Injury can sideline dancers for weeks or months, so wellness strategies that cut your risk can mean the difference between a successful season and a frustrating healing period. Dance Magazine advice columnist Dr. Linda Hamilton has worked with New York City Ballet to create a program that lowered the dancers’ weeks out by 46 percent. […]
Most dancers know the benefits of cross-training. Activities like yoga, Pilates, and running are a common supplement to dance class. But because of meditation’s non-movement connotation, few dancers include it in their training. A form of active meditation, however, called Qigong (pronounced chi-gong) combines meditative elements with movements from yoga and Tai Chi for a […]
A few days ago, my friend Chris showed up to a four-hour rehearsal after pedaling down the West Side Highway, parking his bike in Union Square, and jogging the last three-mile stretch to our Brooklyn studio. Maybe not the safest workout, given all that pavement-pounding, but he was doing something right—he strolled in barely out […]
It’s an understatement that dancers are hard workers. The profession demands drive, discipline, and perfectionism. But along with these qualities comes a tendency to burn out. Though it’s a term that gets thrown around a lot, burnout is a real syndrome with physical and psychological symptoms. Not only can it cause biological changes in your […]
My daughter’s ballet teacher has asked that she seek treatment for a possible eating disorder. She goes on and off crash diets, and her weight has frequently fluctuated more than 10 pounds over the last year. I’ve tried talking to her about eating healthily, but she won’t listen—I’m at my wit’s end. Should I send […]
Celebrating our anniversary isn’t only about where we’ve come from, but where we’re heading. We asked some of the creative thinkers in our field to look into their crystal ball and predict the future of dance. Here they share their visions— some realistic, some utopian, and some tongue-in-cheek. Karole Armitage artistic director, Armitage Gone! Dance […]
Former New York City Ballet dancer Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is a lecturer, a psychologist in private practice, and the author of Advice for Dancers (Jossey-Bass). She has been offering advice to Dance Magazine readers since 1992. Does practicing more than one technique cause injuries? I’ve studied ballet since I was a kid, but recently added […]
How to Stay Healthy During a Long Season A rigorous season of performances or a grueling touring schedule can trigger burnout no matter how prepared the dancer. “It was a shock to my body,” remembers New York City Ballet soloist Dana Hanson, who was barely 19 when she first joined the company and leapt into […]