Intro

A common misconception about competitive dance is that it is all sparkly costumes and spray tans. The whole community puts on a show to hide what is happening backstage; helicopter moms, ruthless instructors and constant ridicule. The constant fat shaming, yelling, and strict dieting is often too much for dancers, pushing them to crippling eating disorders. As a competitive dancer, I have seen this occur numerous times, even to some of my closest friends. I have chosen this community because I believe this is a topic that is often hidden in the world of competitive dance. This leads to an important question - what are the factors that influence dancers to develop eating disorders? This question is often pushed aside within the community to make the community that cares so much about reputation to be picture perfect. People have began to discuss this topic outside the community, as it is becoming more and more apparent that the pressure and ridicule that is hidden from the public has taken serious tolls on so many young women. I interviewed Emily Marshall, a competitive dancer who has overcome multiple eating disorders from dance, to investigate the reasons why dancers develop eating disorders.