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Healthier Dancers?


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Last night at NYCB's performance, I noticed something about almost all of the dancers (with the exception of Wendy Whelan). They're not sticks, and all of them are very healthy looking, and still look like dancers! Since NYCB is famed for having started the whole stick-thin craze, I was wondering... is the healthy dance body back?

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An interesting question, Sarabeth :) I think there may be some slightly different thinking about this these days, with some gradual changes happening. More directors, teachers and choreographers are aware of the dangers inherent in the overly thin bodies that too many dancers were achieving through very unnatural means. While a dancers' body must still "look like a dancer", perhaps they don't have to be quite as totally emaciated as they were for a while. This would be good, I think, as long as it doesn't go too far in the other direction ;)

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I have obviously never seen NYCB except on TV. But I do own their book of exercises and I cannot say that any of the dancers in it look unnaturally thin.

In addition to what Ms. Leigh has said I would like to mention that education of young people in the area of eating disorders is better than it was. Despite the (still) too obvious craze for a very thin body, people are aware that eating disorders exist. More is said about this topic, educational films are made etc. I think that because of the education people are exposed to from the early years on (In my school we first talked about eating disorders when I was 13 years old.) it is easier to recognize the ones that have eating disorders and they are sent to see their doctor sooner so that something can still be done. I can only thank god it is so. :)

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Guest stpltly

Ms Leigh wrote: "While a dancers' body must still "look like a dancer", perhaps they don't have to be quite as totally emaciated as they were for a while." I think it is "looking like a dancer" that is key here. There are those who naturally "look like dancers" and need to do littleoutside regular dance classes to maintain that look. It is these dancers that are typically chosen for major companies like NYCB. Then, there are other dancers who do not have the natural "dancer body", but seek to achieve it through any means possible. Eating disorders are still quite prevalent in the dance community, but are most often seen with this latter group of dancers, who are most often found in local and regional as opposed to national companies. They are not so emaciated as dancers once were, but develop the eating disorders in an effort to achieve the same look as the dancers in the major companies.

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