When the COVID-19 pandemic forced the Broadway revival of West Side Story to close on March 12, just three weeks after its official opening, cast member Michelle Mercedes was thrown for a loop. “I made my Broadway debut in the show, and to have that ripped away was very jarring,” she says. “I’m continuing to […]

Life as a college dancer is far from easy. Students juggle classes, rehearsals, exams and performances—not to mention nerves about an uncertain future. Dancers sometimes dismiss what they’re feeling as routine stress, not realizing they’ve actually become burned out, says Nicole Detling, PhD, CMPC, a mental performance coach with Ballet West. While stress is feeling […]

I injured my foot in class after 10 relaxing days on the beach. I thought vacations were the way to deal with burnout. What am I missing? —Confused, New York, NY While you just took some time off, burnout requires at least three weeks of downtime to correct the imbalances between intense exercise and recovery. […]

After reading your column I now understand the problems of being a workaholic. My dilemma is that the dance teachers in my BFA program praise an extreme work ethic and use me as a role model for other dancers. How can I give my body a break? —Burned-Out Dancer, New York, NY Why not rethink […]

At some point in your dance career, friends might have used the word “obsessed” to describe you. Perhaps you smiled in response. Priding ourselves on how hard and tirelessly we work seems locked in our dancer DNA. That’s partly because dancers need a certain amount of laser focus to make it in the competitive professional […]

Let’s face it: The demands of a dancing life are extraordinary, and sometimes we would just rather not. “We all know those days where you have to wrench yourself out of bed and you’re shuffling to the shower because you’re so tired and it’s about all the effort that you can muster,” admits Pittsburgh Ballet […]