Tag Archives: Cincinnati Ballet

A Dancer’s Personal Definition of Health – Not Wiki’s Version

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Integrating dance & health cannot be done without the use of collaboration.  Twyla Tharp quotes, ” A clearly stated and consciously shared purpose is the foundation of great collaborations.”  The ideas, opinions, and words from people on both sides of the integration is key to the purpose of dancehealthier.

I asked dancers, “With dance in mind, what is your personal definition of health – Not Wiki’s version?”  

Jermaine Maurice Spivey - Currently with Kidd Pivot.  Past dancer with Cullberg Ballet and attended Juilliard.

  • “Hmmm, good health physically is totally related to good mental health.  I would say knowing when to take a break contributes to good health.  A vacation gives the mind a break from dance, giving space to focus on other things all while giving the body a chance to heal.”

Kelly Yankle:  Current dancer with Ballet Met, BFA holder in dance from the University of Cincinnati, and past dancer with Cincinnati Ballet.

  • “It is a shame that often times it seems tough to be in “good health” as a dancer, when it should be quite the opposite.  A dancer’s body is constantly being critiqued and utilized, therefore comes a huge pressure to look a certain way – thin.  But being thin does not necessarily mean being in “good health.”  Being in good health is also not just about the physical aspect.  There is a mental and emotional aspect, which also proves challenging at times for a dancer.  It is such a high stress job.  To be in good health we have to eat the nutritious foods, but still treat yourself too.  Don’t obsess of dieting and weight.  Moderation is key.  Accept yourself. This is the only body you have.  Take care of it.”

Kara Zimmerman: Current dancer with Joffrey Ballet.  Past dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet.

  • “I think “good health” in a dancer’s life is more of a mental issue than a physical one.  Once we are in a good place in our minds, the rest falls into place.  We must be happy, confident, and peaceful within ourselves. . . and find that difficult balance between working hard, fighting for what we love, and going too far and taking it to that “crazy” unhealthy extreme, that eventually kills a dancer’s spirit.”

Dwayne Holliday: Current dance critic and writer for Dance Europe.  Past dancer with Deutsche Oper Am Rhein, Theatre Ulm, Milwaukee Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet.

  • “I feel a productive way to view health is a cycle where each leg provides appropriate positive feedback to the system.  I.e. the way we view ourselves bolsters our desires to take care of our bodies, which then encourages us to eat well, which gives us the energy to move and explore our bodies and minds, which then naturally (I believe) increases our chances of having a positive view of ourselves.  It is naive to assume that our thoughts and feelings don’t have physiological mechanisms.  Therefore, if we want to have proper mind/spirit functioning, we cannot ignore the physical vessel in which these mental actions occur.  Health, if this to be accepted, can be defined as the balanced relationship between mind and body, with neither riding the coattails of the other.”

Looking at the big picture of these definitions, what can be said?  Do non-dancers agree?

**Thanks to all dancehealthier readers and subscribers for all of your support so far. If interested, you may subscribe to dancehealthier at the right hand side of the homepage.  You will only be e-mailed when new posts are published. Dancehealthier also has a facebook page.  To check it out, and like it, click HERE!  Feel free to make a comment or contact me via e-mail at dancehealthier@gmail.com.

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Our own Unique Strength

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“. . . a good archer can shoot further with a medium – strong bow than an unspiritual archer can with the strongest.  It does not depend on the bow, but on the presence of mind, on the vitality and awareness with which you shoot.”                                                    - Eugene Herrigel – Zen in the Art of Archery

Thank you dancer, Josh Bodden (Cincinnati Ballet)

The study of Human Anatomy proves that there is a basic structural map of our bodies. Body surfaces, landmarks, planes, sections, cavities, quadrants, regions, organs, tissues, bones, cartilages, skeletal bones & muscles, blood vessels, and nerves work together to create a structure that naturally appeals to our curiosity.  Despite this structural map, no one human body is the same as another.   Ellen Jacob describes it best in her book titled, Dancing, when she states, “You don’t need a perfect body to dance well; you need a feeling for movement and music, a sense of rhythm and good coordination – anatomy is not destiny, but understanding your individual body and how to work with it is.”

I decided to focus the next couple Movement Wednesdays on the idea of Strength, and how with proper attention and functioning it helps to fine tune and classify each dancer as unique in his/her own way.  In order to create beautiful movement – or any movement really – our muscles must move smoothly in a way that is not overly taxing, yet supported, on our bones and joints.  Strength helps a dancer jump, turn, lift a limb, stabilize, succumb fatigue, and have the confidence to move in a way that “just feels right.”  Some of us have strength more naturally than others, some build it easier than others, but we all have the capability to increase our source of skeletal power in someway.

To understand the technicality of strength – it is quite simple.  Muscles fall into two basic groups.  Agonists (biceps in picture above) contract or shorten while antagonists (triceps in picture above) oppose the agonist by relaxing or lengthening.  The work of these two muscle groups synchronize to produce movement.  The power of contraction, or strength, depends on its gradient of action potentials (think of how a sparkler works – the spark is the action potential, how it travels down the sparkler is the gradient and the light is the end product or movement in this case) which can increase in efficiency with time, energy and strength building.  How the body knows when and how to actually perform this muscle action, is a post for another day.  One clue – CNS!

References:
  • Jacob, Ellen. “Dancing – A guide for the Dancer You Can Be.” Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1981.
  • Marieb, Elaine N. and Mitchell, Susan J. “Ninth Edition – Human Anatomy & Physiology Laboratory Manual.” Pearson Education, Inc., 2011.

Happiness

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Conversation Sunday Topic of the Week:  Behind the Scenes


With both experience and careful observation, I believe that dancers tend to dance best when we are driven by some sort of emotion, particularly in today’s case, happiness!  It would be a gigantic stretch to say that happiness is the only emotional motive, but I can’t help but start dancehealthier on a happy note.  Behind the scenes, dancers find their own sources of happiness .  These sources are different for each one of us, which makes it that much more special.  Happiness compels us, intrigues us, motivates us, and lets be honest. . . Keeps us going!

With no subject or topic in mind, these dancers answered: What is something that makes you happy?

  • Jermaine Maurice Spivey – Dancer with Kidd Pivot in Frankfurt, Germany (previously with Cullberg Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkien and Juilliard):                                        Happiness: Driving with no destination, early afternoon naps, trains (real ones, not subway trains) playing guitar, shopping for other people, scotch, the smell of geranium
  • Tom Mattingly – Soloist with Ballet West (Previously with Cincinnati Ballet):                    Happiness: “Dancing makes me happy. . . lol.  It’s kind of a bunheaded answer but it’s true.  Dance has brought me more joy than anything else in my life. It enabled me to get out of a negative place in my life and move past it.  Without dance I wouldn’t have been able to move around the country and meet so many awesome people that made me realize that I’m someone worth being.”
  • Kara Zimmerman – Dancer with Joffrey Ballet (Previously with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet):                                                                                                Happiness: Coffee, time with friends, beautiful sunsets, dancing, water, amusement parks, trying new things.
  • Dwayne Holliday – Danced with Ballett Deutche Oper am Rhein, Milwaukee Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet:                                                                                                Happiness: “My wife makes me happy, Yoga, life…tbh taking a bit of time to reflect on what I have been given, as opposed to what I was not blessed with.”
  • Danielle Bausinger: Dancer with Cincinnati Ballet (trained with San Francisco Ballet School)                                                                                                                        Happiness: Chocolate, Love, movies, beaches, naps particularly on a rainy day, Disney, and being an Aunt.
  • Julia Erickson – Principal dancer with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre                                      Happiness: “I love all things indulgent and hedonistic but it also makes me happy to find the guilt-free pleasure: naps with my kitties, the ocean, checking things off the to-do list, the New York Times, the New Yorker (can you spot a theme?), perfume, fresh produce, creating – making stuff (sewing, jewelry, etc), baking, cooking, creating a wonderful dish out of only things in my pantry, a summer mani-pedi, helper dogs, love and loved ones, having friends from different walks of life, forgiveness, street food, traveling with Aaron to far off places, playing and giving and exploring while dancing, Seattle late summer nights, amazing quality sushi, a Cafe Intelligensia latte, creating a new delicious yet healthy recipe for a Barre flavor!”
  • Kelly Yankle – Dancer with Ballet Met (Previously with Cincinnati Ballet):                           Happiness:  ”Relaxing makes me happy, knowing that I have nothing at all to do or worry about (that is rare haha).  Speaking Spanish makes me happy.  Laughing makes me happy.  My boyfriend and friends make me happiest!

More to be continued. . .