High time to enhance dancer welfare: a call to action to improve safeguarding and abuse prevention in dance

How the dance environment can foster abusive practices

Dance training is steeped in history and tradition, with longstanding practices and standards passed down through generations. Teacher education is not regulated or compulsory and is often sporadic and insufficient, with many high-level performers becoming teachers without any training in pedagogy, child development or safe physical and psychological training methods.16 As a result, dance training has been slow to modernise its teaching practices and embrace innovations in dance science, medicine and safe practice. The abusive cultural practices embedded in the hierarchical and authoritarian teaching styles of dance are often misidentified as educational issues. Cultural norms have also shaped significant power imbalances in the teacher–student relationship, with dancers conditioned from an early age to be silent, obedient and endure having little autonomy, even relating to their health and well-being.13 15 17

With a scarcity of jobs and fierce competition for roles, tradition also dictates that a harsh environment is necessary for success; dancers often perform through pain and injury, push their bodies to extremes and maintain restrictive weight practices. Instructional methods based on fear or shame or relationships that are inappropriate, sexual or exploitative are too often permitted, unquestioned, minimised and normalised.3–5 18 Professional dancers have reported shame and humiliation from being constantly compared or criticised in class, as well as from being on the receiving end of inappropriate touching by their teachers. They have also described how sexual favours can be rewarded with role promotion and job opportunities by those who hold much power over the dancers’ careers.3 Out of fears of reprisal, shame and even self-blame, dancers faced with these frightening and abusive environments may feel unable to speak out about unfair, abusive or even dangerous conditions to keep on dancing, deeming it ‘the price one pays’ to succeed.3–5 18

Clinical implications of abusive dance practices

Although dance can provide many positive experiences and contribute to healthy development and useful life skills,19 abusive practices compromise these outcomes and negatively affect health, well-being and performance.2 There is a lack of dance-specific research, but preliminary evidence suggests dancers who have experienced emotional abuse are likely to continue dancing through pain and injury, adopt maladaptive emotion regulation strategies and experience emotional pain and suffering.13 18 In one study, feeling unjustly criticised or humiliated led professional ballet dancers to experience persistent self-blame, more injuries, symptoms of anxiety and emotional stress.20 In sports, emotional, physical and sexual abuse by youth athletes has contributed to both current mental health difficulties and psychological distress and a lower quality of life in adulthood.21 22

Another reason for concern is that dancers are already an at-risk group for developing mental health problems due to the high physiological and psychological demands placed on them.23 24 In addition to long hours of training, rehearsal, performing and touring, dancers face stressors such as competition for roles and the renewal of contracts, financial difficulties, the drive to reach perfection and pressures to achieve a perceived ideal body shape and low weight.18 20 25 One study found that 92% of dancers, including professional dancers and dance students of various dance styles (eg, ballet, jazz, modern and musical theatre), experienced at least one mental health issue within a year.26

Health professionals working with dancers should be aware that harassment and abuse are severe threats to dancers’ health and well-being. Following the phrase ‘the show must go on’, dance environments may espouse negative health approaches that prioritise performances over people, leading dancers to silence emotions and push bodies to the limits or into injury to achieve dance-related goals.13 Dancers may, therefore, need support to recognise forms of abuse, especially where it has been normalised; for example, they may have been directed to dance through pain and injury, instructed to participate in long rehearsals without breaks or expected to maintain an unhealthy weight.

Early intervention to address post-traumatic symptoms is vital to support dancers in navigating the aftermath of abuse experiences, and health professionals can be influential in suggesting this care. With appropriate and evidence-based trauma-informed training, health professionals may be helped to recognise when a dancer is being affected by trauma and to engage safely with them, reducing the risk of retraumatisation.27

How research and policy engagement can help

For widespread cultural change to be achieved and as part of promoting equality, diversity and inclusion, collective action is necessary across the dance sector. We must work to effectively implement safeguarding and abuse prevention measures and mechanisms for reporting and handling abuse allegations. However, dance lacks research evidence and statutory governing documents, making it compulsory for organisations worldwide to protect dancers from abuse and authoritative bodies to enforce these regulations. Safeguarding advice and guidance is beginning to become available from organisations such as the UK’s National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).28 However, regulations are needed to ensure that all stakeholders know what is expected of them to promote safe dance environments. Adding to these challenges, few resources currently exist to support organisations in developing and implementing policies and procedures.

Researchers need to work in partnership with stakeholders, including those harmed by abuse, to shape a research agenda that will not just fill evidence gaps but also hold relevance and credibility for those it is intended to benefit. Dance is a diverse sector, ranging from grassroots participation to elite levels and involving many genres. Including dancers from more marginalised groups will also be important because they may experience more and/or different harms. Addressing and resolving these concerns will also need to be considered in each dance form’s unique context and history, working to change norms and traditions that contribute to abusive dance environments. Importantly, some organisations have already developed best practices to support safe and positive environments where dancers’ voices are heard and considered.29 These efforts need to be valued, supported and developed.