Open AccessBehind the Curtain: Ballet Dancers’ Mental Health
Author(s) -
J. Claire Gregory,
Claudia InterianoShiverdecker
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
the professional counselor
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2164-3989
DOI - 10.15241/jcg.11.4.423
Subject(s) - ballet , dance , mental health , psychology , ballet dancer , dance education , identity (music) , population , interpretative phenomenological analysis , medicine , qualitative research , visual arts , sociology , psychotherapist , art , aesthetics , anthropology , environmental health
Using Moustakas’s modification of Van Kaam’s systematic procedures for conducting transcendental phenomenological research, we explored ballet culture and identity and their impact on ballet dancers’ mental health. Participants included four current professional ballet dancers and four previous professionals. Four main themes emerged: (a) ballet culture—“it’s not all tutus and tiaras”; (b) professional ballet dancers’ identity—“it is a part of me”; (c) mental health experiences—“you have to compartmentalize”; and (d) counseling and advocacy—“the dance population is unique.” Suggestions for counselors when working with professional ballet dancers and professional athletes, such as fostering awareness about ballet culture and its impact on ballet dancers’ identity and mental health, are provided. We also discuss recommendations to develop future research focusing on mental health treatment for this population.