Finding Your Balance

Abstract

Professional dance careers require years of intensive training. Stress experienced during training must be balanced with adequate recovery to prevent overtraining and burnout. Little is known, however, about how dancers achieve recovery-stress balance. This study examined dancers' recollection of stress and recovery during their vocational dance training to identify potential stressors and recovery behaviors in vocational dance training. Twelve current and ex-professional ballet (n=4) and contemporary dancers (n=8) participated in the study. Four general dimensions, based on the extant overtraining literature in athletes, were identified: dance culture, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and situational factors. Cultural norms, health factors related to injury and illness, and transition periods within vocational dance training were sources of stress for participants. Dancers' responses to stress were categorized as adaptive or maladaptive. Maladaptive behavioral responses (e.g., ignoring injury, pain, and fatigue) were related to negative training outcomes associated with overtraining and burnout. Interventions that encourage adaptive behaviors for dance students to support health and well-being are recommended to address the recovery-stress balance in vocational dance training identified in this study.Vocational dance training programs are a standard, and often prerequisite, pathway for aspiring dancers to develop as professional dancers. Often embedded within a university or conservatory setting, vocational dance training programs focus on equipping students with industry-specific skills to assist with gaining employment. Students must balance the physical stress of high training loads, external stressors (e.g., living away from home for the first time, dealing with academic workloads), and cultural factors specific to the vocational dance environment (McEwen and Young 2011), with adequate recovery to successfully progress through vocational dance training. Performing arts institutions are increasingly providing training programs that promote health and well-being, alongside the development of the skill and artistry required for elite performance (Clark, Gupta, and Ho 2014). However, the application of empirical knowledge relating to dancer health and well-being into dance training environments is still limited (Redding 2010).There is a growing body of research around dancers' experiences of stress in training and performance contexts. Known sources of physical stress, related specifically to dance training, include high physical workloads (Wyon 2010) and the technical requirements of skill mastery and choreographic demands (Grove, Main,

Mental health in dance: A scoping review

“…Positive personality (37 studies) describes dancers that are striving for self-actualization, self-assessment, self-efficacy, self-management, autonomy, self-development, flexibility, and versatility. Several studies suggested that these factors aid dancers to form a holistic identity or buffer stressors they encounter ( van Staden et al, 2009 ; Klockare et al, 2011 ; Mitchell et al, 2017 ; Blevins et al, 2020 ; de Las Heras Fernández et al, 2020 ). However, according to the included studies, these qualities are deemed in need of development, nurturing, and strengthening, not only in dance but in future dance research in general.…”

“…The evidence relating to protective personal qualities revealed that buffering attributes, such as confidence, were presented as suggestions for further research rather than practically applied and explored ( Kveton-Bohnert, 2017 ; Blevins et al, 2020 ; Carattini, 2020 ; Kim et al, 2022 ). Therefore, protective personal qualities should be seen as useful suggestions and indications for further research, rather than established evidence in the dance context.…”

“…In this respect, sports research has investigated stressors in relation to their different states and recovery processes, or categorized them as competitive, organizational or personal ( Kellmann, 2010 ; Sarkar and Fletcher, 2014 ). One dance-specific study has further identified physical stresses related to dance training, such as a high physical workload, and requirements concerning technical skill and choreographic demands; as well as psychosocial stressors related to the environment, such as managing finances and obligations, interrelations, and major life events ( Blevins et al, 2020 ). Yet, a clear picture of the range and relevance of dance specific stressors do not exist to date.…”

Recovery-Stress States of Professional Ballet Dancers During Different Phases of a Ballet Season

“…43 Blevins et al 44 stated that little is known about dancers' management strategies of the recovery-stress balance to maintain and improve performance. Blevins et al 45 found in their study on ballet and contemporary dancers that "maladaptive behavioural responses (e.g., ignoring injury, pain, and fatigue) were related to negative training outcomes associated with overtraining and burnout." Dancers may have an inadequate understanding of the importance of recovery as part of their training program.…”

Sustaining dancer wellbeing through independent professional dance careers

“…Hill acknowledges the physical and mental stresses placed on the dancers and has been proactive in exploring means to support the dancers through the creation, performance and recovery from her productions. To avoid the incidence of overtraining and burnout that is common in the competitive world of contemporary dance (Blevins et al 2020), Hill incorporates remedial and supplemental training into typical company schedules. Hill identifies these processes as essential for the dancers to be able to fully commit to the work, achieve sufficient recovery to minimize injury risk and facilitate ongoing effort and engagement through the making and performance of the work.…”