Happy Memorial Day Weekend.  For today’s Conversation Sunday piece I’m going to share some of my answers to questions asked to me by a great dancer blog, DIYdancer!  I hope you enjoy this read and if you get the chance, be sure to check out DIYdancer.

Blog: What inspired you to create your blog, dancehealthier.com?

Jill:  I had been thinking about creating this blog for sometime, but really what triggered its start-up was graduating from college.  While in college, I worked hard studying and preparing to become a health educator, all while knowing that I wasn’t quite ready for my dancing days to be over just yet.  Selfishly, I use the blog to keep my mind fresh and focused on health related material while gaining a deeper passion for educating and motivating others.  But most importantly I’m hopeful that my followers will be inspired and constantly reminded, with each and every post, that a balanced healthy life has a powerful impact on a dancer’s career!  Since dancehealthier’s start up in September, I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing dancer’s own stories, research findings, expert advice, and things that just come my way.  Please feel free to comment below or contact me via e-mail (dancehealthier@gmail.com), if you are reading and have a story to be told.  Ideas are always welcome too!

Finally, I believe there is a lack of dancer specific health education programs out there and so I hope that dancehealthier.com will encourage further growth in this area.

Blog: What is your background with this topic?

Jill: I will admit I have a lot more experience and background on the dancer side of the integration.  I have been dancing virtually my entire life, and thankfully professionally for the past 11 years.  Throughout most of my professional career I attended college classes at night, on-line, or in the summers and in August of 2011 I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Health Education with a focus in public health.  I have also interned with Jacqui Haas, director of Dance Medicine Wellington, as well as Jill Vonderhaar Nader at Prehab Pilates and Physical Therapy.

Blog: Where do you see this project going/what are your goals in creating the blog?

Jill: I don’t know exactly where this project will go but I do have many hopes and ideas.  In many ways I think it is hard to foresee the future and so planning too much sometimes becomes a tricky thing. I’m however optimistic and very hopeful in continuing this blog as long as I feel that people are being impacted.  I have a strong desire to promote and educate dancer wellness, so whether that means I take it upon myself to develop and implement programs myself, or work to spread the already existing programs out there, is still undecided.  Other goals of mine include providing health workshops for summer dance programs around the country, promote community dancer health programs, and holding health conventions/seminars for professional ballet dancers.  How I get there, or whether I do, is all in the process.

Blog: Do you find that health is encouraged in the dance world? Are there mixed signals at times for dancers?

Jill: One reason for starting up this blog is that I believe there is a lack of emphasize or encouragement for overall health promotion in the dance world.  Other than a rare nutritionist talk here or there (which let’s be honest – is not always so helpful), there tends to be an overall lack of education on balanced health.  My blog is built around the theory which I believe lacks emphasize in the dance world.  The theory of balanced health includes six dimensions, all pulling from different directions to create a continuum of balance and purposeful direction to self.  These dimensions include physical, social, mental, emotional, spiritual and environmental.  Dancers have a high level of demand for performance, often times feeling pressure to be perfect.  The loads of pressure and stress that is put on a dancer, especially at a young age, often times creates mixed signals for dancers.  These mixed signals can often times lead to poor health decisions.  However, with proper attention to educating and promoting health, I hope that dancers of all ages can put more thought and attention into making dance/health related decisions.  Ultimately, peak performance is generated when dance and health work in concert.

Blog: What do you do to stay healthy? How do you integrate health into your dance practice?

Jill: No one is perfect, and I will be the first to admit that to be in “perfect health” (if there is such a thing) would be impossible.  Balance, however in my mind, has always been a key characteristic of health.  In high school I advocated for a sense of balance from my strict but amazing ballet teacher, Timothy Draper.  Now looking back, I think he understood my needs more than I thought, when he ACTUALLY allowed me to go to my high school prom, as well as attend my senior trip to Boston.  I extended this trend later on when I attended college while dancing professionally, as well as always finding time for “non-dance” related activities.  So I guess, the way I stay healthy is by balancing myself. Balancing my professional career, my education, my family, my friends, my social life, my eating, my mind, and where I spend my time.  I find that when I’m most balanced, I’m most confident and my dancing feels the best.

**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, click HERE!  Feel free to make a comment or contact me via e-mail at dancehealthier@gmail.com.**