Dance Magazine: In October 2024, 600 dance medicine professionals and educators gathered by the Adriatic Sea in Rimini, Italy, for the 34th annual International Association for Dance Medicine & Science conference. Attendees could participate in more than 100 lectures and 50 movement sessions as they shared the latest research and best practices to promote health for dancers and dance for health. This year’s conference highlighted the intersections of mental and physical wellness, as well as advocating for dancer autonomy and safety.
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I thought this article shined light on a very important aspect of dance which is not often taken into account historically, that being dancer's mental health and wellbeing. Dance culture, particularly in ballet, has been very 'keep going through the pain' and 'being injured doesnt mean you can't perform,' etc. which just leads to worsening of injuries, and dancers feeling as though they are not being valued. This dance culture is so pervasive that it starts really young and even in ballet companies that are extremely welcoming and friendly. An example is the small ballet school on Maui which I volunteer for a lot and my mom has just become their official costume director. I know a lot of the kids that dance there, most of which are doing very well and love to dance and are committed to the sport (to a healthy degree). However, I know there are also a handful of people who dance there that have unhealthy behaviors and have had to deal with that for a long time now. It's really sad because the teachers and staff at the company are so, so caring and supportive and would never want anyone to have those problems, but I guess the dance culture is so pervasive that it leaches down even to small dance companies like this one.
I have not been part of dance groups before, but as an outsider I am happy there is this conference to talk on dancer’s safety and health. I have heard a lot about the fact that dancers get injured often and that there is that culture in those perfectionist groups to continue to perform even with an injury. I’m glad there have been studies documenting the effects to hopefully help trainers stray away from the attitudes that have dancers agitating their injuries more to meet those expectations. Though I am surprised that this was part of the emerging research category, I would have initially figured that it was more commonly known that pressure to perform would pressure dancers to perform no matter what. Though I suppose it was known before the research, there's just now scientific and medical numbers and practitioners backing it up, which I hope is used to help dancers be safer when working.
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