As a dance/movement therapist, mother, entrepreneur, and girlboss, the author shares her journey through motherhood and how dance prepared her for it. She emphasizes the importance of mental adjustment and the diverse experiences of parents in dance, which can vary depending on factors like employment status and income.
Dance for Birth explores the birth preparation trifecta, preparing mothers for childbirth through camaraderie, education, exercise, and dance. Dance has taught the author that it is not about avoiding doubt but embracing it. Dance has allowed her to move through places of doubt.
As a dancer, she learned that cushioned orthopedic sneakers are her best friend, hair is never down, and it is possible to be both a dancer and a mother. She shares her story as a dance teacher and now a mother, highlighting the challenges dancers and choreographers face when they have children.
A recent Guardian article highlights some of the issues dancers and choreographers face when they have children, from the physical toll to the heavy strain on their bodies. Being a mother may make a dancer better despite taking them out of action for over a year and the heavy strain on their body.
In conclusion, dance has been a valuable tool for the author’s journey through motherhood and parenthood. It has helped her navigate the challenges of motherhood, allowing her to become a better dancer and mother.
📹 Motherhood in the World of Ballet – Documentary │Dance Masterclass
In this documentary, discover how five of the world’s top ballet dancers face their struggle from ballerina to motherhood. Length: …
📹 BabyGaroove Labor Dance
Do the #labordancechallenge and dance the routine to your favorite song and post it on social media! Don’t forget to tag …
Thank you for shining a light on all of these issues and portraying those absolute Superwomen! I tried it myself, but „my” small Company (Landestheater Schleswig-Holstein, Germany) lacked the supporting mentality of the Ballet staff and Intendant and the whole Support System (f.e. Pilates and Physiotherapy in the Theater, or simply being able to bring the Child inside the Theater to Work out !). So, after being employed for 8 seasons, they fired me 6 months after returning to Training. It is a whole different Story, of you are employed either in a big or small Company here in Germany. I really hope for next generations that it is really possible to Dance in a Theater and be a mother…
That world map was shocking- I knew we were behind the curve for all kinds of maternal health indicators, but wow. Sobering. Loved all the honesty and positivity from these dancers- in some ways they still seem like superheroes, but to see that they are also examples of what so many moms go through was inspiring and interesting!
A very interesting article about a topic I never thought of! First seeing a pregnant ballet dancer was weird and totally beautiful at the same time. But tbh it is perfect to present everything femininity represents. 🤩 Thank you for all the facts and numbers also in comparison to non-dancing-mothers. All the best to the performers and their kids/families. ❤
I started dancing at 7 and was good but I couldn’t continue after age 15 due to having to constantly recover from injuries from hypertension like that happens to pregnant dancers. I tried so hard but hormones were part of the joint disease and I had to stop dancing. These pregnant dancers have to listen to their bodies or they can make it worse for their career. So brave.
When I was a child, body type and changing body form were HUGE issues because all the dance mistresses and masters wanted the dancers in the company to look the same even if we were not ethnically or racially European. Female dancers of color were especially picked out so fast to be ostracized by both teachers and fellow students and basically encouraged to leave dance once they turned twelve. The belief was at that time that dancers of color would get fat and had no discipline. What was worse they were given inferior training by teachers (Misty Copeland health issues come to mind), are ignored in class and never given any roles. In some places, it still like this. That people and companies who will not be there when the arthritis kicks in, when the dancer has lost her/his talent or during dancers’ senior years, have such a huge say in how dancers live their lives is scandalous AND egging for a lawsuit. Companies want the dancers to sacrifice their entire selves to the company while offering no job security or future especially if they get hurt. It’s horrible and time that a light be shined on the issue so that it changes. I’ve met more bitter ballet mistresses than I can shake a stick at. They are bitter with their lives and jealous of other people because they eventually have come to the realization that an empty apartment is not fulfilling nor is having to work (when one has it) all the time. These old school mistresses (and some masters), especially baby boomers and Gen Xers, were told not to have children and boyfriends/girlfriends.