When I’m working with dancers in the early years of their careers, their mindset can make or break their potential to succeed. If you get the promotion from trainee to 2nd company or main company and your first thought is “I don’t deserve this,” o, “They’ve made a mistake,” then you need to put some strategic focus on your mental approach to dancing. 

Let’s talk about mindset.

It’s one of the most important things dancers should work on and something most struggle with in one way or another. During the hard times, you can come back to these strategies to support a resilient mindset:

1. Remember how far you’ve come. 

There was likely a time when you were pretty terrible at ballet. You were 8 or 9 and you thought you were great, but you had a long way to go. Appreciate all the time, hard work, and dedication you have put into this art form over the years.

Do some writing and recall all your training, time, dedication, and supportive experiences over the years. Remember the people who supported you and the times you overcame setbacks and challenges. 

2. Replace negative thoughts with neutral thoughts and then positive ones. 

If you’re constructively criticizing  yourself, that’s OK. We are all working to improve our technique and dancing abilities. However, if you have negative thoughts like “my thighs are huge” (been there, thought that), replace the sentiment with “my legs are strong and allow me to dance.”

Before you can get to positive, find neutral statements that you believe that can be a bridge to a truly grateful and supportive place. If you’re struggling to even move through negative thoughts, try thought labelling. This is a mindfulness practice where you simply label unhelpful thoughts as unhelpful. This practice can allow you to move on rather than fixate.

3. Find gratitude. 

When you’re struggling in class, rehearsals, or life in general, remembering all that you have can make a huge difference in mindset. Each day write down 2-3 things you’re grateful for. If you’re struggling with your body or abilities or casting, find something to be grateful for in each area instead  (e.g., I am thankful for every opportunity I have to be on stage).

Finding gratitude consistently is truly a practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets and the more it can transform your thinking. As dancers, we have a lot to be grateful for when we consider all that our bodies allow us to do each day. If you’re stuck in a negative body image loop, gratitude can help shift your perspective.

4. Set goals. 

Setting goals can shift your focus away from gloomy thoughts that may be coming up. When you set a goal, it can help you get excited about what’s to come. It’s important to break each goal down into its smallest components. Then, as you go through the goal-achieving process, you’re able to celebrate each small victory.

While goals can be future oriented, the action you take to achieve them will help you find motivation and connection to the present even if the day-to-day of your dance experience isn’t feeling amazing.

5. Identify the stories or comments that have led you to a difficult or doubtful place.

The things that happen to us and the stories we create around small incidents can define our lives. The first thing you want to do to change a deeply ingrained story is to identify it. Once you’ve identified these stories or comments, take them apart.

Ask yourself: What exactly happened and what emotion or layers did I add to it?

Here’s an example…a teacher tells you you need to work on your port de bras. Rather than simply saying to yourself, “OK, I need to work on port de bras; how can I do that?” you create a story that your arms are terrible, you’re uncoordinated, and they’re not toned enough either. As humans, we love to add meaning to everything that’s said to us and everything we experience. 

Go back to the facts: your teacher said you need to work on port de bras. 

Find ways to make that simple feedback constructive and create an action plan to improve your port de bras. Release the story and emotions you’ve added, and just let it be constructive. 

Shifting your mindset is a long process.

Find your positives and work on your confidence. A confident dancer is spectacular to watch — and you can get there. Cultivating an optimistic mindset and self-love will allow you to approach your dancing with a growth mindset. 

If you’ve been stuck in a negative thought loop for a while or you’re just struggling to find a confident approach, Balanced Life-Wellness Coaching could be the answer. Book your free coaching consultation here! This 6-month coaching journey can support you to shift your approach to life and dancing so you can prioritize a supportive mindset for the long haul. Career progress and consistency in your dancing is possible. Coaching can help you get there.

Resources for Dance Teachers:

Addressing Weight

Supporting Your Students

The post Dancer Success: The Importance of Mindset appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Prefer to listen to a podcast episode on this topic? Click below.

There’s a lot of aesthetic pressure in dance. It’s important to talk about it realistically without sugar coating or ignoring the fact that it exists. Even amid the aesthetic pressure, dancers need to move forward through their teens and early 20s with the expectation that their body will change.

Instead, the aesthetic pressure can set up the false goal or expectation that a dancer should try to maintain their pre-pubescent body. Not only is this aim harmful physically and, in the extreme can lead to stunted growth, there’s also great mental harm and anguish caused by this goal.

The facts: your body should change

Especially during the teenage years, people’s bodies naturally change. This isn’t any different for dancers. Being highly active does not mean you should see no physical evolution. Dancers will often add additional weight as muscle, but in order to actually have a first period, body fat is necessary. Some studies even indicate a required 17% body fat threshold to achieve this. 

Puberty in dance

For some reason, a lot of ballet educators seem to have forgotten that puberty is a reality of life. It’s a reality that can’t be avoided by ballet dancers, and therefore, educators have to stop praising the long “ballerina bodies” of pre-pubescent 11-year-olds.

Many clients of mine have expressed that their body issues started as they went through puberty. They often recall: Before then I felt that my body was the ideal for ballet. Sometimes these dancers receive feedback from teachers as their bodies change, and that makes them feel like something is wrong. If a teacher criticizes a dancer’s body as they’re gaining necessary weight, this can have a lasting mental impact.

Unfortunately, even if someone supports a dancer through their physical changes, the dancer may still conclude on their own that these changes are bad and that they should do something to halt or stop them.

Take a moment to recall for yourself if your body image or self-concept shifted through puberty. It’s powerful to realize when something has impacted your mindset. Rather than viewing weight gain or body change as negative, what positives can you see about it? Perhaps your “larger” thighs are also stronger and better adept at jumping. Maybe your increased muscle size and tone is actually improving your lines.

My own experience with weight and puberty in ballet

Before I had my final growth spurt, I went away to a summer intensive and gained weight. Going into the summer I was 5’2” and over the course of the next year I would grow to be almost 5’5”. It’s very normal to gain weight before you gain height. Girls often gain weight in thighs, breasts, and hips through puberty — and especially ahead of a growth spurt.

When I returned to my home studio after the summer away, my teacher tapped my thigh and remarked: That wasn’t there before. I had gained weight, and my thighs and butt were the main places it settled. It was muscle, but she clearly wasn’t happy with their larger size. This gave me an instant feeling of shame. I felt as if I had done something wrong. I went from being very thin to having some fat. 

No one should have made me feel that anything was wrong with this physical change. It’s normal. It’s healthy. It should happen. My body was supposed to change.

Your body is also supposed to change. 

Body changes through layoffs and changing dance schedules

In a dance career there is often a lot of inconsistency in training and schedules. You might have a 28-week contract with occasional 1-or-2-week layoffs. Then, of course you’ll have a longer period of time off over the summer.

Through all of that time away from the studio, the possibility of body change can be anxiety inducing. A longer summer layoff can also, realistically, lead to some body change. When you’re in a balanced place with your food relationship and body image, the layoff changes may be slight. If you feel less secure in those areas, you may experience more extreme physical shifts. 

Aiming towards a balanced approach to food and your body is going to support you to feel empowered through time off. It will allow you to accept the normal physical fluctuations and to understand that it makes sense that you’d be at your fittest when you’re in your busiest dancing seasons. 

What happens to your body when you retire

A dancer’s schedule is more active than an average person. It’s significantly more active than someone working a 9-5 and still more rigorous than someone working a job where they’re on their feet the whole time.

A lot of dancers go from dancing essentially from 9-5 to barely dancing at all in retirement. Sometimes you really need that time away from dance and have no desire to step into a studio for a while. You may really need it, but accepting the physical changes and the possibility of significant weight gain that come with it can still be hard.

Retirement is a massive shift in one’s life and identity. It’s the kind of change that would benefit from support, whether that comes from a licensed therapist or other support person. 

Embracing change and cultivating self-love

You don’t have to view your body’s changes through a negative lens. Ask yourself consistently: what’s good about these physical changes? How are you actually being served by having some additional fat on your body? What is there to love about yourself, internally and externally, through these changes?

One of the biggest factors that will help you accept and even celebrate your body’s changes is cultivating a strong sense of self-love. Functioning from a self-loving place allows you to show up more fully and freely in your life and dancing. Developing self-love is a process that’s connected to caring for yourself and accepting your faults, mistakes, and perceived imperfections.  

Support accepting body change

Whether you’re going through puberty or well beyond it, it’s possible you’d benefit from support to accept the physical changes you’re experiencing. Maybe you need help balancing your food relationship and body image in order to feel more at ease in your approach to your body. Perhaps, it’s a self-concept challenge and you need to see that you’re allowed to and supposed to change physically. 

Health, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching could be exactly what you need to feel your best in your body. If you’re feeling distracted by what you see in the mirror or your confidence has eroded as your body has developed, set up a complimentary coaching consultation here. Connecting with someone who has been in your shoes and who fully understands the pressures of the ballet world could make all the difference.

The post Dear Dancer: Your Body Is Supposed to Change appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Dealing with casting in dance can be a challenge…

We’ve all been there. The cast sheet goes up and you walk over feeling hopeful. Then, you read the list and are totally disappointed with your roles.

At just about every level, dancers experience the doubt and insecurity that comes with casting decisions by artistic staff. Dealing with this can be difficult.

As you move along as a dancer from pre-professional training to (sometimes) college to company life, casting sheets can be a big source of anxiety.

All too often, we begin to quantify our value based on what roles are bestowed upon us.

Managing casting, friendships, and comparison.

In college, my best friend Alice was consistently cast in better roles than me. Beyond being close friends, we were the same height with similar body shapes. It got to a point where I expected that outcome and reinforced the story in my head: “She’s just better than me, there’s really nothing I can do about it.”

When we started auditioning for companies, I began to realize that I was basing my thoughts about myself on the opinions of one group of people: my college professors. What I failed to notice is that the artistic staff at every company Alice and I auditioned for assessed our abilities in totally different ways.

When they made cuts throughout auditions, we were rarely kept for the same length of time. Sometimes she made it to the end, and sometimes I did. We each got different offers. I finally realized that while we were the same height with similar body types, we were different people and had different strengths.

Feel empowered even when you’re unhappy with your roles.

Even if you work to cultivate a healthy perspective shift when it comes to your strengths, you may still face casting disappointment. That’s when it’s important to take your power back and boost your confidence. 

Boost confidence before the cast list goes up.

Dancers tend to see what’s wrong. For many years, or even decades, you’ve been training your brain to use the mirror as a tool to tell you what you need to fix. Rarely does a dancer look in the mirror with joy and admiration for what they’re capable of.

That’s a great place to start…

The next time you’re in class or rehearsal, rather than constantly nitpicking, make it your goal to pick out the things you’re doing well. Where’s the beauty in your movement? What is unique about you?

Recently, a client was telling me that she just didn’t have anything that might draw someone’s eye. When we discussed it further, she was able to connect with the fact that she is a unique person and has a unique joy for dance that she can communicate through her movement. 

Connecting with your joy for dance is what gives you that intangible quality that is enjoyable to watch. 

Remember that every role, no matter how small, is an opportunity to grow.

It sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Are you playing the maid in the Nutcracker? Even that small part can have a story. How will you convey that story to the audience? How can you make this character role your own? Is there a way to hone some acting skills?

Use this as an opportunity to start a discussion.

If you’re disappointed with the casting decisions, you can use this as an opportunity to start a discussion on your growth. Set up a meeting with someone on the artistic staff who you trust and know has your best interest at heart.

Ask them if there’s something more you could or should be doing to improve. Is there a way they’d like to see you develop technically or artistically that would lead to bigger roles or more responsibility? 

Having these talks can be scary, but they can also bring to light things you would have otherwise stayed in the dark about. It also might lead to more opportunities. Consider asking to understudy something you weren’t originally cast to understudy.

Reassess the energy you bring to the studio.

Are you too comfortable in your current environment? Are you relying too heavily on your talent or facility and not taking things to the next level on your own? Would you benefit from setting more goals around your dancing?

Remember that you can’t control the roles and opportunities you’re given, but you can control the energy you bring with you. Casting may be out of your hands, but the work you put in is very much up to you. Start approaching your corrections with more fervor and focus, and see if things shift.

Create supportive routines to facilitate your best dancing.

Making adjustments to your approach to food or cross-training could have a huge positive impact. These adjustments are not about changing how you look, but rather, they’re about increasing your confidence so you dance more freely.

Some food swaps and cross-training switch-ups can make a big impact on how you perform. Have you started relying on too much sugar or caffeine for energy? Instead, put some attention on increasing the length and quality of your sleep. Incorporate lots of simple and complex carbs for consistent energy throughout the day.

If you’ve been doing the same cross-training for years, you might benefit from trying something new. Experiment with weight training or employ a trainer who works with dancers to see if there’s a weakness you haven’t addressed.

Taking better care of yourself will give you a better experience in your dancing regardless of casting. 

You might not be dancing at the best company for you.

If you’ve been plugging away at the same company for a few years and haven’t been getting the response you had hoped for or the roles you were promised, it might be time to move on. I’d encourage you to open up a conversation first, but then be willing to accept that maybe you haven’t found the right fit yet.

Be honest with yourself about the company environment you’re in. If they reward weight loss or constantly give you feedback on your body shape or size, it might be time to look elsewhere. Even if you are getting desired roles, it’s worth considering what sort of environment you’re in and how that impacts you. Roles should be determined based on your skill and hard work. 

Unhealthy extremes to fit the mold of a particular company is not a sustainable approach to a dance career. If you’re struggling to find a healthy approach to your career, or you’re unsure if you’ve found it, it may be time to seek help. Many dancers benefit from support in nutrition, body image, and even career mentorship to confidently determine when they’re at their healthiest. 

Check in with your mental well-being.

Has dance left you feeling drained? Have you been in the trainee or apprentice spot for a while and started wondering if you’ll ever move beyond it? Check your mental well-being.

If you’re constantly telling yourself you’re not good enough or that all the other dancers are so much better, it will feel nearly impossible to progress. Once your thoughts start to improve, I guarantee you’ll feel changes within yourself and your dancing. 

As I was able to connect with the fact that my friend Alice and I had different things to offer, it afforded me some freedom in my approach. I started my first company job believing I was meant to be there. 

Ultimately, you need to retrain your mind for confidence and expect success! Those shifts in mindset aren’t an overnight endeavor or a quick fix. It takes time, dedication, and support from someone who understands the industry specific challenges you’re faced with. 

Don’t forget, it all takes time.

Pursuing dance at the professional level is a process — and an arduous one at that. Every dancer develops at a different rate. Your friend might skyrocket to principal while you’re working away in the corps. It’s helpful to trust the timing of your life.

Don’t compare your journey to anyone else’s. You’ll learn so many lessons along the way as long as you’re open to them. If your love for dance is strong and you stay committed, you can reach your goals. And don’t forget: success is a concept you get to define. So, maybe define success as doing what you love. Perhaps you’ve already achieved that.

Looking for support?

If you’re feeling particularly challenged by your experiences with the cast sheet, and you know you’d benefit from support from someone who has been there, schedule a complimentary coaching consultation. CLICK HERE to book your free introductory consultation. This is the first step and the best way to determine if health, nutrition, and lifestyle coaching is a good fit for your needs.

The post Dealing with Casting in Dance appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

For more from our ambassadors, follow The Whole Dancer and each of them on instagram.

Alessia Braggiato, Aspiring Pro Dancer

click here to follow Alessia on Instagram

I’m Alessia, I’m 21 and I currently live near Chicago pursuing my dance career at Ballet 5:8’s Second Company. Originally from Houston TX, I trained with Intempo Dance Ensemble and later moved to San Antonio and Joined Decruz Ballet PTD program before moving out of state. I mainly did a lot of ballet, contemporary, and jazz training, but contemporary has my heart.

Being part of The Whole Dancer community truly opens up your mind to a better mindset, and a better mindset leads to faster improvement, not just dance wise, but in terms of mental well-being as well. I believe the hardest part of one’s dance career is stepping their foot into that professional door, and finding a balance between who you are as a person, and who you are as a dancer.

My absolute favorite self-care activity would be making hot, herbal tea while playing relaxing music, and lifting my feet up on a wall, wearing a face mask.

Courtney Nitting, Boston Ballet

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About Courtney

Courtney started dancing at the age of 3 years old. She trained at the New Jersey School of Ballet for nine years before attending the School of American Ballet (SAB) for six years until she graduated. Throughout her training period she went to summer intensives including Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Boston Ballet. 

After graduation at SAB, Nitting went on to freelance for a year in New York City. She danced with Eglevsky Ballet, Neglia Ballet and Tom Gold Dance. She then was hired as a part of Pennsylvania Ballet II in 2017. The following year Courtney received her first full company contract under Kansas City Ballet where she danced for five seasons. 

She had many opportunities dancing coveted principal, soloist, and corp de ballet roles. For the 2023-2024 season, Nitting most recently made a career change and is now an artist with the Boston Ballet. Courtney hopes to continue her journey as a professional ballerina with the mindset of living a balanced life both on and off the stage.

Being a Whole Dancer to me means not only knowing the tools you need in order to help achieve goals you’d like to accomplish within the art form of dance and in life, but having the strength, confidence, vulnerability and security within oneself to put those helpful tools to use on a daily basis. 

Life is a journey and how you enjoy the ride is up to you; I find this thought to be much more important than getting to the final destination. Feeling whole within oneself applies to many aspects deeper than what we see in the mirror at the studio everyday. It’s how we feel inside and how we make others feel around us. Being “whole” to me is something you constantly are developing, growing and learning more about each and every day. It is the perfect meaning to live life to its fullest but with the guidance and outline of what you personally found most helpful for you and your own personal journey.

My favorite self-care activity would have to be journaling. This is a habit I have now implemented into my weekly routine. As dancers, our minds are loaded with so many thoughts, feelings, ideas, and emotions. It is the nature of being an artist and even more so a human. However, sometimes all of this can be overwhelming. Once a week, to take the time and sit down in a cute coffee shop with a chai tea, journal about my week or whatever I might have going on in my mind is something that not only brings me peace but also allows for my brain to relax and stay clear. Sometimes I write less than other times, while certain weeks I may pull out my book and write more than once a week; it just depends. This habit though that I have now as a constant in my life makes me feel secure and strong within myself and helps to check in on me, and that is something we all need to be aware of. Journaling does all this plus much more. Hope you’ll give it a try.

Sarah Yoak, IU Ballet Theater

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I grew up in a small town in West Virginia dancing recreationally. At 16, I was offered a traineeship with Ballet Met and spent two years there, followed by a year in the Professional Level Program with Indianapolis Ballet before COVID sent us home. I then moved to Miami, FL and trained with Magaly Suarez at The Art of Classical Ballet and also spent time at Miami City Ballet School. Following that, I quit ballet for what I thought was an indefinite period of time to pursue academics, but I only ended up “quitting” for a little over a year. I moved back home and ended up taking ballet class for my heart which turned into a season with my home studio, and now I am a ballet major and full-time college student at Indiana University Ballet Theatre pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Outside Field in English and a Minor in Psychology. 

In my commitment to being a Whole Dancer, I take the title as a promise to never let ballet take up 100% of my brain space. I know that sounds contradictory, but I had a teacher who I loved tell me that “ballet is life, but life is not ballet.” This is so true— Possessing the ability to enjoy and seriously pursue a professional ballet career without letting it wreck your self-worth, body, and mind is the secret to true happiness in a career built on analyzing your setbacks and flaws.

What a tall order, I know, but after quitting ballet and letting the constraints of it leave my mind for so long, I gained perspective on how little your worth as a dancer relates to your worth as a person. So many dancers, myself included, convolute the two and forget that we do ballet because we love it, not because we hate ourselves. In the love is where the wholeness resides. 

My favorite self-care activity is journaling all of the “bad thoughts” out, taking a hot shower, calling a loved one, and watching my favorite movie with a snack and a glass of nice wine! 

photography credits go to Nir Arieli

Abby Nyugen, Professional Dancer

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I’m originally from the Bay Area in California, where I grew up dancing at a small, local studio. After high school, I moved to New York City to attend The Ailey School and Fordham University. I’ll be graduating in May with a BFA in dance and psychology, and I’m excited to continue my dance journey post-grad! 

To me, being a Whole Dancer means investing in all parts of myself and my health. As much as dance is physical, it is also mental, emotional, and spiritual. Putting energy and care into all of these elements makes you a better person and dancer, and it makes it easier to experience all the joy dance can bring! I’m super excited to be a Whole Dancer ambassador and share Jess’ work and message! 

My favorite self-care activity is doing my hair and makeup in the morning. I put on some music, sit by my window, and have a moment for myself. It’s a fun way to start the day with something I enjoy, and it helps me feel more individual and confident in the studio! 

Ken Shiozawa, Professional Dancer

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My name is Ken Shiozawa (they/them) and I am currently a company artist with Minnesota Dance Theater based in Minneapolis. I was born in Japan and grew up in Irvine, California where I trained at Maple Conservatory of Dance under the artistic direction of Charles Maple. I have also trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and received a BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University in 2020. 

Previously, I have danced with Minnesota Ballet and have guested with various ballet companies throughout the US. I am also pursuing my Masters Degree in Guidance and Counseling in Clinical Mental Health from the University of Wisconsin. 

To me, being a Whole Dancer is somebody who is able to not only do what is asked of them physically in the dance studio, but also be able to take care of themself mentally, emotionally and spiritually. How we treat our bodies and view our bodies plays just as much of an importance in our success as dancers and finding ways to optimize and promote our health and well-being provides us with the best chance of dancing and feeling our best. 

My new found favorite self-care activity is meditation!  

Tanya Chauhan, Dancer + Performer in India and NYC

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Hi, I’m Tanya Chauhan, a professional dancer born and raised in Delhi, India and currently residing in New York. I started dancing at the age of 15 in Delhi where I was training in Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary, India martial arts – Kalaripayattu and after I moved to New York I took ballet, jazz – theatre/precision, tap, modern seriously. I’ve been a professional dancer for over a decade now and I am thrilled to see my journey as a dance professional in New York City. 

Being a Whole Dancer means so much beyond just being a dancer. For me it has everything to do with  being a human first and then a dancer. I want to move from a position of self awareness and purity. To me, being a Whole Dancer means that I’m  aware of myself and every day I’m trying to move my own needle forward positively by discovering more and more about myself so as to always move from a point of purity! 

I love to start my day slow and I do  journaling in the morning which is a big self care activity that I do everyday other than that I really enjoy sipping my tea at night which is a self care activity for me and CLEANING MY ROOM – I feel cleaning my room also organizes my thoughts to some level. 

Sarah Westbrook, DBDT: Encore!

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Sarah Westbrook, originally from Virginia Beach, VA, began her dance training at a local studio in Hampton Roads and went on to study at the region’s performing arts high school, The Governor’s School for the Arts. From there, she attended The University of Oklahoma and received her BFA in Modern Dance Performance in 2022. It was there she was able to perform works by Rena Butler, While in school she also furthered her training with Oregon Ballet Theater, Parsons Dance, and Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company.

Currently, Sarah dances with Dallas Black Dance Theatre’s second company, DBDT: Encore! She has performed works by renowned choreographers such as Sidra Bell, Rena Butler, Gregory Dolbashian, Tommie Waheed-Evans, Christopher Huggins, Jiří Kylián, Joshua L. Peugh, Katarzyna Skarpetowska, and Take Ueyama. In addition to performing, she also teaches dance to children in a range of styles. She is currently on staff at Texas Ballet Theater School, Dallas Black Dance Academy, and Highland Park Dance Company.

To me, The Whole Dancer is all about helping dancers find balance. I know I’ve struggled with nutrition, body image, cross training, and stress management, especially as it relates to dance, and The Whole Dancer helps dancers to take a holistic approach to handling these issues. The content and resources that The Whole Dancer shares has really helped me take note of the mindset in which I am approaching my dancing, nutrition, etc, and that has helped me just as much as changing my actions. I am so thankful for this resource and so excited to share this brand with other dancers in my community.

Getting a massage or an epsom salt bath is my favorite self-care activity.

Colleen Underriner, Ailey/Fordham BFA Student

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Born in 2006 and raised in the Chicago area, I began dancing when I was 5 years old at the Wilmette Park District. Then from ages 7-11, under Krissie Odegard Geye at the Dance and Music Academy in Glenview, IL, I was introduced to and developed my love of performing, competitive dance, and musical theater. In 2018, I moved with my family to Charleston, SC. I continued my dance training at The Dance Conservatory of Charleston under Lindy Mandradjieff Fabyanic, Jenifer Ringer, and James Fayette where I was accepted into the pre-professional ballet program in 2020.  

In addition to ballet, I also studied precision jazz, jazz, tap, contemporary, modern, and hip hop. In 2021, I began rehearsing and performing with The Palmetto City Ballet’s Broadway Company under Stephen Gabriel. In 2022, I returned to the theatrical stage with Charleston Academy of Musical Theater under Courtney Sarre and Diana Flaherty. And in the fall of 2023, I made the exciting move to New York City to continue my dance and theater training as a student in Steps on Broadway Conservatory’s Professional Training Program! My goal is to one day dance on a Broadway stage and/or as a Radio City Rockette!

To me, being a whole dancer means finding balance in all areas of my life: training, nutrition, social life, and overall health and wellness, so that I may live a full and well rounded life inside and outside the studio! 

My favorite self care activity is taking a hot bath after long dance days!

Marley DeRouen, Aspiring Pro Dancer

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I started dancing when I was five years old doing various types of dance. At age nine, I decided to concentrate on ballet where I studied at a small studio and then later transferred to a pre-professional program at The Nutmeg Conservatory, where I study currently. 

Being a Whole Dancer ambassador is really important to me as a young dancer since I believe it is crucial that we share our experiences with other dancers and for our voices to be heard.

In my free time, my favorite self-care activities would be shopping and relaxing.

Kaidence Vance, Collegiate Dancer, Aspiring Ballerina

click here to follow Kaidence on Instagram

Kaidence has been dancing since she was 2 years old. She grew up at Synergy Academy training as a competitive dancer in all styles. The last two years she has been the Captain of her High School Ballroom Team. She has attended multiple Summer Intensive Programs including Ballet West and the University of Utah. Kaidence is currently pursuing ballet pre-professionally at Utah Dance Institute. Next year she will be going to the University of Utah to pursue a degree in Ballet and Physical Therapy. 

Being a Whole Dancer Ambassador gives me the opportunity to do something I love: share about dancer wellness! As both a student and teacher of dance, I have seen and felt a lack of resources to help with mental and physical health. The Whole Dancer is an amazing program, and it stands for everything I am passionate about! 

Favorite self care activity: Epsom salt baths!!

The post Introducing the 2024 Ambassadors for The Whole Dancer appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

The best way to build trust is to gather evidence that your body is worth trusting. Dancers tend to tell themselves the opposite: “I can’t trust my body.” You might have convinced yourself that if you deviate from some controlled eating plan, your body will change drastically overnight or within a couple of weeks.

What’s true is that your body is a very efficient machine. The muscle tone that dance develops helps your body to run even more efficiently, and even in times of rest or lower activity, your basal metabolic rate (or resting metabolic rate) is likely much higher than you assume. 

To support your body to run efficiently, support your well-being.

There are some very basic ways you can support your body to run at its peak —things that unfortunately a lot of dancers neglect. 

First, eat enough. If you’re not sure what’s “enough,” check out this post. To eat enough you should be eating consistently and proactively. Don’t let more than 2–4 (max 5) hours pass between meals or snacks. 

Rest and recovery is also going to support your body to run more efficiently. When you rest, your body can manage stress and then put its effort into aiding metabolism. It’s also essential to not overwork or over-exercise. When your sleep is compromised, your metabolism suffers. 

It takes a lot to change your body.

I remember worrying that I’d experience relatively instant weight gain if I wasn’t dancing 6–8 hours a day. I imagined myself expanding to a much larger version of myself…one that was even more undesirable than the body I was in (based on my own self-judgment and perspective at that time).

At that time I was at a weight that was already very low, but my early experiences with body image feedback led me to believe I could never be small enough. The reality that I only began to trust once I stopped dancing is that with a balanced approach to food, very little will change physically even if you stop exercising altogether for a period of time.

When I stopped dancing, at first I was quite active but then I went through a period of time where I didn’t do any organized exercise. I walked a lot, but that was it. I was finally in a really positive time in my life, and my relationship to food was better than it had been for over a decade. 

Eating was easy, I wasn’t overthinking it, and I wasn’t stressing about my lack of exercise.

You know what happened to my body and weight? Nothing.

It stayed pretty much the same. It’s likely my body composition changed…you’re not going to maintain high muscle mass without organized exercise (unless you’re genetically inclined), but otherwise nothing drastic shifted. 

If your life or lifestyle changes, some change is normal.

The most important factor that supported weight maintenance was my attention to my overall well-being. I was going through my first health coaching program and was committed to caring for myself the way I would eventually encourage my clients to care for themselves. 

If you go from dancing 6 days a week to not at all, some change should be expected. You may gain some weight. Your body composition will likely shift. If you lead with self-care, the changes are likely to be subtle and more noticeable to you than anyone else. Body change isn’t bad and for some it’s healthy and needed.

If your body changes drastically…

If food consumption changes drastically, your body can change quickly. But it will not be a healthy transformation, and as a dancer, it’s possible you can severely injure yourself if you take extreme measures.

However, if your food choices have stayed relatively stable, and exercise hasn’t changed significantly but your body changes drastically, it’s time to see a doctor. A significant physical change may be a symptom of a number of serious health issues. 

How to start working with your body and building trust.

Imagine you’re your own best friend. How would you care for that person? What fuel would you provide them with? What protective measure would you take to ensure they’re at their optimal health?

The care we’re willing to give to others often goes above and beyond what we’re willing to do for ourselves. That’s something worth rethinking. If you’re unsure where to start, start here…

Schedule a free coaching consultation to learn how I can support you to prioritize your well-being so you can start trusting your body and performing at your peak. 

Resources:

• NIH Sleep and Metabolism
• What causes rapid weight gain?

The post Evidence that you can trust your body. appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Many people don’t actually talk about this, which leads dancers to search through non-dancer resources, often finding misinformation or incredibly unhealthy advice. In an effort to be “healthy,” dancers get restrictive. Or they’re told their muscles are “bulky,” so they aim for a calorie deficit. 

So, let’s dive into this very loaded topic.

Can dancers set weight loss goals? 

If you’re under 18…

Here’s where there’s a hard stop. If you’re under 18, pre-pubescent, or possibly still growing, you should absolutely not be trying to lose weight. 

Children and adolescents are going through physical changes all the time. Their hormones are adjusting and working towards a new balance. Any weight loss aims can very easily disrupt these changes and upend the delicate balance.

Beyond that, trying to lose weight will damage your relationship with food. This damage can result in eating disorders, restrictive eating, and ongoing food challenges that can last for years (or decades). 

My own food struggles started at age 14 when I decided I needed to lose weight so I started my first diet. For me, this resulted in disordered eating habits, negative self-image, and fluctuating weight that lasted for over a decade. It made my entire dance journey, from student through professional, about my body. I was never able to fully focus on the dancing, technical improvement, or opportunities I was given. 

If you’re struggling to accept your weight or self-image, work on your food relationship and boost your body image to move through those challenges. I work with dancers as young as 15 (14 in rare cases), so if this is you, it might be time to talk with a parent and have them reach out for support. 

Can dancers set weight loss goals as an adult or professional?

You should have bodily autonomy. This means you are in charge of and have agency over your body, what happens to it, and how you want it to look. For dancers, there’s an added layer in that your body is being judged and observed daily. That fact makes this question a bit more complicated. 

If you’re someone who has a history of eating disorders or disordered eating, you’ve likely got to go through many years of healing before you can make any goals around changing your body.

For some, it is possible to desire to look differently and for it to come from a healthy place. For example, if you’ve had some time off, perhaps you’d like to regain your muscle tone. Maybe your body has changed, you have gained weight, and you’d like to make adjustments to get back to where you were. 

Before you go down that road, consider these 5 Questions to Ask Yourself if You Want to Change Your Body for Dance. 

Ultimately, you may decide, “Yes, I want to make some changes to alter my physical appearance.” Here’s how to go about that with a balanced perspective…

It should actually never be about the weight.

If you desire to work towards physical changes, don’t make it about a number. Weight looks different on each of us. The weight that feels good for you and that you feel looks good on you may be very different from some arbitrary number you’ve deemed acceptable or desired. 

For dancers, a scale isn’t a helpful tool. I would argue that this is also true for most people, except perhaps those who lose weight easily and are trying to avoid an unhealthily low body weight.

Nevertheless, any desire to change your body shouldn’t be motivated by what you see on the scale. That number is too changeable. So many things factor into what shows up on the scale, from hormones to water weight to time of day. Furthermore, the scale isn’t a reflection of how you look, how you dance, or your potential to improve and grow as a dancer. 

Need more convincing? Here are 7 Reasons to Ditch Your Scale. 

Instead of basing your body goals on a number on the scale, set goals based on how you want to feel. When you put the focus on how you want to feel in your body, your physical shape can shift without much effort. 

If you’re fixated on the scale or losing weight specifically, take a major pause. What are you tying weight loss to? Do you think losing weight means instant success? Better roles? A promotion or paid job? Odds are, you’re valuing the weight or smaller body over your dance technique or artistry. 

What happens when you set goals based on how you want to feel in your body.

If you’re focused on feeling energized, happy, and strong, you’re going to take action aligned with that end. Rather than getting stuck in restriction, which is what happens 9 times out of 10 when weight loss is the goal, you’ll be able to focus on the foods that actually feel good for you to eat. 

When you go to the gym or practice your cross-training routine, that effort will be coming from a place of self-love and growth instead of a place of punishment. 

Body-feeling goals are about tuning into what feels good, tastes good, and works for your personal needs and preferences. Whereas, weight-focused goals set you up to ignore your body’s cues. You’ll eat the “right” foods and become disconnected from your desires, preferences, and personal needs. 

Setting yourself up to achieve your personal best body.

You cannot maintain a balanced, healthy, supportive approach if lowering the number on the scale is your primary or only goal. 

That’s a bold statement, I realize that. However, it comes from years of experience in my own dieting cycles, years of experience working with dancers, and years of study and research on topics of dieting, nutrition, lifestyle, dancers, and well-being.

If you desire body change but don’t want to get caught up in an unhealthy approach, reach out and schedule your complimentary coaching consultation call. 

Some examples of body-feeling change for 1:1 Elite Best Body Coaching Clients:

I feel like I am in less of a “fog.” I have built good habits for myself surrounding food choices and have also built a lot of confidence in the studio. Now, I listen to my body more now when it is asking for a break and prioritize self care. 

Colleen Underriner, Steps on Broadway Conservatory

Now, I am much more confident about my body and I am more conscious in my everyday life. I understand that every body is different and I don’t have to compare my body to other dancers’ bodies which gives me freedom finally.  

Bettina Jurák, GöteborgsOperans Danskompani

I feel confident in my dancing and am able to also separate myself from negativity that others feel and not let it affect me. I am not stuck in the binge/restrict cycle any longer and I can enjoy a life full of food, love, and dancing!

Maia Blake, Ballet Spartanburg

Since working with Jess, I don’t feel guilty eating anymore, and I have flexibility with what I can eat. I have made much more peace with my body, and I am confident with how I look. 

Nicole Dickson, Freelance Dancer in Boston

Some examples of body-feeling change for clients in The Dancers’ Balanced Body Program: 

Rather than worrying about weight gain, I get to consider what will help me feel fulfilled today. Some days it’s my favorite salad and other days, it’s a homemade baked treat. Though I’ve had some weight loss, I don’t believe it’s the most important change from the program.

Timmorie Freeman, Freelance Dancer in the SF Bay Area

I have discovered an eating plan that works for me and helps me feel energized and confident. I have noticed positive changes in my body and proportions that have not only been noticed by me but by others as well.

Anna Ackerman, New York State Ballet

I have seen changes in my leg muscles and abdominals. I have much less worry about my body and myself as a whole person. My mindset is much more positive.

Emma Stewart, Canada’s National Ballet School

If you prefer to listen to The Whole Dancer viewpoint on dancer weight loss, listen to the podcast below.

The post Can Dancers Safely Set Weight Loss Goals? appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

That’s why now is a great time to refresh and strengthen your food mindset. You can set yourself up for an easy-going holiday as well as a self-loving start to the new year.

Imagine what your life would be like if food wasn’t a concern. Think of the ways you might spend all that freed-up mental energy. It’s possible to go through life without overthinking food, and that allows everything else to open up.

You can feel truly connected to relationships, dancing, and joy rather than constantly distracted by food and your body (those two go hand in hand).

Get clear on where you are now.

It’s going to help to have a clear picture of what your current food relationship and mindset are. If you’re someone whose food stress heightens around the holidays, acknowledge that and consider why it happens. Maybe it’s the dressing room candy that leads you to start worrying.

Whatever concerns have come up, think about where they came from and how you can move through them. Consider what people and food experiences have influenced your perspectives on food. 

Consider your ideal vision for your food mindset.

When you have a clear vision and goals associated with it, you’ll have a much easier time moving forward with food in ways that support your physical and emotional well-being. 

Most of the dancers I work with tell me they want to have an easy time making food choices, don’t want to stress about it, and don’t want to be thinking about food constantly. If that resonates with you, it’s a great place to start. 

How to stop thinking about food all the time.

When you think about food all the time, you assume that food is the problem. In reality, it’s not, and it really never was. The food and unhelpful food relationship is a symptom of something else. 

The real problem is usually an imbalance in another area or areas of your life. When you’re not connected to joy, passion, and grounded energy, you might choose to fixate on food to have something in your life that feels predictable.

Lose the food fixation. Here’s how:

1. Eat consistently. Make sure you’re having 3 meals a day and 1 to 2 snacks. There can be variation with this in the future, but to start establishing a healthy, balanced, supportive food mindset, this is a great place to start.

2. Ask yourself which areas of your life need your attention. Consider social life, relationships, joy, career (dance, whether you’re a pro or pre-pro), health, creativity, finances, education, spirituality, and home environment.

3. Once you identify areas of opportunity within your life, clarify what it means to you to be “successful” in each of those areas. Then, create action steps to help you achieve those shifts.

4. Connect to your body. The pain you experience that goes unfelt is stored in your body. The act of making friends with your body is going to allow you to release that pain and move forward. You’ll feel better and find freedom in dance and life.

Often, the hardest step is acknowledging and accepting that the food isn’t the problem. It’s possible you’ve made food the enemy for years. That means it may take a while to release those thoughts. 

Journaling questions to refresh your food mindset before the new year:

1. Where are you now?
2. What has led you here?
3. Vision for food mindset: How would you like to feel about food?
4. List some of your desired food feelings (examples: free, easy, low-stress, confident, excited). 
5. What are your food values?
6. Can you think of friends/family who (from your perspective) seem to have very balanced food relationships? What does that look like from the outside?
7. What steps or support can you enlist to take action in making your food vision a reality?

Start this process now. Don’t wait until the dieting messages are amplified. Support yourself to get to a place of food ease and confidence over the next few weeks so you can enter a new year from an empowered place.
Shifting your food mindset and perspective is exactly the sort of thing we can do together in Elite Best Body Coaching. If you’re ready to find out if you’re a good fit for this support, take the first step today and schedule your free coaching consultation call.

If you’d rather listen to a podcast episode on this topic, listen here:

The post Refreshing Your Food Mindset before the New Year appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Reflect on your past Nutcracker experiences.

Think about Nutcracker’s past. Consider what worked and what didn’t. In the moment, it’s possible you felt a bit of just gotta get through it and survive.

How would you like to feel through the Nutcracker and holiday seasons? Pick out a few desired feelings. Maybe you want to feel inspired, energized, or happy. What can you do to help yourself achieve those feelings through all the rehearsing, performing, and holiday parties?

If, in the past, you struggled to find time to prepare meals that help you feel your best, consider when or how you’ll work in some meal planning or preparation. There’s still time to make soups or meals ahead of time and freeze them so they’re ready to go. Easy options like canned soup or frozen meals will also be a great benefit to you during this busy time.

Do you want to make more time for socializing this season? Maybe you need to create time and space for household chores. If you have jobs outside of dance, you might have to be very direct in asking for schedule adjustments, or maybe you can decrease your hours during this time. Find ways to advocate for yourself to make your schedule as balanced as possible. 

Consider the things that help you feel happy, grounded, and inspired through the holidays.

What lights you up this time of year? If you’re someone who loves the holiday decor or watching holiday movies, find ways to include those things in your life. 

Think about the extras in your schedule that might not serve you during this time, and prioritize the things that help you feel your best. If you find yourself constantly scrolling on social media, it might be a good time to delete those apps so you can be more present and productive in the limited free time you have.

This doesn’t mean you aren’t giving yourself down time, it means you’re giving yourself more intentional downtime. It can be very helpful to include things like meditation or restorative yoga this time of year. That way, you can de-stress and connect with yourself on a deeper level.

Prioritize your individual needs.

Your needs are unique. The things getting your friends through the Nutcracker season may not be the same things you need to feel and dance your best during this busy time of year. 

We all have different energy for socializing, being out of the house, and non-dance activity. Lean into what feels best for you, and when you find you’re comparing to other dancers, connect back to the benefits of honoring your personal needs.

When you fuel yourself according to what you need, you’re much more likely to eat adequately and feel as energized as possible. By honoring your preferences with socializing, you’ll be able to maintain calm and better cope with stress. Doing the things true to who you are strengthens your confidence and empowerment in dance and life. 

Stay aware of what you’ve got coming up next. 

The keep your head down and get through it mentality can sometimes help in the case of Nutcracker. However, if you’re going to be auditioning in the new year, it’s really important to take care of some key tasks to feel as ready as possible for that process. 

Make sure you have a clear vision for what you’d like to achieve in the new year. Having an idea of what you’d like to do and how you’ll get there is going to help you look forward to the process instead of dreading it.

Draft your email for audition season. Every email you write that includes your photos, resume, and video links should be a cover letter. It’s true, most companies don’t actually ask for a cover letter, but that email should communicate all the things a cover letter otherwise would. This shows maturity and readiness for the next step in your dance journey. And if this is already drafted, you don’t have to worry about it when you’re recovering from Nutcracker.

Finalize your company list. Research companies, reach out to current and former dancers, and find the places you feel excited to work with. Make sure your list includes at least 40 companies, and have a range of big, small, and mid-sized companies. 

Create or at least plan for audition videos, photos, and your resumé. Have dates and studio rentals ready to film your video footage and to take photos. Reach out to teachers and ask them to write you a recommendation. 

Consider your mindset. It’s one of the most common mistakes I see. Dancers go into audition season with all the obvious resources but without addressing mindset, confidence, body image, or audition performance strategy at all. Do some journaling to gain clarity now. What are the areas you are confident in? What are the things you might struggle with through the audition process?

If you want to approach audition season with strategy, confidence, and intention, sign up for the free audition success workshop. 
You’ll find the details and can sign up here: https://www.thewholedancer.com/audition-success/

The post Planning for a Balanced Nutcracker Season appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Recently, a new client told me she was “turning comparison into support for other dancers.” How beautiful is that? Inspired by her win, I wanted to share some ways for you to make the same shift with comparison.

Notice when you compare.

Awareness is key. Begin to build awareness of when comparison comes up for you. Are you targeting specific people or things when you compare? Is it about body size or shape? Is it about technical ability or natural facilities?

Notice if comparison is coming up more in certain classes or with certain teachers. Your environment and the energy around you can impact how much or how often you compare. As you start to build the awareness around when your mind shifts into comparison, do some writing. Journaling is one of the most powerful tools dancers can use to improve their mental awareness and strength.

Some things that might exacerbate comparison are new environments, being around new teachers, and being in class with different dancers. So you might experience a surge in comparison if you start in a new school or company or if you’re at a summer intensive.

Record observations about your comparative thoughts without judgment. It’s just information. 

The fact that you get stuck in comparison doesn’t make you bad, it makes you human.

Consider your own gifts.

It’s so sad to think about this, but for dancers, recognizing your own gifts is one of the biggest struggles. You’re trained to see your flaws and the things you have to “fix,” so you aren’t usually looking for what’s going well.

I encourage the dancers I work with to write down after each class what went well.

Beyond what went well on a given day, what are your personal gifts as a person and dancer? Maybe you’re a hard worker, you’re exceptionally focused, you pay close attention to the teacher and corrections. Those are all things you should acknowledge about yourself. Turn them into a mantra — I am a hard worker — and repeat it to yourself any time you’re feeling stuck in comparison.

Shift comparison to admiration and support.

Instead of looking at your fellow dancers and thinking, They have perfect extensions and mine are terrible, turn that into admiration and support. Shift the thought to Wow, look at their beautiful extensions. Notice how they’re using their body to achieve the line and ask yourself what you might apply to your own body.

When you find yourself comparing, you might even give the person a compliment. Rather than using your observation to tear yourself down, channel it into support for your fellow dancers. You have a lot of power to create a positive working environment for yourself. How might things feel if you lean into support?

Commit to the process.

Like a lot of the work I do with dancers, shifting your thoughts isn’t an overnight adjustment. It’s a process and it takes commitment; however, I found it super inspiring that the dancer who noticed this mental shift was only 4 weeks into our work together. This mental shift with comparison has her feeling more confident, self-assured, and ready to move to the front of the studio in her classes. 

Just imagine what’s possible for her through the course of her 6-month program.

Imagine what’s possible for you with support to work through your comparative thoughts in productive ways. It’s not about ignoring them. I’ll never tell you to just turn them off because I know that’s not possible. You’ll learn to replace, redirect, and shift into support for yourself and others.
Ready for support? Let’s connect. Schedule your free coaching call here.

The post Dancers: Turn Comparison Into This appeared first on The Whole Dancer.

Improving is something dancers can be obsessed with. You want to see consistent change towards a more technically and artistically proficient end. It can truly overwhelm you if you don’t see all the small changes you achieve along the way.

What if I told you this frustration and overwhelm is connected to your focus. You’re much too fixated on the dancing and not open enough to creating a life that supports your highest level of achievement.

If you want to quickly improve your dancing, here are 4 (non-dance) ways to do it.

1. Shift Your Mindset

Ask yourself the honest question: What energy am I bringing into the studio? If you’re working through a class, do you ask yourself what went well in each combination? Most dancers are just looking for what’s wrong or needs to be fixed. This is an exhausting approach!

Train yourself to find what went well in each combination and at the end of each class. Strengthen your belief that your goals are achievable and then back those goals up with work and action. This will help you develop a growth mindset.  

Now, let’s also acknowledge that it’s not 100% about your energy. If the overall studio energy is negative or your teacher is abusive or toxic, that too will play into your mindset and ability to move forward as a dancer.

Is it time to find a new place to train? What are the options? Give yourself a chance to succeed by making sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who are supportive and committed to helping you achieve your goals. If a full studio change isn’t possible, maybe you can add some private lessons to your schedule to help you stay motivated and inspired.

2. Fuel with Intention

The way you fuel your body will impact how you feel, dance, and recover. This has to do with your relationship to food  and your actual food choices. Working with dancers for the last 7 years, it’s become abundantly clear to me that dancers must prioritize and improve their food relationship before making sports nutrition–focused food adjustments.

After you feel happy, balanced, and easy in your food relationship, you can begin to fuel with intention. Start by considering your current macronutrient balance.

• Are you incorporating protein, carbs, and fat throughout the day? 
• Are you prioritizing whole-food sources of those macros? 
• Are you allowing for balance with foods that are less nutrient dense? (This doesn’t make them bad, it just means they’re providing your body with energy but fewer nutrients.)

If you know you’re incorporating a good mix of macros each day and you’re not avoiding any, look at nutrients dancers are at risk of deficiency in. You need to pay special attention to iron and calcium.

Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K can be stored in the body, so you don’t need daily consumption, but pay close attention to your vitamin D levels. Water-soluble vitamin C and B vitamins need to be consumed daily. Proactively have your vitamin levels checked as they can have a significant impact on energy, mood, and how you show up in the studio.

3. Strive Towards Balance

Your mind should not be on dancing and nothing but dancing all the time. Cultivate outside interests so you can have diverse experiences and make connections with non-dancers. 

Seek clarity as to what balance actually means to you. It is different for each and every one of us. For some dancers, the nonstop schedule helps you manage stress or anxiety. However, some of you may be going nonstop because you like the rigid structure it creates for eating. If you only have thirty minutes for lunch, there’s no way you could overeat, right?

Self-reflecting and trusting in yourself is essential if you want to improve more quickly in dance.

4. Find Support

Too many dancers think they need to tough it out through struggles in dance. You might think, I just have to work harder or push harder in class. That will help me improve. This can be completely counterproductive, and sometimes it’s only with an outside perspective that you can really see and embrace that reality.

I hear so many reasons why dancers resist seeking out the support they need. I offer free twenty-minute coaching calls, and dancers have told me they don’t have time! If you aren’t able to make twenty minutes for yourself, then odds are you need a coach more than most.

Quickly improving your dancing by shifting the focus is going to allow you to move forward in dance with more ease. Dancers who work with me achieve increased confidence, land their first paid job, and transform their relationship to food and their bodies. That’s possible for you too.

If you want a way to start prioritizing your needs, discovering what balance can look like in your life, and improving your dancing quickly, join me for a free challenge. This Finding Balance Challenge will give you supported guidance to set yourself up with a life that brings you more joy and fulfillment so you can be more focused and quickly improve your dancing.
Sign up here: https://www.thewholedancer.com/challenge

The post 4 Ways to Quickly Improve Your Dancing appeared first on The Whole Dancer.