Preventative Strategies
- Barre None
- Dec 8, 2016
- 4 min read
Hi everyone!
Welcome back to Barre None. Now that we’ve covered body image and eating disorders, we are able to talk about preventative eating disorder strategies for preteen dancers, as they are extremely prone to eating disorders. In this blog post, we’ll cover preventative strategies that preteen dancers can employ themselves, strategies for families of susceptible preteen dancers, and also strategies for dance schools and dance teachers.
Firstly, preteen dancers can adjust the way that they think. They should try and be conscious of eating disorders and body image, which if you’re reading this blog, you already are! Preteen dancers should also stop comparing themselves to their peers, and when dancing they should focus on technique in dance, rather than the way their bodies look.
It is also extremely important for families of preteen dancers to be aware of the commonality of eating disorders, and educate themselves upon eating disorders, the ballet culture, and preventative strategies. Children are always watching and learning from their parents and other older familial figures, implying that parents should set a good example with positive body image starting from when their children are literal babies. This means that parents shouldn’t criticize their own bodies in front of their children, or indulge in other negative talk about bodies. It is also important for parents to be consistently supportive, and talk about healthy body image in a casual manner to ensure that preteens are comfortable with the topic. This means that preteens won’t be embarrassed or unaware if they start to have an unhealthy relationship with food. Also, keep a positive and safe environment at home so that your kids will be honest with you. Lastly, if family members actually start to notice that their preteen dancer starts showing symptoms of an eating disorder, it is advised to continue emphasizing the importance of a healthy amount of food, and that thinness does not equate beauty.
The way that dance teachers speak and interact with their students is actually extremely impactful, so they must be careful to use the right language. As a rule, teachers have to be conscious of each individual student, and teach with empathy. This means that they should avoid criticism and jokes about weight or food, and never directly tell a student to go on a diet. They can replace language like “suck your tummy in” with “engage your abdominal muscles.” Teachers should consistently have casual discussions about health, including things like the fact that there are different body types, and that one body type isn’t preferable for ballet. This casual discussion about body image prevents students from feeling embarrassed, shameful, or a sense of secrecy about such topics. Teachers should also encourage students to set individual, personal goals, and avoid setting a single goal for the entire class. Focus on positivity- so instead of pointing out mistakes or imperfections, point out how a student can improve. For example, instead of saying “you landed very heavily”, you can say “roll through your feet to land more softly”. Praise qualities in students that don’t have to do with their bodies or how they look- like their energy, power, smoothness, or grace. Also, avoid talking about weight gain or loss or fatness or thinness, but rather talk about having a healthy body, and generally promote a healthy, happy environment.
If the situation where a student does gain an unhealthy amount of weight arises, a dance teacher should talk to them in private, about possible factors. However, it is crucial to offer assistance without blaming, judging, or implying that their body is making them a worse dancer. On the other hand, if a student does lose a significant amount of weight, do not praise them, or mention that they look better. Find out why they lost the weight, and if there’s anything you can do to help. Lastly, if a student starts to show signs of an eating disorder, dance teachers should NOT try and cure students, because they are not doctors. Instead, be empathetic, supportive, and at least in public, continue to treat them regularly.
Teachers should also not only focus on dancers with traditional balletic bodies, but highly successful ballerinas with different bodies like Misty Copeland, or Sara Mearns. This shows young ballet dancers that you don’t have to be stick-thin to be a successful dancer.
Lastly, ballet schools should begin to change little by little in order to further prevent eating disorders among preteen dancers. For example, schools should stop measuring students in public, in front of their peers, for costume fittings. Larger facilities can also offer nutrition classes to emphasize how important it is for a dancer to get enough calories.
I hope this blog post was helpful! Although reading the informative blog posts that I have put up thus far, are the first step to getting educated and helping the situation, this blog post has the most practical use. If you’re interested in learning more about body image, eating disorders, and ballet culture, please subscribe to Barre None by entering your email address below! You can also follow Barre None on Instagram and Twitter @barre_none, or by clicking the Instagram or Twitter icons on the top right corner of this page! Please also comment on our posts, to get a healthy conversation about this topic going!
Love,
Barre None
Sources:
Dance Australia. (2010). Preventing Eating Disorders. Retrieved September 2, 2016 http://www.danceaustralia.com.au/news/preventing-eating-disorders1
Eating Disorder Hope. (2016). Ballet Dancing and Eating Disorders. Retrieved September 4, 2016, from http://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/information/eating-disorder/balletShoker, S. (28 June 2013).
Ballet and eating disorders: ‘unspoken competitiveness’ adds pressure to be thin. BBC News, from http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-22985310
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