a male dancer kneeling on a bed of rice with rice falling down on him

How Dance Artists are Taking Inspiration From What They Eat

Food has played a role in Jay Carlon’s work since 2020, when the pandemic prompted his deep reflection into what it would look like to decolonize performance. “I wanted to do that with feeding the audience,” he remembers. “If you ever go to a Filipino household, the first thing that they will make you do is eat, and if you don’t eat, it’s rude. So I was trying to infuse that into my practice.”

A peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a plate witha glass of milk in the background

5 “Bad” Foods That Actually Offer Solid Nutritional Benefits

Dancers know they need to eat well to fuel their performance. However, pervasive messages from diet culture, combined with dancers’ perfectionistic tendencies, often lead them to label certain foods as “bad.” In addition to damaging your overall relationship with food, dietitians say this habit could lead you to miss out on some real nutritional benefits. […]

Try This Shortcake Recipe From a Broadway Dancer–Turned–Pastry Chef

Growing up on a farm in Canada, eating meals made from scratch, Steve Konopelski assumed every family always had fresh baked bread and homemade jams. “Baking was second-nature to me,” he says. “I found it very comforting.” He started dancing at 8, and trained at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School for three years at the […]

The Problem With Self-Diagnosing a Food Intolerance

The story usually looks like this: You feel the pressure to get in shape before your upcoming intensive or an important performance. But you know that starting a diet will bring its fair share of critics. Then you see your favorite Instagram star tout the misguided benefits of a #glutenfree lifestyle and voilà! A self-diagnosed […]

The Gray Area That's Not Quite an Eating Disorder, But Is Common Among Dancers

When the cat food started smelling good, I knew I had a problem. I’d always considered eating disorders to be extreme. Someone who never eats. Someone who weighs less than 100 pounds. Someone who gets hospitalized. My behavior didn’t fit the mental health definition of an eating disorder. I ignored it because I didn’t know […]