dance

Anorexia and Dance. Looking for the perfect body in dance!

Anorexia and Dance. Looking for the perfect body in dance!

As dancers we are constantly judging ourselves: spending hours day after day in tight-fitting clothing in front of a mirror and scrutinising how we look. Dancers are expected to have slim and toned bodies. It is seen as particularly important for females to be of a slight stature for the ease of pas de deux and partnering work. But what is the impact?

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The green monster: Dealing with the Ego in Professional Dance

The green monster: Dealing with the Ego in Professional Dance

The life of a professional dancer is as much a psychological and emotional struggle as much as it is physical. We have all at one point or another experienced those ugly emotions we know we shouldn’t feel, but somehow, in some way, something in dance brings them out from the deepest and darkest places; “why did she get that part?” “How come he got that job?” “Why didn’t they hire me?” Understanding the Ego and how to utilise it best in day-to-day life can be mighty helpful in the ongoing development of a dancer’s career.

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Holding on my feminist values in the dance industry. A personal view from a dancer

Holding on my feminist values in the dance industry. A personal view from a dancer

Conflating ideas on sexuality and dance is an important, albeit conflicting, issue for any female/professional dancer nowadays; especially in today’s social and political climate and, amidst a profession spent glorifying and often essentialising the human body. As a female and as a dancer, the ever-present reality of displaying sexuality is a constant phenomenon, either in the direction or expectations of others, or the image we believe we are expected to portray.

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How Not to End Up in My Trash Folder, or Gentle Suggestions of What NOT to do When Applying for an Audition

How Not to End Up in My Trash Folder, or Gentle Suggestions of What NOT to do When Applying for an Audition

With audition season upon us, I am receiving more and more emails every single day from dancers looking to promote their talents and catch my eye. And trust me, many of you do, but unfortunately, not always through positive means. I would like to help you (and me) out. The following is a list of suggestions to make sure that someone like me does not roll his or her eyes at your careless mistakes, and immediately send your application to the Trash folder…

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Daniel Mariblanca: A transgender voice in dance

Daniel Mariblanca: A transgender voice in dance

I am 36 years old and I have lived 34 of those years as a woman who identified as a lesbian. Those are very solid pillars in me which I have defended with strong emphasis. Then five years ago, I started to get in contact with a lot of Trans people in Barcelona who inspired me deeply. That was when I started questioning the pillars of my live. In some way it was like getting to understand the relation between pieces that weren’t yet connected. We could maybe say that being a woman and being a lesbian was a massive cover up under which I felt encouraged and secure. By then being Trans was an inaccessible idea to me, something difficult to understand.

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