Challenges and performance readiness\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Some might reasonably question the idea of stepping away or stepping back because of discomfort; particularly in endeavors like dance, some level of discomfort is part of growth. Clements agrees with that idea \u2014 within the realm of technical skill and mastery. Learning and growth occur when one steps beyond the bounds of their current knowledge and\/or abilities.<\/p>\n Clements offers an important guideline to that idea, however. \u201cThe key thing is that when we enter that place of \u2018not knowing\u2019, that we are correctly guided and supported by someone with the skills and experience until we have mastered how to do it independently,\u201d she says. \u201cThe guidance needs to be about moving step by step rather than trying to get from the bottom to the top of the staircase in one move.\u201d There seems to be a happy medium at which stepping outside our comfort zones is challenging and comes quickly enough \u2014 and at which one is also supported by a knowledgeable teacher.\u00a0<\/p>\n One also needs to find a \u201cmiddle road\u201d when it comes to optimal performance. Clements explains that balanced place through the concept of the \u201cZone of Optimal Performance,\u201d which is shaped like an upside-down \u201cU.\u201d On one side of that zone is hypoarousal, when one cares little enough about their performance that they underperform. On the other is hyperarousal, when one cares so much about performing at their best that they experience anxiety or fear.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe most important thing is to learn where the limits of your zone are and never compare yourself to your peers<\/a>. We are all built differently and can tolerate different amounts of emotional arousal or distress,\u201d Clements affirms. How can one learn about themselves in that way, and find the inner fortitude to refrain from comparing themselves to others?\u00a0<\/p>\n For Campbell, so much of our wellness and self-knowing is about authenticity. For her, staying connected with her Caribbean roots reminds her to not take on burdens that aren\u2019t hers, for example. She also emphasizes the importance of, as dancers, being clear about what is us<\/em> and what is the artist within<\/em> who we are and what we do. In order to do that, we need to maintain practices that keep us fully embodied, whatever that might be for us (whether yoga, walking in nature, improvising or simply resting), as well as take time and space to look inside to our own truth, she asserts.<\/p>\n Burnout, warning signs and being proactive\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Burnout can be a true sign that we\u2019ve gotten disconnected from that inner wisdom and perhaps overworked ourselves. Clements notes that physical and emotional exhaustion, as well as diminished performance, can be key signs of burnout, which she defines as \u201cprolonged exposure to stress.\u201d Even more concerning, burnout is also associated \u201cwith devaluing dance, or feeling a reduced interest, which can quickly lead to dropout,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n At that point, taking a pause from dancing, as she likes to call it, can actually help a dancer to \u201cstep forward,\u201d Clements argues. \u201cIf we don\u2019t pause, we don\u2019t have the opportunity for our well-being to recover, or to reconnect with our values as a dancer and why we loved dance in the first place. Pausing is not stopping, but an investment in your present and future,\u201d she notes. Campbell shares how some of her best classes have been after taking time away to rest, for example.\u00a0<\/p>\n Are there ways to notice that we\u2019re going in that direction before it gets to that point? Yes, Campbell believes \u2014 within particular physical signs, through which our body is trying to tell us that it\u2019s all too much. Those signs include negative changes in sleep and\/or eating, strange aches and pains, sudden gastrointestinal issues and \u2014 as Clements notes \u2014 diminished desire to dance or do other things that we normally love to do. Further, \u201cwhen you recognize that you feel numb, that\u2019s a sign that it\u2019s time to step away,\u201d Campbell affirms.\u00a0<\/p>\n One might think of those signs as yellow lights, signaling us to stop before a red light comes \u2014 because continuing to go at that point could be truly harmful. Clements also notes the importance of being proactive in that way, so that decisions to pause aren\u2019t at the point when we have to weigh competing obligations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Difficult decisions\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The point at which one is sensing that they need a pause could be the middle of a rehearsal process or a company season. In fact, the pressures and workload of those periods could be key contributors to burnout. Clements acknowledges that dancers can have important commitments \u2014 to castmates, choreographers and even young dancers looking up to you \u2014 yet, commitment to one\u2019s own well-being is also an important commitment<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n She suggests clearly defining what the current stressors are doing to one\u2019s well-being, and at what point that impact is too much. \u201cIt\u2019s like having a contract with yourself that guides you to know when to place your well-being above your commitments,\u201d she explains.\u00a0<\/p>\n As for the feeling of potentially \u201cletting down\u201d young people who admire you, Clements argues that it\u2019s actually a very good thing for young artists to see dancers they look up to place their mental and physical health first. \u201cI don\u2019t think there could be any better inspiration for our young dancers than hearing your idol say, \u2018I am pausing to put my mental health first,\u2019\u201d she states. Clements believes that \u201cthe most important lesson dancers can teach the next generation of performers is to work hard, be committed and stay focused whilst also respecting your health.\u201d<\/p>\n In these situations we can \u2014 perhaps even more so \u2014 also dread disappointing or burdening choreographers, artistic directors and others in positions of power. Campbell brings it back to authenticity, to know what emotions are yours and what are others\u2019. She also notes that we can sometimes perceive such pressures and expectations as bigger than they really are. It\u2019s natural to feel badly when we\u2019re stepping back from our commitments \u2014 yet, \u201cwe don\u2019t have to apologize for taking care of ourselves,\u201d Campbell also affirms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Structural and cultural supports\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Apart from what individuals can do to make more attuned, healthy decisions about when it might be time to take a pause from dance, Clements points to two larger structural forces at work. First, dancers must be provided with the tools to get to that more attuned, introspective place<\/a>, such as wellness workshops and available career and psychological counseling.\u00a0<\/p>\n Dancers also have to work in environments in which they feel empowered to be themselves and make choices that are best for themselves (as artists and as people). \u201cIt\u2019s all very well giving these skills to our dancers, but if managers or directors create a culture of fear around time off or stepping back, then real change can\u2019t happen<\/a>,\u201d Clements argues.\u00a0<\/p>\n Second, by consciously attending to their own well-being, those in leadership positions can set a positive example for dancers working with and under them. Campbell notes how now, as we reevaluate and rebuild norms and structures following COVID, is a great time to set in place these sorts of culture shifts within the dance field.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cReclamation is powerful,\u201d she asserts. Perhaps now is a time when we, as the dance field, can reclaim the ability to take time away from dance when we need it. Whether we do or not, whatever we decide is best, it\u2019s in our collective hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.<\/a><\/p>\n The post Mental health: When to persevere and when to step back<\/a> appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThe show must go on\u201d \u2014 it\u2019s perhaps the most quintessential performing arts adage. Yet,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=482"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":487,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/482\/revisions\/487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Lucie](\"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Lucie-Clements.-Photo-by-Rory-Chambers-Visuals.-1-1024x1024-1.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"Cashel](\"https:\/\/multiplemta.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Cashel-Campbell.-Photo-by-T.F.-Roo-Photography.-1024x1024-1.jpeg\")
<\/a>