Behind the Curtain
By Rosie Roker
Dance injuries are extremely common, especially with young dancers, and almost all dancers will experience an injury at some point during their dancing career. However, after an injury, dancers can feel pressure to conceal it or return to dancing before appropriate rehabilitation has occurred (Mainwaring et al., 2001). There are a variety of reasons dancers conceal their injury or choose to return to dance before they are ready. These reasons can range from the fear of falling behind their peers, missing out on an important role, or the stigma that dancers are often conditioned to believe they should dance through their pain. Research has been conducted to understand why injury concealment occurs and suggests ways to change the dance culture to support injured dancers.
There is cultural conditioning that discourages dancers from reporting injuries. Dancers of all ages often feel pressure to perform and not to show weakness. For example, data from research shows that young dancers learn to hide their pain early in their training to please their teachers and stay in class. Professional dancers conceal their injuries to maintain their jobs (Mainwaring et al., 2001). This pattern continues to progress as dancers have more to lose, including performance opportunities. Dancers also internalize the stigma of seeming lazy or of letting members of their company down (Cheers et al., 2004). From young students to professional dancers, the masking of an injury becomes normalized and reinforced by the expectation to always keep dancing.
A second reason for injury concealment among dancers is that their identity as a dancer is an important part of who they are. Dancers can spend up to six days a week training and rehearsing with their fellow dancers. This time spent in the studio and on stage is a significant part of how they identify themselves in the world. Therefore, dancers commonly hide their injuries to protect their identity. For example, dancers report that their identity gets lost when they are unable to dance and they feel left out of their vital dance community (Vassallo et al., 2019).
A third reason why dancers conceal their injuries is that they feel unsupported by doctors. Research states that many dancers report feeling misunderstood, and that the treatment plan is often unrealistic for their needs. In one study, only 20% of dancers reported their injuries to a physician because they felt the injury would not be evaluated appropriately and that the only outcome they would be told is to stop dancing (Mainwaring et al., 2003).
While there are numerous reasons for dancers to conceal their injuries, complications can arise when an injury is dismissed. For example, minor injuries can often progress into more serious conditions requiring a longer recovery time (Mainwaring et al., 2003). Research also shows that there is a lack of injury prevention education and support from teachers and members of the medical community for dancers. So, this situation begs the question of what can be done to help dancers feel safe speaking up about their injuries?
A phrase that is often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi is “Be the change you wish to see in the world. This quote reflects the importance of changing the dance culture one person at a time. Shifting the culture requires dancers, teachers, and medical professionals to prioritize health over allowing a dancer to dance through their pain. When an injury is reframed as an opportunity to learn more about their body and to refine their technique, they no longer view an injury as a loss of identity but as something that can make them stronger when they return to their community. Although injuries can challenge a dancer’s sense of self, focusing on the learning opportunities they provide can allow for personal growth. A dancer should also learn to seek out medical professionals who are experts in the field of dance medicine. This allows the dancer to feel better understood and for the treatment to be tailored to their unique dance demands. To prevent injuries from becoming worse, dancers need to report them early. Dance environments should normalize injury prevention education by experts in the field. These important shifts can make a meaningful and lasting difference in a dancer’s training to ensure that their health is recognized as a core aspect of their education and training.