The PERFECT ballet blog!- consciousness, not emotion

To all dancer out there…

I have recently discovered the perfect ballet blog, Setting the Barre by dancer Kisrten Evans with Providence Festival ballet. She gives her readers an insight into what the life of a professional ballet dancer is like by sharing her experiences, thoughts, reflections and observations within her workplace (ballet company). I thought to contact her to ask what her thoughts were on emotional health and resilience, and she posted a whole blog on the topic…which follows exactly  the type of opinions and thoughts I am looking for, for my professional inquiry!

I love how from my research I could instantly identify a few topics that directly relate to what she mentioned. The post starts off with “Live through consciousness, not emotion.” Meaning that having awareness, and being mindful, will help keep those emotions under control, directing any decision made in the right direction. As a dancer, our most important relationship to monitor is between the mind and the body, and that maintaining a healthy balance of support and love between the two is key.  

Finding Balance- Paul Bowler and Wendy Peron

Paul Bowler- Olympic gymnast and performer with Cirque de Soleil

The ideal performer: “ Should also be hungry for such transormation”

“…goal is to have a language, a conversation with the audience…audience sees musicality and artistry… achieving harmony despite the demanding work that is being asked of them.” (Bowler, P. pg. 209)

*Can apply to professional ballet where instead of focusing only on a step, or trick to get everything right, instead to focus on the artistry. Promotes positive and more productive emotions leading to an overall better performance- leads to achieving success and the ultimate goal of performing.

Finding Balance- James Fayette

James Fayette- Former NYCB Principle

*A quality that helps to cope and work with the pressures of perfectionism is persistence.

“Persistence is what he needed to perfect the featured roles he’s danced in…” (Berardi, G. pg. 207)

Managing the intensity of it all-“…you can get too caught up in it and become anxious and tentative.” (Fayette, J.) 

Being too engulfed in the lifestyle and its issues create tentative and anxious emotions.

Good relationship with dance partner helps:

“There’s a level of synergy that we can achieve when you’re dancing with someone comfortable and inspiring.” (Fayette, J. pg. 207)

What helps with overwhelming feelings:

·      Keep grounded in important relationships

·      Positive attitude towards work

·      Feed off inspiration

Finding Balance- Melanie Skinner

Melanie Skinner, a former soloist of Pacific Northwest Ballet, talks about two main adversities that come with dancing- body image an injuries. She mentions that she has seen many dancers struggle to attain the ideal body image. When a dancer becomes conscious and weary of how they look a sense of ‘neurotiscism’ can be developed. "When you're surrounded by mirrors, its inevitable" 

She mentions that with her experience of an injury, “…it took longer to emotionally recover.” However 

she discovered the right mindset after the experience- thus experience helps. “I was devastated then, but things happen for a reason.”

Finding Balance- Jenifer Ringer

Jenifer Ringer- Ballet Dancer, New York City Ballet

Body Image

Even though she was lucky as she was very good, she was more ‘feminin’ and ‘curvy’ which made her feel ‘overcome with self-doubt.’

“Obsession is not productive.” (Ringer, J. pg. 189)

Injuries- “It was at that point that she started to have emotional problems.” (Berardi, G. 2005)

-Often unhappy

-Low self-esteem

‘Lost a bit of joy in dancing’

“It got to the point that the one thing bringing joy was unavailable to me.” (Ringer, J.  pg. 190)

*Having these negative feelings could not help dealing with an injury and to rise above it

Finding Balance- Kent Stowell (Director of PNB)

Kent Stowell gives advice, in the book, on why it is important to have a healthy approach to eating for dancers. He first mentions it is important to have the right knowledge, experience, right frame of mind and approach towards food and eating. Having a healthy attitude towards food can lead to experiencing new things. It not only encourages nutritional well-being, but helps ‘dancers discover other things about food.’ He stresses how important it is to have some type of routine when sitting down for meals- promotes ‘enjoyment’ and ‘creativity’

He hopes that ‘his dancers have nourishing meals- if only to give them a sense of life, somehow,’ and “providing information is the key.”

It also helps aid in the performance skills of a dancer. It is not all about perfecting choreography, but artistry is needed. “We have always encouraged our dancers to think about other things, if for no other reason than it makes them interesting performers.”

Berardi, G. 2005, Finding Balance- Fitness, Training and Health for a Lifetime in Dance, 2nd edn. Routeledge, New York.  

Finding Balance-Donald Byrd

Has a different mentality towards castings and auditioning:

“…an audition was not to get a job but to see if he was interested in the work. If the style didn’t suit him, he wouldn’t do it.”(Bergardi, G. 2005)

Whether auditioning for a specific role within a company or for a specific production, dancers do face rejection. Instead of being so nervous and having all that pressure to try and impress and be perfect, here it suggests to approach casting as a work shop? If the dancer finds that the work suits them, naturally they will do well. If not chosen, i.e. rejection, perhaps reassurance will help, and to know they have something better to offer in some other area/role.

*”This is the only way to survive in the dance world-you have to be your own person…It’s the only way to emotionally survive and find some balance and not be victimize or brutalized by the profession.” (Byrd, D. pg. 108) 

(Being your own person- dance for yourself, be more self-aware: emotional resilience)

Finding Balance- Interviews

Gus Solomons jr.: Choreographer, dancer, director, critic

“Solomon believes dance is a demanding profession but that dancers can find their way when they feel overwhelmed, if they take one step at a time.”(Berardi, G. 2005, pg. 110)

“Dancers tend to beat themselves up. They have a strong will and a strong drive to succeed so they don’t give themselves leeway to fail.”(Solomons, G. pg. 110)

-Having these qualities set up opportunities to become stressed, overwhelmed. Perfectionism creates pressure, making the more pressuring situations less enjoyable. Thus inviting negative feelings to brood.

Solomon mentions that a dancer should realize that he/she cannot always be in control- be aware and accepting (links to one of the approaches towards emotional resilience)

Motivation v.s Inspiration

Following my research on the effects of motivation and one's emotions, I have discovered the concept of the law of attraction from the Secret as well as from Andy Shaw, a mindset strategist, blogger and author of A Bug Free Mind. 
Before I go into more depth about all of this, I have recently read an article by Shaw, suggesting a different way of looking at the connection between motivation and inspiration. He states that, "When you are inspired you no longer need motivation." The difference is that inspiration always comes in abundance. However motivation is like fuel, where you have to consider how much of it you have. 

Power of Yoga

 “Physiological benefits which follow help yoga practitioners become more resilient to stressful conditions and reduce a variety of important risk factors…” (Corliss, 2001)

Michalsen, 2005

Yoga’s anti-stress benefits are a host of bio-chemical responses- decreases catecholamine, which is a hormone that is released due to a response to stress, produced by the adrenal glands. Also our neurotransmitters let out dopamine and epinephrine that create a feeling of calm

Being resilient- turning every circumstance to your own advantage

-Accept change

-Perceive challenge as an opportunity

-Work with what you have got

 As a ballet dancer, you need to have resilience as a quality- yoga helps maintain a ‘chemical power of adversity”

Meditation for Dancers

Dealing with an obstacle emotionally can easily bring up feelings of stress, anxiety, worry, fear, un-motivation, and even depression if a person is stuck in a negative single-minded state. This article, sourced from the MDX library summon, describes that meditation could really help with focus and concentration for dancers, as well as a ‘useful tool for defeating negative self-judgment,’ a quality that poses various emotional challenges.

Meditation creates a sense calmness and peace by entering an altered state of consciousness.

Meditation helps people to better handle daily stress. When the mind is overloaded, your concentration starts to deteriorate. Clutter is the problem. Many people have so much on their minds that they are in a constant state of stress and worry. Stress comes from brain overload and the inability to turn off the flow of thoughts. Worries pull us out of the present moment into the future (how will I pay all my bills?) and the past (why didn't I get that role?). (Weiss, D. April 2008.)

*Flow of thoughts is used as a term to describe emotions, feelings and thoughts that overwhelm the mind. It leads us away from the present, not being able to focus on what there is to be done in that moment or to focus on a task, inhibiting a person to fully overcome any challenge.