Lying awake in her hotel bed in Washington, DC, the night before her audition, Richmond Ballet dancer Valerie Tellmann-Henning was tormented with anxiety. At 31 years old, she was comfortable in her career. So comfortable that she decided to seek new artistic challenges. With the support of her director, she decided to audition for The Suzanne Farrell Ballet with the hope of juggling two contracts. The only thing that stood between her and her goal was a bout of anxiety. Will my legs be high enough? Anxiety is an irrational sense of fear that pairs perfectly with perfectionism. Most, if not all, ballet dancers will feel anxious from time to time. In fact, the psychologists we spoke to said it is one of the most common reasons dancers come to them for treatment.
Trigger Warning: Anxiety, Mental Health. One of the most common misconceptions about anxiety is that all people experience it in the same way. For those who do not have an anxiety disorder or do not believe anxiety disorders are legitimate health concerns, the assumption reigns that anxiety is a temporary and fixable cluster of symptoms brought on by isolated circumstances. It means that I have anxiety at all times and can experience severe symptoms, even without an immediately evident or conventionally logical cause. I am grateful that I was diagnosed about five years ago and continue to learn about how my anxiety affects my everyday life. My symptoms can vary from being deeply emotional to viscerally physical - from a background sense of coming doom or imminent failure to shaking, shortness of breath, digestive troubles, and mental fog.
Most dancers in the community tend to be super social and outgoing. But there are also many of us introverted dancers trying to be out there in order to fit in, or constantly feeling pressured by all the social stimuli. It can be difficult to be someone who craves solitude in a scene where everyone knows everyone and popularity seems to matter a lot. But hey, even if you want to be physically alone We feel ya. I feel ya. So let's laugh along at these moments that have provoked anxiety in us introverted dancers! Haha he's the most. Is it a pre-requisite?
The star of last year's Find your dance space campaign, Tia Ungar has been open about her anxiety and the extent to which dance has helped her in the past. We're catching up with her and her teacher Claire Munday from Rise Studios, to discuss her relationship with dance and mental health, to mark World Mental Health Day. Following on from our interview last year for Find your dance space — are you still dancing when you can? How has your relationship with dance changed over the years? Even when I did start going back to classes it was hard because I was worried about messing up choreography. Throughout my teen years, I struggled a lot with my confidence and self-esteem.
During the creation process for Oh, I have to wash my hair, Hance asked the dancers to create gestures and movement phrases, which allowed Neimeyer and her choreographic partner to channel their personal experiences into the work. Hyde notes that SAD is often rooted in past triggers or traumas, leading affected individuals to want to avoid social interactions. Those with SAD may also have fears of criticism, embarrassment, or being judged negatively. Social situations, especially those that are new in some way, can present difficulties for someone with SAD, Hyde says, so attending a new class, joining a company, or attending an audition could be an extra challenge. Conversely, Neimeyer says dance has often been a positive outlet for her—and has presented many opportunities that have been difficult yet supportive of her SAD recovery.