Monica Mason, director of The Royal Ballet 2002 – 2012, has said that ‘any director who claims to have never worked with an anorexic performer is lying’ . An issue that has brought controversy and a lot of attention to the dance community is the on-going struggle of Eating Disorders (ED’s). It is a very straining illness that has unfortunate side effects for any individual, let alone a dancer whom needs high physical stamina. Because of the pressure and urgency for a thin Prima Ballerina, ED’s still remain hot in the headlines.
There is a massive idea that all dancers must be stick thin to please the audience, yet must have enough physical stamina and muscle strength to be able to dance for as long and hard as professionals do. The ideal dancing body was first established by George Balanchine, he was the co-founder of the American Ballet School. Balanchine insisted his female dancers be a minimum of 5’7” with a lean slender body. Having such an impact in the dance community his ideals stuck and have now moved on to create ‘The Balanchine Body’, which refers to women with ‘narrow hips, little or no fat deposits, long lean legs, a short slim torso, small breasts and delicate arms.’ Few people genetically fit this description, however from having his concept taught in a worldwide known dance school, it quickly spread to other companies and schools. Today, this ideal body is expected of all dancers.
With this ideal being spread around the dance community (audience included), mixed with dancers have to spend multiple hours daily staring at themselves in a mirror, it becomes very easy to compare yourself to others and how you “should” look. A dancer’s uniform consists of skin tight clothing that defines every aspect of your body, th...
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...unately not all dance schools and companies are ‘encouraging’ their dancers to have disordered eating. The Royal Ballet School is teaching their dancers about nutrition through their regular classes and through workshops with nutritionists, working with the Royal Ballet. The board of the company are saying that “they want to keep an eye” on their dancers for any signs of an ED, either progressing or continuing.
Not until recently had the media and health clinics become involved towards the issue of ED’s, to not only dancers but to society. It is clear that in the past the dance industry was not aware or caring how detrimental and unhealthy eating habits can be to their dancers. Many effects are attributed to discorded eating habits, and these effects are exaggerated in dancers as they participate in a lot of physical activity and must maintain high energy levels.
One of the hardest pressures that dancers have to get through is the pressure from the media. The media places harsh, rigid, and false ideas of dancers on to the mass public. Constantly bombarded by commercials, magazine ads, posters, etc., the idea of being thin and beautiful is what the society thinks of as the “norm”. The truth is “these ads portray women who have a weight way below average, and have no imperfections” (Karyn p.1). Many ads are airbrushed to give the models the look of being flawless which many women and girls do not realize. Since that look is “virtually impossible to achieve” many dancers will develop an eating disorder feeling that “it is their only road to achieve this goal” of being thin (Karyn p.1). When thinking about it, the whole point of a commercial is essentially to sell happiness. If selling happiness is the goal and the use of models is prevalent in the commercial, then it can be concluded that the only way to achieve happiness is to be just like the commercial by having the product being advertised and looking like the person advertising it.
By universal definition, "sport" is listed as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." Football, basketball, baseball, soccer and other primary activities have always been concretely defined as sports in society. However, one of the most physically demanding activities is constantly forgotten when it comes to the realm of sports- dance. Dance requires a tremendous amount of training and creates an aura of competition in which people compete to be the best, win, and take home the trophy- just like in traditionally accepted sports. These sports, however, do not possess an element of psychological health threats that some competitive dancers unfortunately must account for due to the emphasis placed on physical appearance.
The significant problem is when someone says these thing to certain people, it makes them anxious to lose or gain more or less weight. In the article, “The figure skating world is troubled by eating disorders” by Al Jazeera, states, “Because of eating disorders, both have quit the sport.
Ballet, for years, has been known for dancers with a sylphlike body structure (Kelly). The ideal dancer is expected to be thin and well proportioned. Dancers tend to be naturally competitive and often struggle with the overwhelming attention brought to their body shape, causing many to develop eating disorders. Classical training and the high demands it requires is another cause of eating disorders (Kelly). Between 1966 and 2013, many studies have been conducted in attempt to find a ratio of eating disorders among dancers. These studies show that around 16.4% of dancers have been classified with a general eating disorder, 4% have been diagnosed with anorexia, around 2% of dancers have bulimia, and 14.9% have eating disorders not otherwise specified (Arcelus). Dr. Michelle Warren, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center’s gynecologist and obstetrician and expert in Menopause and Hormonal Disorders, says, “Dance is one of the worst areas. The average incidence of eating disorders in the white middle-class population is 1 in 100. In classical ballet, it is 1 in 5,” (Dunning). Many professional companies have an on-site nutritionist to suggest proper
Eating disorders are a very serious increasing problem that an individual may develop. Eating disorders can be characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating, refusal to eat, and even frantic efforts to avoid weight gain such as purging as discussed by the National Institute of Mental Health (2014). Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are discussed within the video Dying to Be Thin. Throughout the video emotions and anxieties over having an extremely slender, narrow body structure are discussed by women who are in the dancing profession. It is explained throughout the video about how much pressure there is on these women to be shaped a specific way for the looks of a performance.
According to the Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy Review’s article on the female athlete triad, in the past forty years, American women have become increasingly involved in athletics as a result of laws allowing them to participate in sports. (Lebrun and Rumball) For instance, Cathy Rigby won eight Olympic gold medals in gymnastics during the ‘60’s and 70’s when these laws were just coming into effect. (Brunet) Nevertheless, there is an ugly hidden underbelly to the many benefits of women’s increased participation in sports. Many sports have very high standards for body image, which has led to the increasing prevalence of three “separate… but interrelated conditions” collectively known as the female athlete triad. (Lebrun and Rumball) Despite Cathy Rigby’s aforementioned success, an article by Dr. Michael Brunet reveals that she was severely affected by the most well-known of the female athlete triad: the eating disorder. This eventually caused her to suffer cardiac arrest twice. (Brunet) These effects are not limited to elite athletes, however; high school athletes are also affected by the triad, particularly those participating in sports “in which leanness is perceived to optimize performance” or which use “specific weight categories.” (Lebrun) The three components of the triad, osteoporosis, amenorrhea, and disordered eating, are increasingly becoming an unfortunate effect of distorted body image on sports.
In an opinion piece that was printed by the San Francisco Chronicle (12, December 2000) Joan Ryan asks: Does [a ballet school] have the right to give preference to leaner body types?” She replies with a firm “yes”. Ryan argues that these institutions have the right to establish whatever standards they want to ensure that those they receive have the qualities required for professional success. But she also says that some parents push their children to extreme to meet these standards. Ryan offers a questionable approach to sheltering children from the possible abuses of such parents. Overall, she brings up timely problems in discussing
These expectations are achieved by the different dance styles, settings, much and the overall look of the dancers. However, there are many aspects that contribute to the pleasing appearances of dance; the appearance of the dance industry rests heavily on the performers. Dancers, especially in advanced dance studios, have to have the whole collection of talent. Dancers should attractive, physically fit, strength, and be elegance. As a result of such high demands, dance companies have high standards for dancers that are selected to represent their studio. These standards cause loads of pressure that is put onto the dancers that can potentially contribute to the development of improper diets and eventually lead to eating disorders. For dancers, eating disorders are highly encouraged by teachers and even fellow dancers. It appears that the dance industry is not aware of how harmful the unhealthy eating habits dancers can attain can be to their dancers. There are many effects that come with these habits; these effects are exaggerated in dancers as they participate in intense physical activity, and must maintain high energy levels. However, high level dancers cannot maintain high energy levels if their body is not getting the proper
“Hey girl, what are you doing?” “Girl, I’m practicing on this dance. I been dancing and training for hours and hours, I am exhausted. “Although it is not a proven Fact, many people do not consider dancing as a sport, yet serious competitive dancers undergo the same amount of training as competitive athletes in regular sports. This paper will prove that dancing is and can be accounted as a competitive sport. Various opinions have been made due to the weather people think dancing can or cannot be accounted as a sport. In my research paper I am for and do think that dancing is considered as a competitive sport. The interesting idea about dance that I've came across is that it can be many things to many people. Is it a sport? Yes, it can be. Same as Golf can be considered a sport simply because it is a competition. Many Ballroom dancers compete, as well as dance teams in High School and Colleges across the nation. Is it an art form? Absolutely, some people paint on canvas and it last many years, and some people use space as their canvas, and their bodies are the paintbrush making their art more fragile and more fleeting than a painting could ever be. Dancing can also be used as a tool for political statements, a voice for those who move in such a way to express their joys or sorrows. Can dance be taught as a new skill? Yes, reasons being is because dance can be taught just as any other sport can be taught as a skill. Dancing and other sports are very different but similar as well. Dance is widely recognized as a holistic workout, providing for an exercise regime that satisfies the heart as well as the sole. Going much beyond the physical aspects of toning muscles as well as improving agility and cardiovascular fitness, dance offers on...
Rhea, D., Jambor, E., Wiginton, K. (1996). Preventing Eating Disorders in Female Athletes. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance,
Eating disorders in athletes do not fit neatly into anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, but rather a combination of both. In athletes, anorexia nervosa may often present itself as over-exercising rather than undereating. In the athletic population, it is difficult to define weight a weight loss criteria for an eating disorder dia...
Powers, P.S., & Johnson, C. (1996). Small victories: Prevention of eating disorders among athletes. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 4, 364-367.
...lly dancers have to love the dance, because for all that work, dancers get little money—workshops with master dancers usually cost around seventy-five dollars, costumes average five hundred dollars each, and dancers are usually paid only fifty dollars for two and a half hours of work. But Belinda Shakar cannot imagine her life without dance: “I’ve gone through so many careers, but I’ve always stuck with belly dance. I’ve just been doing it for so long.” From dancing, she has found freedom in being in touch with her body and the healing powers of movement. She is now working as a massage therapist, helping others free up their bodies as well. For her, dance is about enjoying her body and expressing her sensuality, not entertaining others or making money. So she is not at all concerned about making it to the top. Besides, she says, “in belly dancing, there is no top.”
Maling, Michel. "Ballet Dancing and Injury Prevention." EzineArticles Submission - Submit Your Best Quality Original Articles For Massive Exposure, Ezine Publishers Get 25 Free Article Reprints. Web. 07 June 2010. http://ezinearticles.com/?Ballet-Dancing-and-Injury-Prevention&id=3861053
A ballet dancer’s general intention when performing any piece is to convey a message to the audience. A message is relayed through the dancer’s strategic facial expressions and body movements. Each movement has a purpose in articulating the dancer’s energy, and confidence within themselves to express the emotions and inspire the audience (Lucas). A dancer’s energy and