Appreciating the Grind

I once believed that my struggle with food and body image was mine alone: a battle waged in the privacy of my mind. But as I stood in the dance studio during just another Monday night practice last week, I noticed the mannerisms of those around me—sucking in their stomachs, scrutinizing their reflections in the mirror, and adjusting their waistbands. It was then that I realized that my pain was just a fragment of a much larger crisis. The dance world has long been a place of beauty and inspiration, but beneath the surface lies an often-overlooked reality: the immense pressures dancers face regarding body image, perfection, and performance. For many, including myself, these pressures can lead to a complicated and dangerous relationship with food and self-image. As a dancer who has faced the dark pull of anorexia and orthorexia, I know firsthand how easily the demands of dance can warp into self-destructive behaviors, often under the guise of “discipline” or “commitment to excellence.” But let me make one thing clear—I don’t blame the sport I love. Dance is a beautiful art form that has shaped me in powerful ways, giving me a sense of purpose, belonging, and creative expression that I wouldn’t trade for anything. My struggle isn’t a direct result of dance but rather the cultural pressures around what a “perfect dancer” should look like. This is not a critique of dance; it’s a call to protect and support the dancers who devote themselves to it. The Roots of the Problem Dance is about control, precision, and beauty; dancers are conditioned to seek perfection in every movement. From an early age, many dancers are taught that success is tied to aesthetics—how “clean” lines are, how graceful movements appear, and how identical every person on the stage can look. It may not be the intention, but many dancers misconstrue this into believing their body type must fit a specific mold. This unrelenting pursuit of a particular image can create a breeding ground for eating disorders, where thinness becomes synonymous with success. I remember the gradual shifts in my habits—cutting portions, skipping meals, choosing exercise over meals. What started as a commitment to my craft soon spiraled into restriction and obsession, stripping away the joy that dance once brought me. And I know that I’m not alone in this experience. Too often, young dancers embrace these destructive behaviors, interpreting them as markers of dedication rather than red flags of a deeper problem. What Can Be Done? To break the cycle of eating disorders in dance, we need to support dancers in building a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. By nurturing a supportive space where well-being is about more than physical performance but also embracing mental and emotional resilience, we can continue promoting positive body image in dance. Here are a few steps that can make a difference: 1. Educate About Nutrition: Dance organizations should prioritize comprehensive, evidence-based nutrition education. When dancers understand the importance of fueling their bodies rather than depriving them, they can maintain strength and stamina for the rigorous demands of dance. One of the many reasons I love Stage 8 Dance Brands is their commitment to this education. At their Dance Connection Summer Intensive, juniors and seniors receive a dedicated class on nutrition, helping them build a strong foundation for a healthy relationship with food and fueling their passion for dance. 2. Open Conversations and Support Networks: Breaking the stigma around eating disorders requires open, judgment-free conversations within the dance community. Having role models or mentors willing to share their stories can create an environment where dancers feel safe discussing their struggles. 3. Encourage Positive Role Models: Dancers often seek professional guidance. Young dancers are likelier to follow their example if these role models embrace healthy body standards. As a dancer with lived experience, I aim to foster this healthy mindset for the young dancers I can impact. A Hope for Change Dance is an incredible art form that celebrates the limits and possibilities of the human body. But this celebration should never come at the cost of a dancer’s physical and mental health. My experience has taught me that while eating disorders can have a tight grip, recovery and a healthy relationship with dance are possible. I hope that by sharing my journey and reflecting on the issues I see within dance culture, I can help create an environment where dancers are encouraged to care for themselves as whole people, not just performers. If you’re reading this as someone struggling, know you’re not alone. The dance world can be incredibly demanding, but your health, happiness, and well-being are worth more than any routine, performance, or accolade. Dance is a sport unlike any other, full of passion and joy. Together, as dancers, instructors, and supporters, we have the power to make sure it remains a place that inspires and uplifts everyone who steps onto the floor.

Success is found in failure. Growing up in the dance world I was taught that the greatest life lessons are not found in success but can always be found in the challenges we face. Two years ago, my team won Worlds for the first time ever. I was so unbelievably happy and proud of my team’s accomplishments, but when I take time now to think of the lessons I learned from that incredible success, they are very different from the lessons I learned from the challenges I faced that season. The road to get to winning Worlds was nothing short of difficult. As many dancers can relate, injuries happen more often than we would like. We have all seen teammates sidelined for injuries and be replaced with alternates, or been forced to quickly change formations just in time for a competition. I had an injury during the summer of my dance season that made me have to take a step back for a little bit. Although it was so difficult at the time, it made me develop an even greater love and appreciation for my sport. I learned to appreciate my health and to not take any time that I’m able to dance for granted. I also learned the importance of rest and recovery. I realized that if I didn’t start listening to my body, my injury would have forced me to miss out not only on summer training but on the majority of the season that year. I quickly started Physical Therapy to get ahead of my injury and worked with my coach to modify my role in the dances. For the next several months, my new approach to dance was different and more challenging. While my team was practicing, I was focused on doing my PT exercises and getting stronger. There were small improvements every day to get me back to dancing. In the moment it was hard for me to see those incremental improvements, but they are what led me to success. Ultimately, I came back stronger and more determined than I was before my injury. I saw how determination and dedication can make a difference and that every difficult day was absolutely worth it. There will always be failures along the way, but it is important to see the successes that come out of those failures. This success doesn’t just need to be about how well you do at a competition or how many medals you have. The greatest successes are what you did to get to that point and all the things you overcame to get that medal or win that competition. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ Follow Ella and her road to Worlds on Instagram @ella.goetsch!

"This topic goes hand and hand for parents, dancers, and teachers! Parents: - Pre-class/practice- Ensure your dancers are well rested, well nourished, and in a positive headspace prior to arriving at dance. - Be early- Having your dancers arrive early will let them get acclimated and prepared prior to their class starting . - During practices- Let the dancer's dance, let the coach's coach, and let the parents be positive! Give them space to learn how to take class, socialize, and let them learn how to communicate with their coaches directly. Dancers: - Be prepared- Pack your bags the night before and lay out your clothes so you are prepared for class. - Use your manners- Greet your teachers hello, silence your phones, get ready to learn! Say thank you and goodbye prior to leaving. - Lock in- Be engaged, focus, and attentive during class. Respond to your teachers, acknowledge feedback and critiques, and have positive body language! - Give 110% at all times- If you are working hard you will see results! You get back what you give! **If parents and dancers follow these tips for classes/practices they are more than likely to be successful, at ease, organized, and have positive results! Teachers: - PREPARE!- Prepare your practice plan with a schedule, prepare your curriculum, prepare you music, prepare your goals. - Be efficient- Efficiency and planning is the key! What you get done during your practice time will determine how successful you and your dancers will be. - Be realistic- Be realistic on your dancers abilities, their age level, their goals. This will eliminate frustration from you, your dancers, and their parents. - Be a role model- Look professional, act professional, be invested, be involved. Look like a teacher and be a positive role model Be invested in their every day lives. - Set a time line for the season- Not only plan what your day to day classes will look like, but what will your classes look like in two months from now? Should you be changing up their warmup, cleaned up to a certain point in their dances? Having an overlook of the season will keep you on track and you too will get the most out of your class. - Change things up and have fun- You can be professional and fun a the same time! Repetition is key, but changing things up keeps the minds sharp and also keeps the dancers engaged. When you see things becoming boring and repetitive, find new ways to switch things up and challenge your dancers. ***Teachers have to teach dancers how to take class and how to get the most out of your class. Set the tone, lead by example, and enforce expectations and a culture your dancers are excited to be apart of and follow."

One thing that my teammates and friends know to be true of me is that I love to start most of my pep talks with a quote. So, to stay true to my nature, I am starting this blog with a quote too! “A team is a reflection of it’s leader” - Sunday Adelaja After my senior season, this quote holds a lot more weight to me. Transitioning from being a younger member of the team and looking up to the seniors of the team, to actually BECOMING those seniors, is something very surreal and, honestly, a hard task to navigate. But if being a senior member of my team this past year taught me anything, it taught me just how important the leadership on a team is. Too often I feel that in the dance industry we try to be successful by coming up with the newest and most difficult skills, the hardest turn sequences, or a breakdown section from the best choreographer in the business. What I now know is that without strong leadership on your team, it doesn’t matter who you hire or what level your athletes are at, you will ultimately not be successful in the way you want. So maybe it’s time we shift our focus into building strong leaders instead of just strong dancers. Now, when I say successful, I don’t necessarily just mean successful in the way of placement or trophies. Accolades are definitely a product of leadership, no doubt about it, but unfortunately in a sport as subjective as dance, sometimes you do have the perfect formula and still don’t get the desired outcome. So when I say successful, I mean successful in yes, the quality of routine and performance but more so in the quality of the team dynamic. When you have strong leadership on a team, your season will be so much more FUN, and honestly probably much easier as well. Strong leadership leads to a closer team. A team that is aligned in goals and spirit. A team that cares enough to put in extra work to get what they want. A team that perseveres even when they don’t get what they want. A team that, at the end of the day, you will remember because of the joy they brought into the studio each practice. And that’s the kind of team that will be successful no matter what how they do because just being a member of a team as special as that is a win in itself. Leadership is necessary on a dance team, but how do you motivate others to become leaders and create that strong team dynamic? So many times people have told me that they don’t feel like they can contribute to a team as a leader because they are not outspoken, or aren’t old enough, etc etc. To that I always say, “Everyone is a leader.” It takes much more than just one loud voice on a team to build a strong leadership. Leaders are also the athletes who stay after practice to keep working on that one trick they can’t land. When others see that athlete putting in the extra work, they are motivated to follow suit and do the same. Leaders are also the athletes who text in the group chat after a hard practice, or the ones who bring everything in their backpack to a competition so that they can fish out snacks, bobby pins, and hairspray to the whole team. When everyone on a team can find their own way as a leader, the team will thrive. It’s bigger than just one person, or just one voice. It takes a whole team to commit to sacrificing their time and energy for their teammates, whatever that looks like for them individually. When a team commits in that way, magic happens. A team IS truly a reflection of the leadership behind it. By focusing on developing a strong team instead of just developing a strong routine, I believe that you will likely end up with the latter in the process. And even if you don’t, I promise the season will still be so productive and so successful in the fact that the team will be so joyful to be around and to be a part of. They will be good humans and strong leaders on and off the dance floor. Honestly, what could be more successful than that? Leadership changes the game! ____________________________________________________ Follow Bryn and her journey as a freshman on the University of Kentucky Dance Team on Instagram @bryn_elizabeth_!