Tag: the dancer’s body
Sometimes it’s Reassuring to See that Other People Agree With You
There’s a nice article online at Dance Magazine floating around on the social media today about common mistakes we are making in the dance world. Author Nancy Wozny gathered information from Physical Therapists, and I’m relieved and excited to report that all three bullet points are things I’ve already said. In a nutshell: Mistake #1: Static Stretching at the beginning of the…
How I am Celebrating Eating Disorders Awareness Week
February is Eating Disorders Awareness Month, and there has been quite a bit floating around the blogosphere with respect to this poignant topic in the dance community. It’s just too bad that we are still faced with a serious problem when it comes to dancers and eating disorders, but the fact that the community is now talking more open and honestly…
Deirdre Kelly Gives the Dirt on Ballerinas
Last weekend I saw Les Miserables in the movie theater, and it was ironically appropriate given the book I was reading at the time: Ballerina by Deirdre Kelly. Les Mis theatrically reveals the squalor that was the French Revolution, a period in which ballet was undergoing a great deal of development. Going to the ballet, at that time, was like going to…
A Chance to Dance. But, is it really your only chance?
In watching last week's episode of A Chance to Dance, I found a lot of myself in those young dancers. I remember what it felt like to think that this one thing was my *only* opportunity to succeed in a dance career. When I was 20, I took a 48-hour trip to New York to audition for Marymount Manhattan…
Superhumans (or not)
You may not know this, but I'm a HUGE cycling fan. So the news of Lance Armstrong's alleged use of performance enhancing drugs on 60 minutes last Sunday was a disappointment, if not a shock, and a horrible reminder that these figures that we put on pedestals have not always achieved superhuman feats of athleticism through good training, hard work, and…
Nobody puts baby in a corner… The Politics of Pregnancy
Deep in preparations for her Cecchetti Grade II teacher’s exam, my friend and colleague Enid Smith got news that she wasn’t allowed to take the exam. The reason? She’s pregnant with her second child. We in the scientific community are pretty solid on the idea that dancing, or exercise in general is safe and even healthy during pregnancy. Enid continues…
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