How Can Dance Science Inform the Art of Dance? Listening to the Wellness-Related Concerns of Dance Students

Abstract

Wellness is essential to dancers’ optimal performance and lifetime health. However, dance environments are not always conducive to healthy behaviors. Research in dance medicine and science over the past several decades exposes health-related issues of dancers such as disordered eating, performance anxiety, and a myriad of musculoskeletal injuries. Previous studies have examined wellness-related concerns of dancers in higher education dance programs in the United States. Although not yet optimal, there has been an increase in the acceptance of “dancer wellness” as a necessary component of dancers’ education in the United States. However, little is known about how dancer wellness is perceived by higher education dance students outside the United States, particularly in non-Eurocentric countries. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare dance students’ perceptions of seven wellness dimensions, including social, physical, intellectual, career, emotional, environmental, and spiritual. Participants included students from academic institutions in the United States and Hong Kong. As part of intact classes or workshops, students examined these seven wellness dimensions and discussed their thoughts and concerns specific to dance and their experiences in dance contexts. Both similarities and differences of the students’ perspectives on these seven wellness dimensions are shared. By listening to students and identifying their unique wellness needs, academic programs can make changes in educational curricula to more effectively foster improved health and well-being of dancers. A sample dancer wellness program that has been incorporated into a dance education program in the United States is described.