Interview for Research Paper

Jaden Slavens

Maddie Kahl

ENC 2135-142

6 February 2018

Interview with Emily Marshall

Jaden: When did you start dancing?

Emily: I started dancing during my seventh grade year.

Jaden: What kind of dance do you do?

Emily: I do competitive dance, and train in pretty much all styles, like ballet, jazz, lyrical, contemporary, modern, hip hop, tap, acro, and musical theater.

Jaden: How did you feel when you started dancing? Did you like it?

Emily: Yes, I loved it when I started. I finally found something that I thought I was really passionate about. I trained all the time, probably 20 plus hours a week. I was always in the studio.

Jaden: When did you start realizing that dance was taking a toll on your mental health?

Emily: I think it was about two years into dancing that I really saw the mental effects of competitive dance. I was the team captain, I placed first in every competition, I was given every solo, I was really at my peak. I thought I had it all, you know. Everyone looked up to me, I had little girls coming up to me in the studio telling me they wanted to be just like me when they grew up. That’s a lot of pressure for a fifteen year old.

Jaden: Were you ever given a diet?

Emily: Never a very strict one, but around competition and especially on competition days our teachers were very attentive to what we were eating to make sure we weren’t making unhealthy choices, or eating foods that would make us look bloated on stage.

Jaden: Were you ever compared to others?

Emily: Yes, our teachers would compare us to each other all the time, but even if they didn’t directly compare us it was still easy to compare yourself to others because especially during ballet when you’re in very tight leotards in front of big mirrors so it’s easy to compare your body to others.

Jaden: Do you believe dance is emotionally exhausting?

Emily: I do believe it is emotionally exhausting because unlike other sports where you are judged on your skill I think to a great degree when it comes to dance you’re judged a lot on your appearance as well, and so while you’re trying to maintain the physical and skillfulness of the sport you’re trying to maintain a certain image.

Jaden: Did you ever feel too much pressure to perform well by your dance teachers?

Emily: Did I ever feel too pressure to perform well at a competition my teachers were forcing me to win? Well yeah, of course. The pressure is insane. From teachers, dance moms, your competitors, everyone.

Jaden: Were you ever yelled at or talked down to by your dance teachers that you believe were hard on your mental health?

Emily: Oh my dance teachers yelled at me and talked down to me all the time.

Jaden: What would they say?

Emily: Well there was that time when I took a summer off of dance and my teacher said, “It shows.” Or one time my teacher said to me at ballet one day after I put on my leotard “Did you eat before training? Because I can tell.” Also, if you don’t have a six pack, which is just unrealistic for a lot of body types, you have to draw on abs with makeup if you’re wearing a two piece costume on stage. That’s just so messed up, you know?

Jaden: Do you feel that when it comes to dance that your body is being on display as much as your talent?

Emily: Yes, I believe when it comes to ballet there is very much an image that girls are supposed to meet, the kind of ideal ballet dancer, and when we are put in tight leotards and tights our bodies are very shown off, and it’s easy to tell if you fit that stereotype or not. Also, in competition, it’s become a big trend to wear two piece dance costumes that barely cover anything because they’re so small, and so I think it makes it very easy to compare yourself to others.

Jaden: In your opinion, why do you think so many dancers have eating disorders?

Emily: I think, in my opinion, so many dancers have eating disorders because of how much our bodies are on display. Also, a lot of people who are in dance, ballerinas mostly, it’s kind of a perfectionist mentality. Most ballerinas are huge perfectionists, and it is a common trend, shown throughout many studies, that most people who suffer from anorexia also are perfectionists. I think a lot of it is the mindset of it all, having the same cognitive dispositions as those with eating disorders, and being in an environment that promotes your perfectionism. The whole dance world just promotes your perfectionism, which promotes your eating disorder. I also think that because it has become so normal, the fact that dance causes eating disorders, it is easy for people to fall into that trap. A lot of people try to fit into this “dancer” mold, thinking if they’re stick thin they might get more jobs. Unfortunately, in this industry that’s kind of true. If a dancer has an eating disorder, I believe they just think it’s normal, because it’s so popular among the community that they don’t think they need to reach out and get help.

Jaden: How do dancers get help?

Emily: I would say just reach outside of the dance world and talk to someone. Take all the time you need, too. I had to take months off of school, but it was something I had to do. I also checked into rehab, you just have to do what’s best for you. Sometimes you just need to walk away, reevaluate, and take a break. Taking a break from dance when you need it and getting help doesn’t mean you’re weak, it means you’re smart.