Dance; Better. – Details, episodes & analysis

Today I spoke with Haylee Thompson of Rethink Dance. Haylee is a dance enthusiast from Willmar, MN. She studied Dance Ed at the University of Auckland in NZ was inspired to bring back her knowledge & teach dance to all ages and abilities.

Haylee encourages people around her to pursue their passions & be exactly who they were created to be. Her positivity and authenticity inspires others to reach their highest potential and has led to the creation of Rethink Dance.

Rethink is on a mission to create a global community committed to understanding others, shifting perceptions, and changing lives. Through educational programs, outreach, volunteering, and an annual film festival Rethink beautifully connects the community through dance.

To connect and get involved with Rethink:

Website: www.rethinkdance.com

Instagram: @rethinkdance

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today I spoke with Nina Madsen Puckett of Erase the Stigma Through Dance. She very bravely shares her journey with mental health and how that journey has inspired a platform for mental health advocacy. Just a heads up you will hear a few bleeps in the conversation. These are present simply to delete specific medication names mentioned on the show, and are there for health and safety purposes.

Nina is a dancer, choreographer, licensed massage therapist, business owner and mental health advocate.  She has her BFA in Dance from UNCG and also studied at the Theatre Academy of Finland and the Western Australia Academy of Performing Arts.  She is a Certified Movement Analyst from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies and founded Erase in 2020.

To connect with Nina and Erase the Stigma:

Website: www.erasethroughdance.org

Instagram and Facebook: @erasethroughdance

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional. Anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else with any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/ Other resources can be found here:   

The theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today I spoke with Josh Spell, licensed social worker. He danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet & Kansas City Ballet. He currently works with dancers around the country centering on dance from a holistic perspective and offering a variety of mental health tools.

Today, I finally talk about THE topic, eating disorders. I mention in the interview, that I kind of feel like I have been putting it off, honestly. I’m not sure why, but when I have been putting something off and check in with myself, it is usually because of some deeper reason. In this case, it's my own struggle with disordered eating. I finally felt ready to broach the subject, and Josh did not disappoint.

He specializes in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders and has created a specially designed protocol he is currently implementing with the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He gives some great practical advice for teachers, directors, and parents of dancers on how and when to communicate with dancers who may be struggling.

This was such an informative conversation full of great advice for teachers, directors, and parents, and I can’t wait for you to listen!

To connect with Josh:

Website:

https://flexiblemindcounseling.org/

Instagram:

@spellbound20

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Today’s episode is a truly uplifting example of how dance institutions can bring in programming to facilitate the development of excellence in dance, without compromising dancers’ mental health. In fact, they can work to improve the dancers’ quality of life!

I spoke with Sarah Gonzales, the Pre-Professional Education Program Director at Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts. At Keshet, their vision is, “To celebrate the art of dance and be a welcoming home for the intersection of the arts, artists, and audience; actuating a flourishing environment for empowered individuals, nurtured communities, and sustained equity.” Not only is this their vision, but it is manifested in an amazing program full of mentorship, excellence, and love.

My hope, or at least one of them anyway, for the future of ballet, would be for all dance institutions to adopt similar visions and facilitate happy, healthy, well-rounded dancers.

To connect with Keshet:

Website: http://www.keshetarts.org/

Instagram: @keshetdanceco

Facebook: @KeshetArts

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

Hello dancers! Today I am doing something a little different. I had on the pod my good friend Olivia Cinculli. (you might remember her from season 2, episode 3, where she spoke about her own retirement journey, mental health, and becoming a mom). Olivia and I share our experiences with ballet on TV and in movies. How we feel about them, share about how they’ve affected us, and ask some pretty big questions about how they affect the ballet culture and how audiences view dancers because of them.

Also, before we get started, when we are talking about male and female genders and depicted roles, we explore the bulk of TV shows and movies in mainstream media. Unfortunately, these explore mostly cis-gendered roles, so that is the primary context of our conversation today.

This episode may have some topics that may not be suitable for all ages or that may be triggering for some. Parental discretion is advised. There is mention of abuse, drug use, and eating disorders.

There is a lot of ballet-related content out there, and our discussion cannot cover all of it, but we’ve done some homework, and I think this will be an entertaining discussion.

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose you or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

Follow Olivia on IG @oliviahcianciulli_dance

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

And don't forget to check out the show sponsor, @we.are.minding, or at www.wearemindingthegap.org

We have all heard that dancers need “tough love” to succeed in an oftentimes harsh environment. With everything we’ve learned this season about dancers’ resilience (see episode 8 for more!) I am starting to question a lot of practices that, I will admit, have used in the classroom. But what does tough love mean, really? Where’s the line? What works and what doesn’t from a psychological standpoint? What damage can be done along the way?

In this episode, I sat down with Jo-Anne La Flèche, the resident psychologist at L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec to uncover just how positive tough love can give dancers of all ages exactly what they need.

Jo-Anne is also the Co-President of Healthy Dancer Canada. To find their resources, follow them on IG  @healthydancer_canada or on their website, https://www.healthydancercanada.org/

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on my personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. By listening to this podcast, you agree not to use any of the content to diagnose yourself or anyone else of any mental or health condition.

If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow the pod on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!)

Autonomy. Did you know that this is one of the forces behind motivation, passion, and even burnout? Having autonomy helps you feel most... yourself. It helps to grow your intrinsic (inner) motivation. It is what makes you feel whole in the moment and encourages you to keep going, even when things get difficult.

I spoke with the brilliant Dr. Sanna Nordin-Bates, a leading sports psychologist and lecturer in the dance field at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences. Her research spans topics like creativity, disordered eating, and so many more. We sat down to chat about what autonomy is and how it can help dancers young and old. We cover everything from motivation, burnout, teaching ideas and so much more. 

To learn more about Sanna’s research, click here.

You can follow her on Twitter @DancePsychSanna

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Also, a special thanks to the show sponsor, Minding the Gap.

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and found this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave the pod a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I'd love to hear from you!

Parents... amIright? They’re always advocating for us, looking out for us, loving us, and helping us become our best... but parenting is hard (from what I hear, anyway). And parenting a preprofessional dancer today comes with its own set of challenges, family dynamics, and ups and downs. I was so thrilled to sit down with the one and only Jennifer Milner and hash it all out. Jennifer Milner is a ballet coach and Pilates trainer specializing in dancers. After a successful dancing career, she got certified in Pilates and mentored under Marika Molnar for dance medicine. She’s trained dancers from the Royal Ballet, NYCB, ABT, San Francisco Ballet, Kirov Ballet, and more. Jennifer is passionate about shaping healthy dancers, both physically and emotionally. Not only has Jennifer accomplished so much in the ballet world, but she is also a ballet mom. We spoke about the challenges kids face today, what choices she and her family have made, and how she helps her students and their parents navigate those challenges. She even gives some genius suggestions on how to have those uncomfortable conversations with your artistic director or teacher when you feel like something isn’t quite right. Whether you are a parent, student, teacher, or professional dancer, this episode has something for everyone. To Connect with Jennifer, you can find her: IG @jennifer.milner FB https://www.facebook.com/jennifermilnerbodiesinmotion Website: www.jennifer-milner.com  Stay up-to-date with her partnership with minding the gap at www.wearemindingthegap.org Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/ Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0). Follow us on Instagram! Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com If you relate and find this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I’d love to hear from you!

It is turning into a very nerdy November! Today I had the honor of speaking with Dr. Paula Thompson.

Paula is a Professor and dance coordinator in the Department of Kinesiology, California State University, Northridge. She is also a licensed Clinical Psychologist, a certified Sport Psychologist, and works in private practice in Tarzana, California. For over thirty years Paula Thomson has been a teacher at numerous international schools, most notably Julliard School of Music, Banff School of Fine Arts, University of Cape Town - South Africa, the University of Limerick in Ireland, Opera Works,  Stratford Shakespearean Festival, and the Canadian Opera Company.

Paula has an impressive body of research on several mental health topics for dancers. Today we spoke about how childhood and adult trauma can affect the rate of injuries, orthopedic surgeries, and recovery outcomes. It was fascinating and really sheds some light on why managing mental health is so important!

To learn more about Paula’s work, click here: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paula-Thomson

To read her books, click here:

https://g.co/kgs/6b15cu

For the IADMS webinar on mental health for dancers, watch here:

https://iadms.org/our-programs/webinars/

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and find this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave me a review. (We might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make our show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, we’d love to hear from you!

Time for a research update! Strap in because this is a super-sized episode! I just couldn’t cut any of these nuggets! Today I was able to speak with Minding the Gap‘s very own Kathleen Gaines to get a breakdown of the amazing mental health research being done at Point Park Univeristy. The results are in from the first round of research and boy let me tell ya...there were some shocking revelations.

We talk about everything from self-esteem, anxiety, depression, body-physique anxiety, resilience, and how dancers cope with it all! The research is fascinating, but even more so are the ways in which the school and teachers are making real changes in the classroom every day, and are seeing the dancers dance better!

It doesn’t have to take several generations to make a change! These are just a few small examples of easy changes schools and companies can make to make learning and working environments safer, happier, and healthier!

To connect with Minding the Gap you can visit the website at:

https://www.wearemindingthegap.org/

on IG @we.are.minding

On FB @wearemindingthegap

Please remember that I am not a mental health professional, and anything you hear me say on the show is based on personal experience and perspectives, and should not be considered medical advice. If you are in crisis, please call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to reach a 24-hour crisis center, text MHA to 741741, call 911, or go to the nearest emergency room. To find a local MHA affiliate who can provide services, check out https://www.mhanational.org/

Theme music is, "A Journey" by Kevin Hartnell It has been edited and reproduced under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Follow us on Instagram!

Dance; Better Podcast @dancebetterpodcast

Send in your questions or episode suggestions to dancebetterpodcast@gmail.com

If you relate and find this episode helpful, please click follow/subscribe and leave us a review. (I might even read it on the next episode!) This helps to make the show more searchable, and will make it more accessible to more people...plus, I'd love to hear from you!