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Joy Womack


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I sense a void that she hopes to fill by becoming "important" through ballet.  She tried to do that by being a "first" American Bolshoi school graduate, then a "first" American Bolshoi Corps member, then a "first" Kremlin soloist (she says principal).  All that time vlogging.  None of it filled that void.  Her interview discussed her "ground breaking" views that American ballet companies don't get enough government funding and the dancers don't have enough performances to be considered pro dancers.

Then she went to Korea, this time as a true principal, still didn't fill the void.  Now she has returned to Moscow to try to fill the void by writing a PhD thesis on sports therapies for ballet dancers that will be "important" and the Russian ballet leaders will "change" things.  If she is truly interested in studying sports science in ballet, she should visit The Australian Ballet, which famously put David Hallberg back together again (among other international dancers).  

I know she is only 24, and I was certainly very insecure at 24 too.  We all want to feel important and needed.  But she is doing this on blast through social media.  I really wish she would take a year off from vlogging, and really do a full reset, and figure out why that void exists. I hope she closes the void and can find her path forward.  She may need a different kind of professional assistance to figure this out.  

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4 hours ago, Balletwannabe said:

I don't understand her comment about burning out "in 6 months". 

I am fairly certain she is speaking about mental burnout. Joy has spoken openly in her vlogs about depession and anxiety, and as a person who also suffers from these conditions, burnout can indeed happen at six months if you are unhappy and stressed. 

Joy's Instagram from today, where she is exercising on some gym equipment, has me worried for her. She is dangerously thin. 

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3 hours ago, ivypink said:

I am fairly certain she is speaking about mental burnout. Joy has spoken openly in her vlogs about depession and anxiety, and as a person who also suffers from these conditions, burnout can indeed happen at six months if you are unhappy and stressed. 

Joy's Instagram from today, where she is exercising on some gym equipment, has me worried for her. She is dangerously thin. 

Thank you for clarifying that makes a little more sense.

She does look very thin.

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1 hour ago, balletforme said:

Yep. . she's actually been candid about her eating disorder. 

A  month or so ago she annouced going "vegetarian" or "vegan"

Two-time World Figure Skating Champion, Olympic Team silver and gold medalist, and the reigning Olympic Bronze medalist Meagan Duhamel has been vegan for years.  She discusses extensively how it is possible to be a world-class athlete and vegan in her blog and has made YouTube videos of some recipes.

While I can't remember any articles/interviews about dancers who are vegan, there have been perfectly fit dancers who've been vegetarian. If there is a transition into the diet, it can take some time and work to find the correct balance, even under the supervision of a professional.

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5 minutes ago, Helene said:

Two-time World Figure Skating Champion, Olympic Team silver and gold medalist, and the reigning Olympic Bronze medalist Meagan Duhamel has been vegan for years.  She discusses extensively how it is possible to be a world-class athlete and vegan in her blog and has made YouTube videos of some recipes.

While I can't remember any articles/interviews about dancers who are vegan, there have been perfectly fit dancers who've been vegetarian. If there is a transition into the diet, it can take some time and work to find the correct balance, even under the supervision of a professional.

Sarah Lane of ABT (and I believe her husband and fellow ABT dancer, Luis Ribagorda) and Lauren Lovette of NYCB are vegans (and are open about it on their public-facing Instagrams). It is do-able for athletes, apparently.

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21 minutes ago, Helene said:

 

While I can't remember any articles/interviews about dancers who are vegan, there have been perfectly fit dancers who've been vegetarian. If there is a transition into the diet, it can take some time and work to find the correct balance, even under the supervision of a professional.

And that’s the key here. Duhamel from what I understand consulted professionals and did extensive research before committing to the diet. 

I heard of one skater (a male) who suddenly switched to vegan without telling anyone or consulting a doctor. He developed chronic injuries due to a lack of protein and calcium.

The thing that concerns me Joy seems to latch on to these fads like Keto vegan and that bizarre stem cell procedure she undertook a while ago and promotes them to her audience which seems to consist of young, impressionable dancers. 

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That's actually a nice article, the nicest I've seen by Joy. I don't really consider it an interview since the thoughts are so fully realized that she must have written down responses. I think that she must be realizing that she doesn't do well as a team member and it sounds like she's looking to do what lots of ballet dancers do: be a guest artist. It allows for an independence she is always seeking. This might be the route that will make her happiest, assuming she'll get the invitations (I think she will). 

I wish her the best. In my opinion, her personality is fraught with social communication difficulties that I believe tend to make someone feel quite alone. She may yet find that therapy will help her the most. In the meantime, assuming she hasn't gone that route, I do think she's choosing the best path for herself. 

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I agree this is a very nice article from Joy. I don't understand why she didn't just say these things to her audiences in her vlogs, at the time that they were happening. She has tarnished her reputation by repeatedly contradicting herself and confusing the wider audience, which undoubtably includes significant people in the dance sphere. 

It sounds like she is finally finding fulfillment from dance beyond perfecting technique, which is, I hope, revelationary to her.

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