The Holiday Season is one of my favorite times of the year. I loooove Thanksgiving and Christmas for the family time and the festivities of the season. This year should be even sweeter as it’s my daughter’s first Christmas! BUT, a lot comes up during the Holidays and it used to be a much darker time for me.

When you’re struggling with food and body image and you’re in the theater or studio rehearsing 24/7 for Nutcracker, it can be a major challenge.

In college I performed Arabian when I was at my highest dancing weight. Going on stage in a 2 piece at that time felt mortifying. I spent a lot of time picking myself apart.

Commit to supporting yourself during this time whether you’re in a season of major struggle or not. Even if you’re feeling pretty good, there are obstacles that might slow down positive momentum.

Here, I’ll highlight some of the challenges you might face and offer some advice for working through them, staying mindful and having a truly joyous season!

Struggle #1: You don’t feel great about yourself and you’re on stage A LOT.

When you’re on stage a lot, you might feel a little exposed. There’s a whole audience and artistic staff out there watching you quite closely. If you’re not feeling like you’re at your best it’s easy to get caught in a negative mental loop.

Give yourself daily reminders that you’re doing your best and really bring your best – that way you’ll start to believe the reminders. Pick a mantra that you can repeat to yourself, something like, “I’m working hard to bring my best dancing to each performance”.

Remember, this is an ongoing process. Do your best to incorporate your favorite healthy meals into your busy days. Get as much rest as you can. That will keep your hormones balanced so your hunger cues don’t get out of whack. Find support and don’t keep quiet when you’re struggling.

Struggle #2: The Season get’s crazy busy and it’s hard to get anything done.

Laundry, food, sewing pointe shoes, buying secret Santa gifts, buying other holiday gifts, going to parties, enjoying time with friends…the list goes on. There’s A LOT to do and you start to feel like you’re in the theater or studio for most of your time. A lot of you might only get 1 day off a week for a few weeks (or more) and it all get’s overwhelming pretty easily.

To keep yourself grounded, start planning now. Take advantage of shopping online (for at least some gifts). Think about what foods and recipes you can make ahead and freeze (soups are great).

Sew as many pairs of pointe shoes as you currently have. Before my shoes were provided by the company, I would ask for early Christmas presents of pointe shoes so I was well stocked. If you end up with extras, it’s not like they won’t get used eventually!!

Keep any workouts or cross training concise and easy. Try to find something you can fit in at home so you don’t have to add another destination to your day. Also keep in mind a lighter cross training schedule probably makes sense. Find things that combat the repetition of your performance. There are usually bits of choreography that overwork parts of your body. Address the muscles that are being neglected.

Struggle #3: The Food.

Dressing rooms are filled with candy. Holiday parties often feature decadent, indulgent foods. You’re strapped for time which can easily lead to mindless, less-healthy eating choices.

As mentioned above, plan ahead and store some healthy meals. Make time to go the grocery store so you’ll have healthy, fresh meal and snack options. For holiday parties or your families Thanksgiving, offer to bring something healthy (hummus and crudites is an easy one and you can buy it all pre-made from the store).

Allow for indulgences!! If you go into the Season telling yourself you’re not going to touch a holiday dessert, you’re setting yourself up to fail. Think about what your favorite holiday treats are and prioritize them.

Struggle #4: Audition Season is looming.

Hopefully you’ve got your photos done and your resume ready to go. If you don’t, schedule a photo shoot keeping in mind that photographers will need time to edit. It could be 4-6 weeks (or more – get that info up front) from your photo shoot to receive the finished product.

You can work on your resume a little at time. Start to get the information together so it won’t take long to put it all together.

If you’ll be sending out a video, start rehearsing a variation so you’ll be ready to film. If you can get studio space during Nutcracker, great. Otherwise, plan for early in the New Year.

What do you struggle with during the Holidays?

If it’s the food, cross training and overall Nutcracker craziness, check out the Nutcracker Survival Kit. An exciting new online resource from Kathryn Morgan x The Whole Dancer.

The Kit includes exclusive access to 3 – mini workouts with Kathryn Morgan, a recipe bank of ideas for pre/post show meals and snacks + a sample week of meals plus a LIVE Q+A with Jess and Kathryn! Additional Holiday/Nutcracker support resources will be added based on participant requests.

At just $39, the Survival Kit is a steal! Get the details and sign up here: https://www.thewholedancer.com/nutcracker-survival-kit

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Nutcracker, the ballet that brings joy to thousands each holiday season and every other emotion to dancers. Whether you do 45 shows of Nutcracker or two shows, November and December can be stressful months filled with holiday themed performances. It’s easy to get sick of performing or rehearsing Waltz of the Flowers for the 50th time. Here are some tips for fighting Nutcracker burnout.

1. Get Enough Sleep

No matter what your performance or rehearsal schedule, it’s always important to get enough sleep. Sleep allows your muscles to repair, your short-term memory get stored in your long-term memory, and revive your energy levels.

The rate of possible injury goes down when an athlete gets more sleep. Ideally, dancers should be getting around 8-9 hours of sleep each night.  

2. Listen to Other Music

The first thing that always burns me out during Nutcracker is the music. I get very sick of hearing the same score over and over again. It doesn’t help that you hear Nutcracker music on tv, the radio, the mall, literally everywhere from early November through Christmas.

Tune it out as much as possible and listen to other music; it could be your favorite holiday music, hard rock, a different ballet, soundtracks, whatever makes you happy.

3. Pack Healthy Snacks and Meals

You need food to fuel yourself in order to get through shows and rehearsals. Give yourself lots of meal and snack options because you never know what you day will entail. When you go to eat lunch or your snack and you didn’t love what you packed it’s the absolute worst.

You either begrudgingly eat what you packed, or go out in search of something else, which might not be possible depending on your schedule. Pack fruit for a natural sugar based energy, carbohydrates for sustained energy, nuts for protein and healthy fat, and veggies for vital vitamins and minerals.  

4. Do a Holiday Activity

Nutcracker is not the only way to get into the holiday spirit. Choose a nice, relaxing activity that you can do on your day off.

Watch a movie, go shopping, take a walking or driving tour of your town to see all of the holiday decorations, make cookies or healthy snacks with friends. I would not advise ice-skating until you’re done performances, because freak accidents do happen!

5. Go Out to Eat with Friends or Family

It’s easy to get stuck in a food rut no matter what time of year. After a performance, go out to dinner with friends and/or family. It gives you an opportunity to try a new dish, and get new ideas for meals. Being social is a good way to get out of that Nutcracker bubble, especially while spending time with non-dancers.

6. Massage Your Muscles Often

Your body takes a lot of abuse during performances. Many stages are not sprung and because of adrenaline, you might not feel the effects of jumping on a hard stage until later that night or even until performances are over.

Massage your muscles with foam rollers, tennis balls, take Epsom salt baths, and if you can afford it get a professional massage. Compression socks also help alleviate tight calves and ankles.

7. Meditate or go to Yoga

Yoga and meditation are a great way to unwind both your mind and your body. In the cold months hot yoga feels especially great on sore and tight muscles. It’s also great cross training for your day off that works different muscles than the ones you use in rehearsal.

8. Find A Way to Make Each Performance Special

Nutcracker can start to lack luster when you’re doing Snow for the 20th time. Find a way to make each performance special. Give yourself something to focus on each show.

For example, focus on pointing your feet to the max one show, your energy level the next show, and your facial expression on the third show. Remember, at least one person in the audience is experiencing Nutcracker for the first time. Think of making each performance as magical as the first time you saw it.

9. Find New Inspiration

Go for a walk, read a book, watch a documentary (Wendy Whelan’s “Restless Creature” is now on Netflix), and take class from a new teacher. Do anything that will inspire and renew your creativity.

Photo by John-Morgan on Visual hunt / CC BY

Photo by gabrielsaldana on Visualhunt.com / CC BY-SA

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