1: Author and professor in the areas of both dance and
environmental studies Andrea Olsen provides evidence for the connection between
our minds, bodies and the earth and encourages us to explore this
interconnectedness through embodiment and greater awareness of the patterns which
can be identified through our bodies, lives and the planet around us in Body
and Earth (2020). She justifies her theories with strong foundations combining
biology, environmental science, meditation and expression through creative
exploration.
Although she explores how as human beings, we are part of a
large-scale dance as we move an ‘choreograph our days’ she does not
specifically refer to the genre of ballet in this work or deal with how dancers
of this particularly regimented style would respond to the exercises she has
set out. She does however say that ‘All the physical laws of the planet are
inherent in our bodies. Movements disconnected from underlying physical
integrity are those that create injury or loss of vitality.’ (2020, p.74) With
the high injury rate of professional ballet dancers this did make me consider
how much physical integrity ballet dancers truly possess.
2: In 2021 Jimenez and multiple authors reviewed the
existing studies to assess the impact of nature exposure on health and they
discovered that longitudinal observational studies were beginning to look into
the effects of nature exposure on depression, anxiety, cognitive function and
chronic disease and there are enough studies to suggest that more exposure to
green space is linked with better mental health outcomes. (2021, p. 5) Although
the studies specifically addressing anxiety and depression are limited and of
low quality there was some evidence to suggest that there were improvements in
some with a depressive mood after short term nature exposure. There is also
strong evidence showing improved cognitive function ‘even after a short time in
natural environments as well as improved immune function through an increase in
natural killer cells through ‘a potential pathway for improved immune function’
via ‘exposure to phytoncides (a substance emitted by plants and trees to
protect themselves from harmful insects and germs). (2021, pp.4-5) However,
once again is this research relevant to dancers who live very unique lifestyles?
3: Dwarika and Haraldsen (2023) reviewed the current
research on dancer’s mental health and found that this is still an under
researched area although ballet dancers have been researched more than any other
genre the evidence is ‘still quite anecdotal in nature-revealing topics
uncovered, populations left out and, and too little rigor in the methodological
approaches.’ (2023, p. 12)
However, there is clear evidence that dancers who find it
harder to manage stressors usually possess more debilitative personal qualities
such as perfectionism, obsessiveness and ego orientation (2023, p. 8) and that
most of the studies examined describe the dance world as an unrelenting
environment with pressure to conform to ideals with teachers and directors in
such environments adopting authoritarian teaching styles and showing little
interest in supporting dancers’ mental health.
The study also highlights how developing psychological
skills through training can provide protection and better resilience to cope
with some of the pressures of the dance environment. However, it does bring up
the question of whether any training can truly protect against ‘abusive’
environments. The study does not seem to be able to fully address this issue.
But it does acknowledge that there is a ‘mutual relationship between the
individual and its environment. An individual is influenced by the
environment…Thus it is not only the absence of psychological flexibility,
relatedness or the complex ability to cope with diverse stressors, but also
diverse and complex interactions between an individual and its environment that
can result in mental health issues. (2023, p.2)
Ballet has particularly high levels of cultural stressors
and is described as an ‘authoritarian, hierarchical, cult-like power
achievement culture where dancers accept abuse and unreasonable behaviour in a
state of silent conformity’ (2023, p. 7) These stressors can lead to poor
mental health outcomes and the development of mental health illness, with
eating disorders and anxiety among the most common illnesses found. Although
some positive mental health outcomes are identified such as life quality,
confidence and self efficacy, these are only found in studies also reporting
the absence of mental health. (2023, p.9) Although mental health is described
as a dynamic state, overall the review found ‘strong indications for both the
absence of mental health and the presence of mental illness’ which ‘point to a
most warranted change in the dance world to address these issues.’ (2023, p.11)
Bibliography
Dwarika, M S., Haraldsen, H M. (2023) ‘Mental
health in dance: a scoping review,’ Frontiers in psychology, 14, article
number 1090645. Available at: DOI=10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1090645
Jimenez MP, DeVille NV, Elliott
EG, Schiff JE, Wilt GE, Hart JE, James P. (2021) ‘Associations between
Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence.’ Int J Environ
Res Public Health. 18 (9) article number: 4790.pp 3-19. Available at: doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18094790.
Olsen A. (2020) Body and Earth. Middletown,
Connecticut: Wesleyan University Press
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