Response to more Questions that i asked to fellow Dancers!

How do you think dancers cope with the pressures of the industry?

I think some dancers manage to deal with the pressure, especially if they are very experienced & used to how the industry works, however I believe there are many dancers out there that struggle with the pressure also, as it can be very negative, narrow minded and extremely competitive, with not many jobs available, therefore the pressures of money & image etc is a continuous thing for dancers to deal with.

Do you think there is enough help psychology for dancers?

I definitely don't think there is enough physiologically help for dancers. A lot of this kind of help out there is for general people. I feel there need to be people that have trained as a dancer themselves or have studied a dancers lifestyle & pressures to properly understand to give correct physiological help.

What do you feel the biggest pressure is in the Industry at the moment as a Dancer?

I think the bigggest pressure in the industry is the way you look which affects a lot of people as sometimes it doesnt actually matter how good of a dancer you are whether you have a strength in technique or performance etc but it more often than not goes on what you look like as to how likely you are to get through a round and get hired at the end of the day. in an open call this is worse than a closed call as in a closed or private you more than likely will only be called in if you are a particular height etc and they will have looked at cv's before hand as wel as your headshot so it is still based on your look height etc wether you get a call but you wont have wasted you time and precious money going to an open call just to be turned away because they were actually looking for somone 5ft5 and didnt specify that on the website etc etc. this goes for the tiniest things not just height but such as hair colour, weight etc which is very disheartening when you know you can do exactly what they are asking you to dance wise but because you are too small or have blonde hair when they want brown you will get cut.

How do you cope with this pressure?

sometimes its just literally a case of getting used to it. once you realise that its not your talent thats letting you down (sometimes it is everyone has off days) but thats it literaly that you are too tall or short which you definetly cant change, one you get that in your head it gets easier coping with the pressure of getting cut all the time and being disheartened is natural but doesnt do you any favors in the long run. however being too fat for a certain employer is difficult to cope with as everyones body image is different and most dancers are actually pretty small (in weight) compared to the average person you see on the street so that is hard to cope with and the pressure of that means that most dancers watch there weight all the time...feeling bad when you eat something unhealthy going to the gym as much as you can or any type of exercise to try and stick to that typical dancers body. i personally take class as much as i can and try to watch what i eat but stay happy i dont make myself starve or get to bogged down with it as you have to live your life still at the end of the day.


How do you think depression affects dancer?

I guess with depression sometimes you can feel like you are not good enough or you never will be so you become a bit hopeless and feel like you can't try as hard as you want to. Also depression is quite emotionally draining, so it can stop you having the physical and even mental energy to fully apply yourself. It can be like trying to dance with a bit of a cold or flour or whatever. On the other hand, on a good day, dancing can release endorphins and make you feel better, but you have to have the drive and positivity to give it your all in the first place.

THE ANSWERS TO THESE QUESTIONS I HAVE FOUND REALLY INTERESTING (AS WELL AS THE ONES IN MY PREVIOUS BLOG) AND HAVE CONFIRMED MY CHOICE THAT I WANT TO BE LOOKING INTO THE PRESSURES IN THE INDUSTRY AND WHAT IS ACTUALLY OUT THERE TO HELP DANCERS?

I WILL BE CREATING A SIG. I THINK I WILL CREATE A FACEBOOK GROUP AS IT IS EASIER TO SHARE IDEAS THAT WAY. IF YOU WANT TO BE PART ON MY SIG ON 'PRESSURES ON THE INDUSTRY' AND 'PYSCHOLOGY ASPECTS' LET ME KNOW YOUR FACEBOOK NAMES AND WE CAN GET DISCUSSING!

HEATHER X