Coping with Stress.

Injuries, Weight Gain, Career Transitions HERE'S WHAT WORKS BEST

Struggling with chronic tendinitis? Stuck with a weight problem that won't go away? Or are you dealing with the unimaginable--life after dance?

In the past, stressed-out dancers had few options but to suffer in silence. Not anymore! The dance community is now more aware of occupational stress than ever before, resulting in better information and services for all dancers. To help you reach new heights, Dance Magazine highlights ways to deal with common stresses during training, performing and retirement.

Injuries and Your Health

Many dancers know the heartbreak of being sidelined with a physical problem. Surveys of top professionals in New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre show that 56 percent of principals and soloists are "out" at different times during their careers, amounting to ten months of disability! The most common injuries are from overuse: chronic problems, such as ankle tendinitis, are five times higher in dancers than sprains or other acute injuries. Fortunately, it is possible to take a problem-solving approach to injury prevention, particularly if you begin at the student level.

According to dance medicine specialists, overuse injuries often make their first appearance in adolescence. Why? No dancer has a perfect body, and subtle anatomical misalignments, for example unequal turnout, can lead to problems with the constant repetition of steps. Dance training also contributes to overuse by creating muscle imbalances: For example, men who practice partnering in ballet class would need to build up their upper bodies to avoid lower back strain from repeated lifts. These stresses, which put all dancers at risk for injury, are most traumatic in the developing skeletons of younger dancers with open epiphyses (the growth plates at the ends of long bones).

Not surprisingly, young dancers often get into trouble by increasing their workload before they have sufficient strength and technique. This is especially true during growth spurts. I know one 16-year-old boy who added five dance classes a day to his summer schedule after shooting up three inches in height. Like many adolescents, his bones had grown while the soft tissues lagged behind, making him feel weak and uncoordinated with tight muscles and tendons. Three months later this dancer had developed a bad case of "jumper's knee."

If you want to reduce overuse injuries, it pays to set realistic goals, taking into account whether you are sick, tired, sore or just going through an awkward period of development. Serious dancers (who take four or more classes a week) can also benefit from an annual screening by a dance medicine specialist. Marika Molnar, director of physical therapy at the School of American Ballet, helps "kids balance areas that are either weak or tight or not fully recovered from an injury" with basic exercises and a body-conditioning program. Consulting orthopedist Dr. William Hamilton diagnoses and treats serious injuries, often prescribing a course of physical therapy.

Obviously, it is impossible to prevent all overuse injuries, yet there's a lot you can do to improve your health by taking a proactive approach to injury prevention. To find a specialist near you, check out Stern's Directory 2001, published by Dance Magazine. This all-purpose dance reference work lists body-conditioning programs (such as Pilates and the Alexander Technique), as well as clinics and specialists who work with dancers.

Weight: The Dancer's Dilemma

Another occupational stress that can send dancers into a tailspin is weight. To get scholarships, jobs and choice roles, girls as young as the age of 12 are told they must lose weight, creating a virtual epidemic of eating problems, menstrual irregularities and brittle bones. Right now, the dance community is at odds about changing the ideal look in dance. Yet there are signs of a more sensible approach to weight loss in light of the serious health risks to dancers.

Besides adding nutritionists to their staffs, some dance programs also provide students with regular access to eating disorder specialists. In addition to developing eating disorders, dancers who are constantly badgered about their weight can end up with a negative body image and low self-esteem.

Savvy company directors have caught on to the problems associated with dieting. For example, Kevin McKenzie of American Ballet Theatre approaches the topic of weight loss with extreme sensitivity, in contrast to some hard-nosed directors and teachers who resort to weighing and measuring and public verbal humiliation. Instead of harassing his dancers, he urges them to reach a healthy weight goal with professional help. One 23-year-old ABT dancer, who became anorexic after being harassed at a prestigious ballet academy, describes him as an "angel."

What's the bottom line about weight loss? In spite of our best intentions, crash diets and people don't mix. As much as 70 percent of body mass is determined by our genes: Eat too little and your metabolism will slow down; starve and your hunger will skyrocket, often leading to binge eating. To lose weight safely--and to keep it off--it is best to combine regular aerobic exercise for approximately thirty minutes, three times a week, with a moderate meal plan (1,400 to 1,600 calories per day, 24 to 40 grams of fat). Contact the Nutrition Hotline for more information at 800/366-1655. If you have developed an eating disorder, the Renfrew Center at 800/736-3739 can refer you to a specialist.

Career Transitions

The last major obstacle in dance is letting go of one's career. Some dancers confront this transition as students, when they are unable to find steady work. Others develop satisfying careers in dance companies or musical theater but are pushed out of the profession in their mid-30s by such factors as age, injuries and burnout. In either case, it can feel as if you are walking off a cliff into oblivion. While there is a movement in modern dance to create more roles for older dancers, the dance community is also realizing the value of having an "exit strategy" for those who want another career.

An important component of a successful transition from dance often rests on higher education. A study at Fordham University at Lincoln Center indicates that a college degree helps 75 percent of professional dancers get a job after retiring from the stage. To facilitate dancers' college attendance, Fordham offers tuition reductions and special classes that meet on their day off from performing. Dr. Edward Bristow, co-director of the Fordham/Ailey BFA program, has also tried to strengthen academics for dance majors, adding extra credits in the liberal arts. Other college dance programs encourage students to take additional majors and minors outside of dance.

These programs provide opportunities to make a living other than as a server. However, a significant stumbling block remains: namely, what do dancers want to do? Research shows that three out of four professionals find it difficult to declare a major in college. It is even more challenging to find a meaningful career, particularly if you wait until an injury or unemployment forces you out of dance. One former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, who was let go by the organization, continues to bounce from one job to another as she fights back depression. After twelve months of searching for clues, she still has no clear idea about another vocation.

Dancers who want a satisfying second career need time to explore other interests. Many gravitate to health-related professions, such as massage, Pilates and the Alexander Technique, that enhance their current dance career, while preparing to become a practitioner. Vocational counseling also helps dancers to identify other hidden strengths.

A career transition from dance is a major life-altering event. Fortunately, more services are now available for dancers worldwide. In the United States, professional dancers can receive free vocational counseling by calling CareerLine, a hotline provided by Career Transition for Dancers (800/581-2833). This nonprofit organization also has offices in New York City and Los Angeles. For dancers who are struggling with the emotional aspects of leaving the profession, psychotherapy may also be useful.

An associate professor at Fordham University, Linda Hamilton, Ph.D., is also a psychologist in private practice, a former dancer with New York City Ballet and author of Advice for Dancers (Jossey-Bass).