Interviewee

Dr Antoinette van Staden, Director, South African Youth Ballet Company, University of Wolverhampton, UK

Article

van Staden, A., Myburgh, CP., Poggenpoel, M (2009) A psycho-educational model to enhance the self-development and mental health of classical dancers, Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 13(1): 20-8

Summary

Perfectionism, low self esteem and eating disorders are common in classical ballet dancers due to the culture of professional ballet, which promotes flawless performance, unrealistic body composition and conformity. This week Michael Bouwman talks with Antoinette van Staden about her study of professional dancers in South Africa and about what could be done to improve their mental health. Van Staden says the dance profession strongly influences dancers' relationship with the self and others and their future-directedness. Dancers come to identify with their personas and objectify their bodies. Their attitudes are so regimented that minor mistakes are seen as constant failure and they are judgmental and critical of others. The dancers in the study said they constantly observed themselves and were aware of being observed by people in authority. They often continued working when injured and used multiple defenses to deal with their anxieties, including excessive smoking and substance abuse. When dancers stopped performing their identities were at risk. Van Staden recommends self-development training and a psycho-educational model to help young dancers form a holistic perspective of their identity. She also says it is important to make leading dance figures aware of the causes of emotional difficulties in dancers.

Transcript

Michael Bouwman: I’m Michael Bouwman and today I’m introducing Dr. Antoinette van Staden; an independent dance educator, choreographer and researcher and director of a South African youth ballet company affiliated with the South African Ballet. Antoinette is currently furthering her dance studies at the University of Wolverhampton, United Kingdom. I’m speaking with Antoinette about her study and article, “A Psycho-educational Model to Enhance the Self-Development and Mental Health of Classical Dancers Part One: A Pilot Study”, published in the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science and co-authored with others mentioned on our website. Welcome.

Antoinette van Staden: Thank you

Michael Bouwman: Could you begin by telling our listeners what is known about the emotional difficulties of professional dancers in association with the discipline of ballet?

Antoinette van Staden: The cultural and ideological dissuasiveness of ballet operates at a very deep level of the art form because of this young dancers soon become aware of what is perceived as the ideal dancer in terms of body composition, flexibility and a variety of physical traits which promotes the setting of externalized goals associated with self-destructive attitudes and behaviors. The perceived performance orientated climate induces an ego-orientated situational focus which has been associated with maladaptive dispositions and pathological change such as eating disorders, maladaptive perfectionism, separation and anxieties. They are particularly prone to problems involving self-esteem. One can argue then that the profession strongly influences the dancers’ relationship with the self, others and their future directedness.

Michael Bouwman: Your pilot study on this topic highlighted important concerns for professional dancers such as the experience of role- identity versus self-identity, the experience of perfectionism and the dancers’ experience of other-oriented standards. Would you talk on these findings?

Antoinette van Staden: Yes, in the research study nine professional dancers were interviewed. Dancers constantly aim to fulfill the conditions laid down by the cultural and social context. Conditions of worth were instances of perfect and flawless performance, conformity, body composition etcetera all represent values we don’t include in the self-concept. This well related perception leads to an internalized role-identity so the dancers strongly identify with their personas. Their behavior and attitudes tend to be regimented to an extent that can dominate the personality to the detriment of balanced functioning. Interpersonal communication may be impeded causing dancers’ behavior to become less adaptive and more defensive and when one’s entire worth is measured in terms of productivity and accomplishment the perfectionism can become maladaptive. Mistakes during performances are considered as a threat to the self-esteem and they perceive minor mistakes as constant failure which undermines general themes of self-worth. Perfection can also influence the dancers’ perception of their physical appearance and they tend to objectify their bodies. Research data also supported evidence that dancers are frequently critical and judgmental towards other dancers, applying the same perfectionistic standards they fit for themselves. Some principle dancers expressed their frustration at the corps de ballet and they fear that these dancers are going to let them down on stage.

Michael Bouwman: And your findings also point to the dancers’ experience of surveillance and their experience of the need for achievement. Would you discuss these findings?

Antoinette van Staden: Yes, one of the aspects of the ballet world which helps to define its culture is the idea of control. Directors and management of professional vocation institutions have the power when it comes to the selection process, offering of contracts and extending contracts all based on the behavior and performances of dancers. In the study dancers described how they constantly observed themselves and their awareness of being observed by others in positions of authority. Dancers silently obey and conform to the unrealistic realities of the dance world and unconditionally accept the traditions that render power through the promotion of surveillance. Dancers continue to work injured and avoid seeking medical attention, perceiving the signals such as pain to imply weakness and inadequacy. Again, self-esteem can be linked to the persistence in the activity and the failure to seek treatment for injuries.

Michael Bouwman: And your findings talk about the dancers’ defenses, lack of support system and experience of career transitions.

Antoinette van Staden: Yes, it became evident that professional dancers use multiple defenses to deal with their anxieties. It was for instance observed that some dancers smoked excessively and others reported experiences of substance abuse. Competition is part of the reality of life and only a few are selected into companies and schools and only a few survive the pressures of performing. It is true that competition is needed to promote productivity and reflects a goal-orientation however, competition and an over-emphasis on winning forcing to question self-doubt thrusts an impact on personal relations. The need for support and relatedness requires that perceptions about the inter-personal relationships involved are based on stability, mutual respect and coherent involvement within the social context and I think one of the major crisis’s for dancers and compared with other artists is the fact that their career is very short. Literature reveals that only nine percent of dancers are between the ages 40 and 50. During the interviews dancers expressed their sadness, sorrow, fear and anger towards the thought of termination of their performing career. When dancers stop performing their identities are at risk. During the interviews dancers did not see the retirement as an opportunity to develop new social contacts and lifestyle patterns.

Michael Bouwman: Yes, yes and finally what do you think of the practical implications of this pilot study?

Antoinette van Staden: I think that the best antidote to such potential problems may well be early training in self-development for professional dancers. The second thought of this article proposes a psycho-educational model that aims at facilitating in young dancers the ability to form a holistic perspective on our identity. I think that it is important to disseminate evidence of the causes of the emotional difficulties of professional dancers so that we negate change at inter-personal level where leading figures in the dance arena should become aware and apply strategies to help young dancers assume responsibility for their own personal and professional development.

Michael Bouwman: Yes indeed. Well thank you Antoinette for speaking with IPP-SHR Podcasts on this important and interesting work.

Antoinette van Staden: Thank you it’s a pleasure.