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.
She mentioned the fact that we as dancers do experience a
lot more than just a little bit of a bad day when we have one, and that the
industry comes with a lot of ups and downs, which can really heighten the
negative thoughts to brood. Especially because we are constantly striving for
perfection, where judging and criticizing every move comes with the whole
creative and rehearsal/work process. It is amazing to be able to relate to this
actual reality of a dancer’s life, and putting it into perspective with my
research on emotional health, it has made me realize that the emotional difficulties
dancers face from an adversity are at pure maximum!
A key word that totally stood out was ‘self-acceptance.’ I
have learnt, from yoga, Andy Shaw, and the secret, that the only way to move on,
deal with any situation, and succeed is to accept who you are. This way no
grudges will be held from the past and you will be driven to go into the future
with confidence. The worst thing is to compare yourself to others, yet this is
probably one of our biggest weaknesses which creates low self-esteem. Instead, to
acknowledge the fact that ballet is purely an individual practice, it will
bring out the best in one’s confidence and their dancing.
Last but not least, Kirsten sates the fact that a dancer’s
training is a journey they take and experience for them, not for anyone else.
The idea of a journey resonates with my ideal positive way of looking at pursuing
the life of a ballet dancer. Maybe it is a good idea to consider when coping
emotionally through the challenges that we face in our industry.
Evans, K. August 2010. Setting the Barre, On Negative Thoughts. (online) Retrieved from: http://settingthebarreblog.com/2015/01/13/on-negative-thoughts/
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