Tag Archives: health

‘Tis the off season!

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‘Tis the off season!   

See you next season!

For all who may be finishing up their 2011-2012 season, already finished, soon to be finished, or finished for just a little bit; dancehealthier hopes that your layoff will be a good one.  For those who have or are celebrating their retirement, and those that may be moving on to new stages, congrats!  And to all that are looking for a recharge, there is no better time than the now.

  • Take trips, go camping, volunteer, garden, donate your time to be a big brother/big sister, visit other art forms, go fishing, take bike rides, pack a picnic, enjoy the sunshine (really), read books, educate yourself, write a short story, find new recipes, visit local farm markets, hike, watch the sun rise, exercise, take a road trip, start a journal, find new areas of town, take cooking classes, guest dance
  • Teach someone else dance, take pictures, go to the zoo, visit a farm, get an ice-cream, go to museums, pick flowers, salvage something, spend time with your family, have conversations, hand write a letter to someone, go star gazing, swim (fresh water, salt water, chlorinated water – all of the above), take walks, catch up on films, contemplate, take yoga, visit friends (they give you perspective)
  • Get on a boat (canoe/kayak works too), go to a baseball game, play games, sit around a bonfire, reminisce, embrace nature, read the New York Times (challenge yourself to a crossword), take a train ride, ask your parents/grandparents about their lives, sketch something, throw a frisbee, take advantage of our national parks, find shapes in the clouds, celebrate accomplishments, set new goals, explore architecture, walk through a college campus and feel the energy
  • Play catch in a park, take long showers, throw a football, grill out, create things, build something with your hands, take naps, change your room around, play trivia, go somewhere you have always wanted to go, sew, help someone out, help people out, give advice, sit and listen, go to a music festival, learn to play an instrument, go for something, ask advice, dress up, get out and about, put the computer down but then pick it  back up to check out dancehealthier :)

dancehealthier looks forward to the summer months to share more stories, more research, more news, more interviews, and more integration.  So visit often, share and feel free to comment requests.

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Laughter is by definition healthy

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Laughter is by definition healthy.
-Doris Lessing

We have all been there.

  • A rehearsal day that never seems to end
  • A Nutcracker Party rehearsal that is 1 hour too long
  • A rehearsal when all you want to do is put your feet above your heart
  • Another tendu combination
  • Take 20

Whatever it might be, nothing helps in the moment better than a good laugh.  Even if it has to be a secretive, back turned, chuckle of the shoulders kind of laugh.

Speaking of laughing, click on the blog link below.  dancehealthier promises that you will relate to this a lot and laugh even more.

whatshouldwecallballet

Dancer: The Worst Job Ever, Really?

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For all who haven’t seen (and even for those who have) the post below circulating FB, twitter, or your e-mail box, take a look below!  The Six WORST Jobs from Bad to The Worst: Dancer holding the spot  for the second to worst job in America!  The article sure does get its point across, depicting the words, “BAD,” “WORST,” “THE WORST,” all following the title, “How do you spend your day?” Should we as dancers, reevaluate our career path?  Nope, and this is why!

The worst job ever, really?  What are they basing this chart on anyway?

  • Salary – Okay we don’t make a lot of money, but we for sure can make a living.  It’s not the 70′s anymore.  You don’t have to be a starving artist to be a dancer these days.
  • Stress - Well maybe we don’t know any better, because you can actually make a living as a full time dancer, so we can’t compare our stress to other jobs.  Either way, after all the stress (which becomes very tolerable), we experience euphoric accomplishments and unique memories.
  • Number of Hours –  Did this article fail to mention that dancers work for unions, such as AGMA or Actors Equity, or follow the guidelines of these unions, in protection of our working day.  That’s right – dancers under AGMA work 30 hours in a rehearsal week – Which is 10 hours less a week than other salary paid jobs.
  • Working Conditions  - Required sprung floors, workout facilities, appropriate working temperature range, workers compensation, benefits. . . They may not be the creme of the crop but we’ve got um!
  • Security – Year to year contracts may not provide excellent job security, but dancers understand the risk of our occupation, and the short life expectancy of the career as well.  We are prepared for a life after dance.

Now for the next big question, “What did this article fail to mention?”

  • Prestige – Dancers may not gain a high status or reputation achieved by wealth, but as dancers we have the power or influence to impress, or glamour.
  • Camaraderie – We get to go to work today and have a network of support, that cultures us, helps us grow, and makes us laugh.
  • Passion – That’s right. . . We get to do what we love to do everyday.  It’s as simple as that.

**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.

Need a Little Inspiration?

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How about a little inspiration for a Wednesday. . . Hump-day Wednesday push, perhaps?  Or a just a boost to move, inspire, and motivate us.  We all need to be moved (in today’s case, by being motivated), and a boost sometimes is that exact push we need.

Did you know that sometime within the last 3 million years the human brain experienced a substantial change in growth, particularly in the  frontal lobe region?  So what, right?  Well actually, it makes us unique in the way that the human being is the only organism that can think beyond the “now,” and into the “later.” Maybe you are moved in order to get to that subjective “ideal” place in the future. Or maybe being moved just gives us that “happy” feeling – the feeling that can’t be explained, only felt.  Hopefully that “happy” place that you feel, rather than what your mind or others tell us, drives you to “your ideal” place.  And lastly, hopefully “your ideal” place is what and where you thought it would be.  Even if it’s only in your imagination.

Today’s Push:  Everyone should dance.  Everyone should make music.  Each day without music drains a drop from the soul.  But only the chosen few should become dancers and musicians.  For when you seek that path, you sign up for a lifetime of unyielding dedication, discipline, and pain, the crucible that transforms the person into the artist.  - Jacques d’Amboise

 

 

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.