IADMS New York 2002   [back to the Category]

Are Dancers Psychologically Prepared?   [read the french version]

Author :   Rosine Bena & al

Are Dancers Psychologically Prepared?

Rosine Bena
Sierra Nevada Ballet, Peninsula Ballet Theatre School,
Western Nevada Performance Art Center
Genoa, Nevada, USA

Bonnie Robson, MD, DCP, DipPsych, FRCP(C)
Quinte Ballet School
Belleville, Ontario, Canada



In the dance profession as in the medical profession, too often the dancer is viewed only with respect to their physical make up. The dancer spends hours each day building muscle strength and physical stamina to be well prepared to perform intricate demanding choreography on stage in performance. The young body is strong and well prepared. What about the mind, emotions and behavior patterns? If a dancer has a physical problem, he will most likely be referred to an appropriate medical professional. Dance and medical specialists will usually be able to diagnose the problem and prescribe appropriate treatment by tracing the source of the pain. Often times, psychological problems may be completely over looked and be left untreated or misdiagnosed because they manifest in physical symptoms. Even in the case of physical injury, the dancer may receive help and rehabilitation from a physical therapist but the emotional scars produced by the same injury are left untreated. It is common knowledge in the dance profession that an unhealthy emotional makeup will prevent the strongest athlete from performing up to their physical capacity and a good, well structured psychological approach to dance and performance can lead an adequate physical athlete to perform magnificently.

Yet are our dancers psychologically prepared?

Having had a 28 year professional ballet stage career and taught, directed and
choreographed for 32 years, I have come to the realization that the mental health of a
dancer is just as important if not more important than the physical health. It is the duty
of dance educators and medical dance professionals to deal with this issue.

In the first part of this presentation, I shall share experiences (my own and those of other dancers I have interviewed) to illustrate the psychological aspects of the dance experience. I shall pose the question as to how we, as dance professionals and medical professionals, can best prepare the dancer to deal with these aspects. The second part of this presentation will be conducted by Bonnie Robson MD, where she will refer to these shared personal experiences and explain how we, as dance and medical professionals, might recognize the potential problems, trace their source and structure a healthy psychological approach or diagnose treatment when necessary.