the theatre.
My Experience Of My Dance Experience
850 Words | 4 PagesWith the help of my instructors, I am able to work towards improving elements I have always struggled with, such as balance. Even outside of class, like auditioning for Mesa 's dance concert, I have found that the structure and organization of these auditions has helped prepare me for audition processes in the real world. Picking up and retaining choreography quickly is something I tend to struggle with, but these auditions give me the practice necessary to perform to my greatest ability and figure out methods to be on top of my game. Dance is like therapy to me, and after a long day of work or other classes, it feels comforting to have my dance classes as an outlet to express myself and exert my energy into something positive. On that same note, I have felt overwhelming support from my dance instructors at Mesa.
More about Ballet Dancers Mental Health Essay
Situational Irony In Kurt Vonnegut's 'Harrison Bergeron'
671 Words | 3 PagesSummary Of Martha Schabas Various Positions
644 Words | 3 PagesEffects Of Harrison Bergeron
1046 Words | 5 PagesFear In Eleanor Roosevelt's Stepping It Up
1804 Words | 8 PagesEssay On African Americans
1065 Words | 5 PagesSummary Of Jane Desmond's Article 'Embodying Difference'
1098 Words | 5 PagesInformative Speech On Irish Dancing
729 Words | 3 PagesThe Nutcracker: Gender Stereotypes
1301 Words | 6 PagesPersuasive Essay: Is Dance A Sport?
918 Words | 4 PagesGender Stereotypes In Ballet
1720 Words | 7 PagesGender Roles In Billy Elliot
1854 Words | 8 PagesChoreographic Cognition In Dance
1173 Words | 5 PagesGymnasts Mental Health Essay
889 Words | 4 PagesAnalysis Of Igor Stravinsky's Rite Of Spring
1032 Words | 5 PagesMy Experience Of My Dance Experience
850 Words | 4 Pages