Dance Health

Competition season is upon us and for many, that means increased pressure — pressure to perform, pressure to win, even pressure not to disappoint or let down coaches and teammates. While we cannot expect to eliminate the anxiety that often comes from this pressure, we can find ways to address it, manage it and proactively tend to it.

First, we can address the anticipatory anxiety, the anxiety that comes from a lack of uncertainty with regard to the future. We can encourage students to voice their concerns and while we cannot plan for every circumstance, we can ease some anxieties, like a broken strap or a busted seam, with extra materials, emergency sewing kits, etc. More importantly, we can address that while not everything can be controlled, planned or fixed, the show can still go on. And this is not to minimize or invalidate the anxieties, but to help students see that “perfection” is an illusion and that when we focus on the experience rather than the performance or outcome, there is so much opportunity for growth, learning, application and community.

Second, we can help build resilient dancers, who can manage the uncertainty, the unexpected, and even the disappointment or sadness that can come during a competition. Here are some suggestions and things you can practice throughout the competition season.

#1. Practice moving in new and unfamiliar ways to build emotional resilience. 

We can build a robust movement vocabulary that supports flexibility of mind and body. Moving in unfamiliar and sometimes uncomfortable ways becomes a metaphor for moving through challenges and uncomfortable feelings. This can be teaching a new combination, exploring improvisation or even some authentic movement.

#2. Bring attention to the present moment.  

When we are in the present, we cannot dwell on the past or anticipate the future. Encouraging students to focus on sensations like smell, taste, touch, sight or sound invites them to notice what is happening around them so as not to fixate on the performance or outcome alone. There are many ways to support mindfulness and bodyfulness which ultimately create more connection and grounding to the present.

#3. Create space and time to talk about concerns, worries or fears around competing. 

Giving students a dedicated time and place to voice concerns allows an appropriate outlet and can lessen the potential for those worries and fears to pop up at unforeseen or inconvenient times, like right before going on stage. When we practice expressing our emotions, they don’t need to hide. They are allowed to exist and move through us.

#4. Validate and support the person, not just the dancer. 

So much of a student’s identity can be tied to their performance, skill or talent. When the student doesn’t perform to expectations, this can take a huge toll on their self-esteem and confidence. Provide opportunities to connect with the person who is dancing, not just the dancer. Encourage students to share their likes, dislikes, hobbies, even things like family or school. This shows students that we appreciate them for who they are, not just what they can do.

With regard to supporting students’ emotional well-being overall and not just anxiety, here’s an acronym to help A.C.E. your mental health in the studio.

Awareness. Invite students to become more aware of their movements and sensations in their bodies.

Challenge. Support students in exploring those unfamiliar ways of moving to support moving through emotional challenges.

Expand. Give students the opportunity to increase their repertoire, including trying forms of dance that they may not excel or compete in.

Anxiety is a reality for many dancers during the competition season, and it does not have to be a reason to leave the competition. Normalizing the anxiety that comes with competition is a step in the right direction, but it needs to be supported and addressed, not brushed to the side. I don’t believe there is anyone who hasn’t experienced fear or worry around a performance or competition. While ignoring it happens, it is not the optimal healthy way to work with and through it. Teaching our dancers to identify, express and manage their anxieties will help them not only during competition season but in all aspects of their lives.

By Erica Hornthal, LCPC, BC-DMT, Dance/Movement Therapist, Chicago Dance Therapy.

Erica Hornthal is a licensed professional clinical counselor and board certified dance/movement therapist based in Chicago, IL. She received her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Columbia College Chicago and her BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. Erica is the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, the premier dance therapy and counseling practice in Chicago, IL. As a body-centered psychotherapist, Erica assists clients of all ages and abilities in harnessing the power of the mind-body connection to create greater awareness and understanding of emotional and mental health. For more, visit www.chicagodancetherapy.com.

Photo courtesy of Leap! National Dance Competition

The post Feeling the pressure: Managing competition anxieties appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

We’ve all been there: you get cut at an audition, you don’t get the role that you want, you don’t get into the program that you adore, you don’t get the grant that you were crossing your fingers for. One could argue that such rejection and disappointment is just part of a dance artist’s life, and the creative life more broadly – but that doesn’t make it any easier to go through.

Tools and strategies to handle frequent disappointment can help us persevere – and then keep reaching for our vision of what our dance life and career can be. To learn more about these tools and strategies, those that can help artists like you keep at it even after rejection and the ensuing discontent, Dance Informa spoke with dance artists and movement-specialized mental health professionals for their insights and perspectives here.

#1. Shift from being stuck in the past to focusing on what’s possible in the future. 

Dr. Chelsea Pierotti, a mental performance consultant for dancers, notes that “if you are experiencing disappointment, then by definition the thing you are thinking about is in the past….it’s over.” Therefore – although it does take conscious effort, she acknowledges – you can step forward into future action instead of being stuck in the past (such as with ruminating, or going over and over again in your head with the disappointment and associated negative emotions).

“You can’t change it, you can’t go back,” she affirms, so staying stuck in what already happened won’t help anything or anyone. On the other hand, doing that is completely natural, and it’s also not helpful (or healthy, particularly in the long run) to “stuff” the feelings down, she notes. A healthier approach is learning to process emotions, Dr. Pierotti says.

Acclaimed social worker, researcher and author Dr. Brene Brown describes emotions like tunnels: they just have to be moved through (there aren’t really shortcuts or holes on the side walls to crawl through). Healthy processing of emotions helps us move through the tunnels more smoothly, so that we can get to a brighter place on the other side faster and more easily.

Professional dancer and director Taylor Gordon also advocates for a future focus. She underscores that there are always more auditions and more opportunities. This one, one that might not have gone your way, is in no way the “be-all and end-all.” Our dance lives and careers all have their own timelines, and it all happens in its own time, she notes. So, although it can be hard, try to have patience with when that will be for you. “‘No’ now does not mean ‘no’ forever,” she reminds us.

Erin Carlisle Norton, artistic director of the Moving Architects and executive director of Dance New Jersey, shares her experiences of being rejected for grants. Those experiences demonstrate that even rejection isn’t a total loss, because it can come with a good deal of learning; those rejections have helped her to better understand the process and be more effective going forward.

For one, and as another tool for not getting too crushed by dance career disappointments, Carlisle Norton has learned “to not put too much weight or expectation into each application…or it’s simply too hard to keep going.” She’s also learned to be organized and proactive when it comes to grant application materials (which can also apply to audition materials like reels, resumes and headshots), and to do “research…and be realistic about my time and resources” when it comes to seeking opportunities in the first place.

Thinking of every rejection as a potential learning opportunity can help you grow as an artist and professional in the dance industry. Beyond that, by infusing some positivity, such an approach can make each of those difficult experiences a little easier.

One experience that Dr. Pierotti had when working with a client is one illustrative of the benefits of this learning and future-focused approach. This client didn’t make the cut for a dance team. Dr. Pierrotti helped her to shift her focus from the rejection itself to how she can hone aspects of her performance and audition skills, and through that be in a better position to not get cut next time. For example, this dancer made a choreography mistake – and then showed it in her face. She and Dr. Pierotti discussed how she can learn to perform through mistakes: to give it 100 percent no matter what.

#2. Focus on what you do have control over, and see the bigger picture. 

Beyond how individual dance artists can learn and be better poised to avoid future rejection, there are so many factors out of one’s control – factors that have little to absolutely nothing to do with what one offers as an artist. Carlisle Norton has faced this on the grant side of things. Once, she was rejected for a residency grant program that she felt pretty confident she’d get. She later found out that economic factors within this organization were at play in their decision (something that had nothing to do with the strength of her application or her company’s work).

Gordon discusses this with respect to auditioning. Typecasting is an obvious force at play: you’re not tall enough, or too tall, or they’re seeing someone with darker hair color for the role when you have lighter hair, et cetera. Gordon also points to performance quality and how it might differ from technical ability, when it comes to how those on the other side of the table are seeing you; she’s gone to auditions where she may have had more technical training than many in the room – but she was still cut.

Over time, Gordon learned that her idea of “perfect”: every turn clean, long beautiful lines, not missing a count – that’s one thing. “Perfect” in terms of what directors and choreographers are looking for might be completely different, she explains. From that understanding, she’s learned to embrace some imperfections, to “let go” in ways that contribute to artistry and characterization.

Gordon has also learned to focus on what she, as a dancer, can do, no matter the nature of the “perfect” that the people on the other side of the table are looking for. She can keep getting to class to keep her technique in tip-top shape and continue honing her artistry. She can demonstrate good etiquette, cultivate dance industry relationships, build her versatility, and show up early and looking “put together” for the audition. If she gets cut, she can know that she’s done what she can do to be the most professional and capable dancer that she can be. What’s out of her control is out of her control. But ”you’re in charge of you,” she quips.

Dr. Pierotti also advocates for acknowledging this bigger picture at work; sometimes, we can just be genuinely confused as to why we got cut because we felt like we did incredibly well. Just like Gordon did, it can be enlightening to see what we offer from outside of our own perspective. From there, with respect to where we put our focus and energy, we can keep our eyes on the prize of what we can do going forward.

#3. Build emotional awareness, tools and strategies.

You might be thinking, okay, that all sounds great, but how do I do all of that, in terms of my own thoughts and feelings? Dr. Pierotti offers some great tools and concepts. First, work on building emotional awareness. “Disappointment can look like anger or other emotions, so it’s important to first understand your own emotions and recognize that the real reason you’re upset is disappointment,” explains Dr. Pierotti.

Second, recognize that disappointment is just part of being human. “Even the best dancers in the world have been severely disappointed more than once,” she notes. “If you can recognize that these feelings are normal and start to accept that everyone has to go through this at some point, you start to feel less alone.”

Next, reframe the experience. In other words, check in with the story that you’re telling yourself about what happened – and, if necessary, change that story to something more accurate and objective. “Write down what happened but try to separate the emotion from it. Stick to the facts,” recommends Dr. Pierotti. “If you can detach your emotions from what happened, then you start to regain power over the situation.”

Then we can change our “self-talk”, as Dr. Pierotti calls it. This can help us to shift from beating ourselves up, or – and at other times, feeling hopeless because it’s just all too hard and unfair out there – to gaining more “control over the situation,” she says. We can then put all of that mental focus and energy into how we can improve for the next time (see tip #1).

Finally, Dr. Pierotti advises seeking social support. Since we all experience rejection and disappointment at some point in our life, you’ll be able to talk to someone about it who can understand – to some extent – what you’re going through, she explains. “You don’t have to experience disappointment alone, so share your emotions with a trusted friend and then have that friend help you with the other steps. They can help you see the reality of the situation and recognize fact from fiction,” she says.

As another helpful approach, Ebony Nichols, BC-DMT, CAT-LP, advocates for the “pause”: a time to notice how you’re feeling and have compassion for yourself in whatever that might be. “You don’t have to justify your feelings or be productive right away,” she notes. “Acknowledge whatever you’re feeling, notice where it’s landing in your body.” Even something as simple as going for a walk and observing how you walk can offer useful information there; “how’s the speed, rhythm, movement quality, et cetera?” Nichols asks.

As another framework for observation in that “pause”, Nichols offers the “ABC” approach: A for affect (mood), B for behavior and C for cognition (thoughts). In the space of disappointment, observe the qualities of your mood, behaviors and thoughts, Nichols suggests. From that, you can gain information to help you answer this vital question: “What will bring you back to balance?”

#4. Remember that you’re a dancer, yes, but also so, so much more than that. 

We dancers are a lot as people, a lot beyond being a dancer: we’re sisters, brothers, spouses/partners, friends, daughters, sons, cousins, students, pet parents, music lovers, film fans – and that list goes on. Dr. Pierotti notes that one reason that getting cut (or otherwise rejected) can feel so hard is because we sometimes identify as dancer – and not much more than that.

So self-identified, rejection can feel like a serious personal attack – rather than what is most likely, in fact, is: you’re just not what the director, choreographer or other power(s)-that-be were looking for on that particular day. If we can keep connected with all that we are outside of dancer, we can avoid feeling personally attacked in that way.

Gordon recommends something else that can help us to persevere, if not simply give us a warm feeling when we’re feeling down: remember why you love to dance. Remember what keeps you coming back to the barre, to the studio, to persevere through all of the challenging things in a dancer’s life. Yet, through all of that, “remind yourself of all of the important aspects to your identity, and dance is one piece of that,” recommends Dr. Pierotti.

By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.

The post 4 tips to handling rejection with greater grace appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

All dancers are amazing. That’s a fact. Every single dancer works hard, has discipline, is an artist in their own way and has a story to tell. And while all dancers have these things in common, the beauty is that each dancer is different. A different mind, a different body – uniquely their own. And thank goodness for that! How boring would it be to live in a world of cookie cutter people everywhere you look?!

Só Dança’s newest collection for 2022, the Be You® Collection embraces this. The collection celebrates dancers’ goals of working hard and playing hard, and of their individual qualities, through styles that allow for self-expression, comfort and durability, all while doing what dancers love most: movement.

The line features leotards and tops in pastels, jewel tones and shimmery black. There is comfort – new laces are paired with mesh spandex and microfiber that all have equal stretch. There is innovation – the palette of the collection features pastels like Petal Pink, jewel tones like Turkish Blue and classic shimmery black, and the products are brought to life with texture and beauty.

The faces behind the new Be You® Collection are gorgeous dancers of San Francisco Ballet – Sasha de Sola, Aaron Robison, Natasha Sheehan and more. And what could make this all even more beautiful? The backdrop – the salt flats of Utah, spanning for miles of gorgeous light and pristine colors matching the tones of the collection.

We are in love with the unique but classically stunning Emmaline leotard, with three-quarter sleeves and lace accents. And many of the collection’s leotard styles – Sybille/Sybil and Clementine/Clem, for example – are offered in adult and child versions and sizes. And the long-sleeved Rosamonde is the equivalent of an evening gown leotard – just breathtaking!

The new Be You® Collection offers looks for all style preferences – crop tops like the Fae Top, funky leggings such as the Jewel Leggings and comfy street-to-studio Harem Pants.

And if dancers are looking for something a little softer, the collection offers a range of beautiful floral prints, paired with the Petal Pink and Turkish Blue colors to show off dancers’ lines and softer sides. Styles like the Floria and Jardin leotards resemble cuts usually found in tutu bodice designs, and flatter most body shapes and allow dancers to move freely. And for absolutely fun and stylish warm-ups, there are the floral print Kaia Vest and Dream Pants.

And if you still weren’t sure if the Be You® Collection had something for everyone, be sure to check out the color blocking styles that are bold, flattering and sporty in the most elegant way. Color combos include Black with Mint Green, Navy with Sweet Pear, and Bordeaux with Petal Pink. Leotards like the Giulia and Francesca would make great audition looks!

The collection doesn’t stop at microfiber leotards and a huge range of mesh spandex skirts; there are also fun knitwear and tees that offer fashionable styles for heading to the studio or warming up. The knitwear is so comfy and great for all body types (and are just a tad retro, which we love!), and the signature stripes can be paired with a cozy matching scarf for those chilly theater days.

Let’s not forget that male dancers may want to be styled, too. Luckily, the Be You® Collection offers fashion pieces specifically for male dancers, with stormy prints and bold solids that allow men to express their individuality, like Vivacious Top and Delta Pants.

Let’s also remember that dance has no age, shape, race or gender limitations. And that means dancewear shouldn’t either. Part of Só Dança’s new collection is This Is Me, a series of styles that have been specially curated to work with a body with curves. The dancewear also fits well on those with fewer curves, or curves in different places. The intention behind This Is Me is to normalize dancewear for the curvier dancer, as well as the mature recreational dancer. Everyone should be able to look and feel fabulous in dancewear, after all.

This Is Me features the same beautiful colors and elegant mesh and lace, and has cuts and seams that flatter the body in all the right ways. We love the Sophia leotard with scalloped edge lace and the Yvette leotard with a wrap dress feel. There are also beautiful flowing skirts in different lengths – Celcilia (shorter) and Camille (longer). And for the more modern dance looks, the Kylie and Sayer jumpsuits are comfy and perfect for that street-to-studio look.

With this year’s latest collection, Só Dança is really encouraging us all to accept our individually beautiful selves – curves or no curves, race and gender aside. To find the dancer inside of us, be comfortable with who we are, and just be. A dance body is any body. What a beautiful world it truly can be, if we recognize and embrace that.

Be sure to head to your local retailer for items from the new Be You® and This Is Me Collection.

By Laura Di Orio of Dance Informa.

The post Be authentic, be bold: Só Dança’s Be You® and This Is Me Collection  appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

“The show must go on” — it’s perhaps the most quintessential performing arts adage. Yet, human beings aren’t machines. Yes, we as dance artists commit and have people depending on us, and some level of discomfort is par for the course (arguably, it’s a key part of growth), but are there times when for us, for our own wellbeing, the show shouldn’t go on? Are there times when it’s actually best to step back or step away from dancing because we need a rest and reset?

These questions are particularly key in a time when a pandemic-induced reshuffling of the arts — and, for many, the mental health challenges that it’s brought — has led many dance artists to take time away from the art form, or at least consider doing so. Those same forces have also opened up conversations on mental health, resiliency and self-care in the world more broadly, creating an environment more conducive to these conversations in the dance field. To dive deeper into these matters, Dance Informa spoke with dance psychologist Lucie Clements and dance/movement psychotherapist (BC-DMT, LCAT) Cashel Campbell.

Challenges and performance readiness 

Some might reasonably question the idea of stepping away or stepping back because of discomfort; particularly in endeavors like dance, some level of discomfort is part of growth. Clements agrees with that idea — within the realm of technical skill and mastery. Learning and growth occur when one steps beyond the bounds of their current knowledge and/or abilities.

Clements offers an important guideline to that idea, however. “The key thing is that when we enter that place of ‘not knowing’, that we are correctly guided and supported by someone with the skills and experience until we have mastered how to do it independently,” she says. “The guidance needs to be about moving step by step rather than trying to get from the bottom to the top of the staircase in one move.” There seems to be a happy medium at which stepping outside our comfort zones is challenging and comes quickly enough — and at which one is also supported by a knowledgeable teacher.

One also needs to find a “middle road” when it comes to optimal performance. Clements explains that balanced place through the concept of the “Zone of Optimal Performance,” which is shaped like an upside-down “U.” On one side of that zone is hypoarousal, when one cares little enough about their performance that they underperform. On the other is hyperarousal, when one cares so much about performing at their best that they experience anxiety or fear.

“The most important thing is to learn where the limits of your zone are and never compare yourself to your peers. We are all built differently and can tolerate different amounts of emotional arousal or distress,” Clements affirms. How can one learn about themselves in that way, and find the inner fortitude to refrain from comparing themselves to others?

For Campbell, so much of our wellness and self-knowing is about authenticity. For her, staying connected with her Caribbean roots reminds her to not take on burdens that aren’t hers, for example. She also emphasizes the importance of, as dancers, being clear about what is us and what is the artist within who we are and what we do. In order to do that, we need to maintain practices that keep us fully embodied, whatever that might be for us (whether yoga, walking in nature, improvising or simply resting), as well as take time and space to look inside to our own truth, she asserts.

Burnout, warning signs and being proactive 

Burnout can be a true sign that we’ve gotten disconnected from that inner wisdom and perhaps overworked ourselves. Clements notes that physical and emotional exhaustion, as well as diminished performance, can be key signs of burnout, which she defines as “prolonged exposure to stress.” Even more concerning, burnout is also associated “with devaluing dance, or feeling a reduced interest, which can quickly lead to dropout,” she explains.

At that point, taking a pause from dancing, as she likes to call it, can actually help a dancer to “step forward,” Clements argues. “If we don’t pause, we don’t have the opportunity for our well-being to recover, or to reconnect with our values as a dancer and why we loved dance in the first place. Pausing is not stopping, but an investment in your present and future,” she notes. Campbell shares how some of her best classes have been after taking time away to rest, for example.

Are there ways to notice that we’re going in that direction before it gets to that point? Yes, Campbell believes — within particular physical signs, through which our body is trying to tell us that it’s all too much. Those signs include negative changes in sleep and/or eating, strange aches and pains, sudden gastrointestinal issues and — as Clements notes — diminished desire to dance or do other things that we normally love to do. Further, “when you recognize that you feel numb, that’s a sign that it’s time to step away,” Campbell affirms.

One might think of those signs as yellow lights, signaling us to stop before a red light comes — because continuing to go at that point could be truly harmful. Clements also notes the importance of being proactive in that way, so that decisions to pause aren’t at the point when we have to weigh competing obligations.

Difficult decisions  

The point at which one is sensing that they need a pause could be the middle of a rehearsal process or a company season. In fact, the pressures and workload of those periods could be key contributors to burnout. Clements acknowledges that dancers can have important commitments — to castmates, choreographers and even young dancers looking up to you — yet, commitment to one’s own well-being is also an important commitment.

She suggests clearly defining what the current stressors are doing to one’s well-being, and at what point that impact is too much. “It’s like having a contract with yourself that guides you to know when to place your well-being above your commitments,” she explains.

As for the feeling of potentially “letting down” young people who admire you, Clements argues that it’s actually a very good thing for young artists to see dancers they look up to place their mental and physical health first. “I don’t think there could be any better inspiration for our young dancers than hearing your idol say, ‘I am pausing to put my mental health first,’” she states. Clements believes that “the most important lesson dancers can teach the next generation of performers is to work hard, be committed and stay focused whilst also respecting your health.”

In these situations we can — perhaps even more so — also dread disappointing or burdening choreographers, artistic directors and others in positions of power. Campbell brings it back to authenticity, to know what emotions are yours and what are others’. She also notes that we can sometimes perceive such pressures and expectations as bigger than they really are. It’s natural to feel badly when we’re stepping back from our commitments — yet, “we don’t have to apologize for taking care of ourselves,” Campbell also affirms.

Structural and cultural supports 

Apart from what individuals can do to make more attuned, healthy decisions about when it might be time to take a pause from dance, Clements points to two larger structural forces at work. First, dancers must be provided with the tools to get to that more attuned, introspective place, such as wellness workshops and available career and psychological counseling.

Dancers also have to work in environments in which they feel empowered to be themselves and make choices that are best for themselves (as artists and as people). “It’s all very well giving these skills to our dancers, but if managers or directors create a culture of fear around time off or stepping back, then real change can’t happen,” Clements argues.

Second, by consciously attending to their own well-being, those in leadership positions can set a positive example for dancers working with and under them. Campbell notes how now, as we reevaluate and rebuild norms and structures following COVID, is a great time to set in place these sorts of culture shifts within the dance field.

“Reclamation is powerful,” she asserts. Perhaps now is a time when we, as the dance field, can reclaim the ability to take time away from dance when we need it. Whether we do or not, whatever we decide is best, it’s in our collective hands.

By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.

The post Mental health: When to persevere and when to step back appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Part One

Life has its seasons — shifting practicalities and needs leading us in different directions. Dance is a pursuit calling for sincere dedication, for hours in the studio full of mental, physical and spiritual investment. Yet, there are times when life guides us elsewhere, and we place that dedication elsewhere. Once a dancer, always a dancer, however; those hours and energy spent become part of who we are.

Accordingly, sometimes we find ourselves back in the studio, back doing pliés and counting off “5678!” What’s it like to come back to dance after time away — physically, mentally, creatively and otherwise? What’s challenging, and what unexpected gifts can emerge? To learn more here, Dance Informa spoke with four dance artists who came back to dance after time away from it — two of their stories shared here and two more shared in Part II of this series (stay tuned!).

Alexandria Nunweiler: Dance is the answer 

Alexandria Nunweiler’s mom is a dance educator and studio owner, so growing up dancing was a rather natural outcome for her. She attended College of Charleston before transferring to Winthrop University, where she majored in dance and professional writing. After graduating, she was a full-time dancer and teaching artist in Charlotte, NC. That came with a whole lot of travel and “hustle”, leading to burnout. The lifestyle felt financially unsustainable as well. Craving change, she decided to head back to school for business in Boston, MA.

After graduating, she held a corporate job in Boston for two years. Technically, she could still dance, but what ended up happening was “taking class sporadically and presenting work here and there,” she explains. “I gave into pressure to take a more traditional path.” Ultimately, Nunweiler realized that such a path wasn’t the right one for her. “What am I doing, and why am I miserable?” she would ask herself. She realized that dance was her answer.

COVID was really the thing that made that dynamic crystal clear for her, crystal clear enough to take action for change in her career and in her life. “The pandemic spurred reflection for me, and I also couldn’t distract myself with fun things and ‘breathers,’” she recounts. “I fully realized that what I was doing wasn’t fulfilling.”

Shifting course to being a full-time dance teaching artist again wasn’t easy, particularly in the midst of a pandemic. Yet, Nunweiler found tools to help with that, including massage therapy and a yoga teacher training (for building strength and stamina back up as well as mental and physical self-care). Her mom is also a mentor to her, she notes (which demonstrates the importance of calling upon social networks for help with big career and life shifts).

The result of coming back to dance full-time for Nunweiler? “I’ve noticed a big, big difference in my mood and a feeling of fulfillment, which my partner has even noticed!” she shares with a little laugh. She’s been able to build her own schedule — and even cut back on teaching a bit and focus more on creative projects, particularly in the summer when teaching artist work naturally slows down.

One of those projects is 10 recalling 20, which will include film, COVID-safe in-person, workshop, and writing components. The project will highlight, through dance and storytelling, 10 different individual’s experiences of living through 2020 — 10 people from all walks of life. “I feel like I’m living and working more on my own terms now,” Nunweiler says joyfully.

Along with skills like acceptance from yoga, she affirms that “it’s all relative; it’s not about status or comparing ourselves to each other or competing.” She believes that what matters is finding fulfillment in touching people’s lives in big or little ways. For her, that’s through sharing the art of dance, which is “elemental to humans,” she argues. “There are so many ways to have a life in dance, and the body and soul can start to shut down when you’re not dancing but still you need it.” Nunweiler has found that she can’t just let that shutting down happen; dance is a much better answer, and it’s her answer.

David “Sincere” Aiken: Find and share what’s you

American Ballet Theatre came to PS156 (Queens, NY), and they picked one young David “Sincere” Aiken to help demonstrate the dance lesson. He had already been involved with singing and acting, so he gravitated toward dance fairly naturally. He didn’t love aspects of ballet, such as having to wear tights — but after seeing a Michael Jackson-themed routine, he knew that he wanted to dance. Aiken had “two left feet” at first, he recounts with a laugh, yet he trained in a wide variety of styles and kept at it. After a couple of years, his technique was more refined and he was able to pick up choreography much more efficiently.

The studio where Aiken was dancing asked him if he could teach hip hop, and from there, he delved deeper into the style. With choreography and performance gigs under his belt, he got a scholarship to dance at Long Island University. Yet, while in school, he got an opportunity to tour with the R&B singer Ashanti, as a dancer, and made the hard choice to leave school in order to take the opportunity. That led him working as a dancer and choreographer in Los Angeles, and that’s when he saw things in the dance world that bothered and discouraged him.

Through spaces like social media, auditions and rehearsals, he didn’t see a true valuing of talent, hard work and dedicated years of training. With dance television shows like America’s Best Dance Crew and So You Think You Can Dance, the dance industry also felt oversaturated to him, he shares. At the same time, Aiken wanted to be fully committed to dance and aim for excellence if he was going to do it all. “I didn’t want to just ‘play around’ with dance and movement,” he explains.

All of those factors at play, Aiken decided to dive back into music rather than spend time and energy on dance. Yet, he “didn’t realize how much I needed dance until I didn’t have it. I needed [a dance community] around me,” he shares. Aiken describes having low energy and “missing an outlet that I would normally use to release my emotions” when not dancing. “Beyond missing dance, I realized how much I needed dance to live. Dance brings joy to my life….medicine to my drama.”

The Black Lives Matter uprisings of 2020 rose up, and it became the thing that ultimately led him to dance again. Aiken was moved to use his art to speak out on social justice. He choreographed a solo to an original racial justice-themed song, had someone shoot it and then put it up on YouTube. That YouTube clip got a good deal of visibility, leading to booking requests and him setting the choreography on a larger group of dancers. Artists have been wanting to have content ready to release once COVID feels more under control, he adds, leading to more performing and choreography gigs. “It was sort of an organic return to dance,” he says.

Physically, “coming back to dance was rough for the first couple of weeks…from getting Charlie horses in my legs and my body feeling like a truck hit it the next morning,” Aiken explains. That “quickly reminded me to stretch again,” he notes. Getting stamina back, on the other hand,  “was like riding a bike” — because he had always been a dancer with a lot of energy.

These opportunities have continued, including being a choreographer and creative director for Lil Mama’s “UHOH” music video. He also wants to make a visual album with his own choreography and music. He hopes to inspire dancers to “really make something of their own and put a lot into it,” he shares. “If you see something missing, make it yourself!” As for social media, Aiken says he’s found a “niche” within it as well as an appreciation for what’s useful about it, such as networking and brand building.

“I had to go back and realize why I dance — not for the clout, but because I love it,” Aiken affirms. “It’s not about the likes. I don’t want to follow the trend; I want to create.” The communities that dance creates — the energy and conversations that emerge in the studio, on stage, on set — are also incredibly meaningful to him. “There’s no substitute for being together in space [in that way],” he argues.

Aiken believes that he’s with dance for good now. “When a lesson is given to me, I learn my lesson. I think the lesson has been given to me; I know that I need dance.” He also believes that he has a lot to share and contribute — his perspective of the importance of hard work, as well as going back to fundamentals and honoring dance history, for example.

“Do your research,” Aiken advises. “It’ll make you a better dancer. You can do it right and then make something of your own.”

Aiken and Nunweiler’s experiences show that sometimes it takes stepping away to know what that something of your own might be, and the degree to which you just need to make it. After all, as A Chorus Line tells us, “a dancer dances.”

By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.

The post Coming Back to Dance appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

I think we can all agree that mental health support is needed now more than ever. While therapy still carries a stigma and may not be accessible to everyone, movement is something we can all access. We recently sat down with Alyson Stoner, co-founder of Movement Genius, to hear all about this amazing platform that is changing the game for mental health.

Movement Genius is a digital wellness platform that provides live and on-demand classes to help people improve mental, emotional and physical well-being. Rooted in somatics and mind-body integration, the classes are developed by and for BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ and all kinds of humans with all kinds of bodies and experience. Co-founded by siblings Stoner (actress/activist) and Correy O’Neal (media executive/ business strategist), Movement Genius is committed to making deep and lasting personal transformation accessible, affordable and relevant.

Where did the inspiration for Movement Genius come from?

“Movement Genius was born after I led a 14-day series of mindful movement classes online. With mental health challenges rising, people really responded to having simple, guided movements that help you reconnect with yourself, reduce stress and improve your mood. We wanted to make sure people could access it anytime, so we built Movement Genius, a radically inclusive wellness platform that uses movement to improve mental health, all bodies and identities welcomed.”

What do you believe is missing from the mental health community with regard to movement?

“Right now, society still uses the term ‘mental health’ as if it only relates to the mind or brain (fixing our thoughts or brain chemistry). In reality, the mind lives in the body, and the body lives in an environment, and all three of these – mind, body, environment – are connected to and influencing one another. So, to care for our mental health, we must understand our mind-body connection and how it affects our well-being and how we show up in the world. Currently, movement is mostly understood in terms of fitness and exercise. While that definitely has benefits for your mental health, there are deeper opportunities to understand what your body is feeling and communicating. Before we even had verbal language to speak, many of our personal beliefs about basic safety, attachment to others and our place in the world were formed. So, paying attention to the body (and using movement) can help us access parts of ourselves where we don’t have clear words to communicate. Also, learning how to tune in and feel what’s happening inside our bodies can help us heal, reduce stress and experience deep transformation in our lives.”

How has movement impacted your mental health?

“For both of us [Correy and Alyson], movement was previously associated with performance and accuracy, due to our competitive dance background. Later, it was influenced by media and the diet and fitness industries, which seemed to say that we were never quite good enough if we didn’t reach a certain standard. We both, on our own time, realized that the body had stored a lot of our previous stresses and trauma but also was the source of deep intelligence and potential for healing. So, we started bringing the body into our healing journeys. Now, movement isn’t just fitness. It also includes learning about who we are and how to support ourselves by working with our bodies and minds to feel better.”

What makes this platform different with regard to diversity and inclusion?

“We know that the $4.5 trillion wellness industry is mostly built by and for white, cis, straight, non-disabled, middle-to-upper class people. While we personally belong to several of these categories, we recognize the need to radically expand the appearance of wellness, and to ensure that programs are designed by and for people of all identities, body types and preferences. From the web interface to the classes themselves, we’re striving to build-in accessibility every chance we can. We believe if you build for those who are underrepresented, you will actually ultimately create something that can serve everyone.”

Can you share some tips or exercises with readers?

“We’ve got a free class that you can try At Your Desk right now on movementgenius.com/at-your-desk-series. You can also follow us @movementgenius on Instagram and find the free class in our bio. A great starting point for rebuilding the mind-body connection is learning how to listen to your body. You can practice shifting your focus from outside in the room, to inside your being, to right at the surface of your skin. It may feel odd or difficult in the beginning, and that is totally normal. Go at your pace, and only do what feels manageable. Building trust with your body is an important part of the process, especially if it’s been awhile since you felt connected and grounded. You can spend one to three minutes practicing this focus technique throughout the day. Over time, your ability to identify your body’s feelings and sensations may improve, and you’ll be able to respond more supportively to what you need in the moment.”

As a dance/movement therapist, I am always looking for ways to make movement and mental health more accessible. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, finding ways to move your body can make all the difference. Movement is accessible to everyone. It doesn’t take a high IQ to be a movement genius!

By Erica Hornthal, LCPC, BC-DMT, Dance/Movement Therapist.

Erica Hornthal is a licensed professional clinical counselor and board certified dance/movement therapist based in Chicago, IL. She received her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Columbia College Chicago and her BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. Erica is the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, the premier dance therapy and counseling practice in Chicago, IL. As a body-centered psychotherapist, Erica assists clients of all ages and abilities in harnessing the power of the mind-body connection to create greater awareness and understanding of emotional and mental health. For more, visit www.ericahornthal.com.

The post Movement for mental health: An interview with Alyson Stoner appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Many of us eat, breathe and sleep dance, and we can lose sight of the beauty and passion that drew us to the art form in the first place. Do you remember the first time you knew you had to dance? Perhaps it was in the grocery store or in your grandmother’s living room. Do you remember the first time you watched dance or saw a live performance? I still leave the theater wanting to dance down the aisle. Maybe you remember your first recital or costume. We each have our own love stories, full of joys, frustrations, disappointments and triumphs. 

From personal experience, I can say that dance and I have had our trials and tribulations. My relationship with dance has left me feeling neglected, insecure and defeated. It has also given me immense joy, pride and gratitude. Through it all, dance has always been something I can rely on – an escape, a coping mechanism, an authentic form of self-expression. Furthermore, my relationship to dance/movement therapy has had its up and downs. Being a dance/movement therapist has been rewarding and validating, but becoming a dance/movement therapist was challenging to say the least. Becoming who you were meant to be is never easy, but it was the best decision I ever made for my professional career. 

This month’s article is dedicated to our love affair with dance and the many ways movement and dance inform our personal, not just professional, lives. Here are my 10 favorite inspirational quotes (with my take-a-ways) that make me fall in love with dance all over again.

“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” -Vivian Greene (Dance can teach us patience, understanding, and appreciation.)

“Those who dance are considered insane by those who cannot hear the music.” -George Carlin (Dance for yourself.)

“I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what it too deep to find for words.” -Ruth St. Denis (Dance can help us express and emote.)

“When a body moves, it’s the most revealing thing. Dance for me a minute, and I’ll tell you who you are.” -Mikhail Baryshnikov (Dance is a true form of expression.)

“There are shortcuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.” -Vicki Baum (Dance to feel joy.)

“The truest expression of a people is in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.” -Agnes de Mille (Dance is a primitive inherent form of communication.)

“Dance is for everybody. I believe that the dance came from the people and that it should always be delivered back to the people.” -Alvin Ailey (Dance is in all of us.)

“Movement never lies. It is a barometer telling the state of the soul’s weather to all who can read it.” -Martha Graham (Movement reveals our state.)

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul of the body.” -Martha Graham (We are always talking, just not through words.)

“Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order.” -Samuel Beckett (When in doubt, dance!) 

I urge you to reflect on your own love story with dance, especially as you may need some re-inspiration after the events of the last year. Allow yourself to reminisce on the good and the bad because both have gotten you to this point in your dance journey. Perhaps you are a professional dancer, an educator, a mindful mover; whatever your connection is to dance, celebrate it! Know there is no “right” path or perfect relationship. You will fight and disagree from time to time. There will be miscommunications and compromise, but there will also be support and comfort. I wish you all lifetimes of love and know that you and dance will be very happy together. 

By Erica Hornthal, LCPC, BC-DMT, Dance/Movement Therapist, Chicago Dance Therapy.

Erica Hornthal is a licensed professional clinical counselor and board certified dance/movement therapist based in Chicago, IL. She received her MA in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling from Columbia College Chicago and her BS in Psychology from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. Erica is the founder and CEO of Chicago Dance Therapy, the premier dance therapy and counseling practice in Chicago, IL. As a body-centered psychotherapist, Erica assists clients of all ages and abilities in harnessing the power of the mind-body connection to create greater awareness and understanding of emotional and mental health. For more, visit www.chicagodancetherapy.com.

The post Have you forgotten why you love dance? appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.

Need help figuring out what to make for dinner? Google “Red Shell Mgmt Kitchen Choreography” to find recipes for main courses, salads, soups, desserts and cocktails.

No ordinary recipes — these recipes (and the personal stories connected to them) were collected from professionals in the world of dance. For example, you will find ballerina Misty Copeland’s recipe for sautéed kale with flounder; tap teacher, choreographer and performer Brenda Bufalino’s pasta sauce; and Ballet Hispánico Artistic Director and choreographer Eduardo Vilaro’s recipe for black beans. A blog on the Red Shell Mgmt website, Kitchen Choreography is a fun online collaborative cookbook that celebrates expressions of creativity through food as shared by dancers, dance teachers, choreographers, artistic directors, dance promoters, agents, managers and publicists, and the culinary curious.

An examination of these offerings will give you the food idea you seek and insight into the life of the originator of the recipe as well as the world of professional dance. Kitchen Choreography is meant to be as diverse as the kaleidoscopic subject of dance. Modern dance pioneer Doris Humphrey, the founding artistic director of the Limón Dance Company, was not particularly interested in cooking, but she did make desserts, and accordingly Kitchen Choreography includes her recipe for icebox cake. Marcellus Harper, executive director of Memphis’ Collage Dance Collective, contributed his family’s recipe for crab cakes. Diana Byer, founding artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet, contributed her chicken soup recipe to help cure the annual Nutcracker cold. Edward Schoelwer contributed a recipe for a food way popular in Cincinnati, his hometown, called geméis.

The seeds of Kitchen Choreography were planted decades ago during a conversation between Schoelwer, president of Red Shell Mgmt, and the legendary teacher and mentor Bessie Schönberg (for whom the Bessie Awards are named). Schönberg had recently been a guest in the home of Merce Cunningham, and she reported that Cunningham was a very fine cook. Thinking about other notable foodies like George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, Schoelwer asked if there was a connection between cooking and choreography? “Of course,” Schönberg answered, “and it is easy to explain. Both are expressions of creativity.”

In November of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, when all the world was stuck at home, the Kitchen Choreography project was begun. Quirky emails calling for recipes were sent out with the subject line “How is Your Kitchen Choreography?” Dozens generously responded by sharing their “specialties” from their private lives (submissions are still welcomed). And only ideas are being exchanged, not money. Finding pleasure in life and community are the intended outcomes.

Recipes have been collected from multiple sources so that the blog features dishes from the past as well as the present. One will find recipes from Doris Humphrey, Geoffrey Holder, George Balanchine, Robert Joffrey, Tanaquil Le Clercq and Arthur Mitchell, among others.

Now that a sizable number of recipes have been collected, Kitchen Choreography is live online and available to use, share and add to. Just go to redshellmgmt.org.  

The post Kitchen Choreography: Delectable recipes by dance luminaries appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine.