Research suggests 36% of professional dancers retire due to a musculoskeletal injury, with 91% suffering pain in later life.
Overtraining – dancing for too long or too often can lead to a wide range of overuse injuries. Shin splints and stress fractures in the feet are common dance-related overuse injuries.
As you'd expect, the majority of dance-related problems affect the feet and ankles, but dancers can also sustain lower back, hip and knee injuries. Repetitive practice of movements and routines may cause participants to get sprains, strains, stress fractures and tendon injuries.
As a consequence, many of them are suffering from Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety (Gregoris et al., 2022). Mental health in dance is, in other words, a pressuring matter.
At what age do most dancers retire? Most dancers stop dancing between 35 and 40 years old. Sometimes a dancer may have a specific injury that has forced them to stop dancing and sometimes their bodies are just tired from all the physical strength that is required for ballet.
On average, a dancer's performance career tends to end around the age of 35. They've often been shaping muscle and bone into elegant lines since shortly after they first learned to walk, moulding their bodies to achieve the perfect balance of powerful athleticism and artistic grace.
You Can Learn to Dance at Any Age
Choosing to dance at any age offers you a great way to learn a new skill, stay fit, and have fun! Some people worry that learning to dance in their 40s comes with challenges. Indeed, many are not as flexible in their 40s as they were as children, but challenges are made to overcome!
Totally 20–54% of the dancers had symptoms of anxiety or depression, LEA (in females), ED and/or injuries, and 12% had a self-reported history with ED.
Dancers' identities intertwine with their bodies from a young age. Although this creates many positive experiences for the dancers, they also expressed how this can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders.
Health benefits of dancing
improved condition of your heart and lungs. increased muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness. increased aerobic fitness. improved muscle tone and strength.
Why It Happens to Dancers. The perfectionistic drive of most dancers may make them more predisposed to depression. Dr. Brian Goonan, a psychologist who works with Houston Ballet Academy, points out that the natural progression in dance is to go from your small pond, where you are the big fish, to a bigger pond.
Dancing can take a physical toll on your body. Joints and tendons in the knees that can see excessive wear and tear from repetitive movements are especially prone to injury.
Dancers at all levels struggle with poor body image. In fact, research demonstrates that more than 75% of dancers feel pressure to lose weight with stress often originating from: Comparative mirror thoughts. Tight-fitting uniforms (like leotards) and costumes.
Some people are just born with it! Many people say it is an innate gift and the dancers were created to dance. But even the most talented of the dancers would vouch for regular practice and updating their skills in their quest from good to great.
The physical movements of dance have been shown to reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Much like aerobic exercise, dance provides relief from stress and tension. Physical exercise elevates dopamine and endorphins, two neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Dancing can release chemicals in the brain that actively work to reduce cortisol, which helps reduce stress, anxiety and depression. Raven Gibbs, a psychotherapist and professional dancer, explains, “As dance raises your heart rate and works your body, it also releases certain chemicals in the brain.
Dancing aids trauma release by eliciting emotions which can be discharged and expressed through movement. In Flomotion we deliberately play certain tracks that evoke a heightened feeling response, so that they can be included and tolerated by the moving body rather than shut out.
Chorophobia, the fear of dancing, is a real thing.
The Downsides of Running for Dancers
Running is a high-impact activity, just like dance. That's more strain on your joints, which is not good for longevity of your performance career. And yes, you can lose flexibility. There are other aerobic activities that you can do if running's not your thing.
One important case to look at when considering the origins of schizophrenia is that of Vaslav Nijinsky (1890-1950), the most talented ballet dancer in history, who was diagnosed one hundred years ago.
The researchers discovered 69 distinct regions on the genome where various genetic alleles in the population are responsible for part of the variation in how well individuals synchronize to a musical rhythm.
They may love dance, they may work hard, and they may even be quite talented, but the truth is only 3 percent of people who go into dancing actually become professionals.
Some people will go from newbie to proficient dancer in two to six months. And in that process you're guaranteed to make new friends, improve your health, and have fun on a new adventure!!
Although it is advisable for children to enroll in ballet as young and early as possible, it is not a prerequisite to becoming successful. Some professional ballet dancers begin their training when they are 11, 13, or even older.
It's Never Too Late To Start Ballet!
One of the best things about ballet is that it can be enjoyed at any age. Whether you're 5 or 85, there's always something to learn and appreciate about this beautiful art form.