Dancers, Follow Your Dreams, Not Your Feed
The concerning connection between Instagram and dancer’s well being
Despite social media being a regular part of dancers’ lives, evidence suggests that it is having a negative impact on their overall health. In particular, dancers who are under pressure to appear a certain way or be athletic may be at higher risk.
In itself, this pressure can be damaging to a dancer’s physical and mental health, and having a social media presence may exacerbate this. Despite this, some dancers have multiple social media accounts. Instagram is particularly popular because it focuses on visuals rather than text.
Often on Instagram, dancers will perform difficult steps such as pirouettes, a complex technique which is challenging for most dancers to achieve. Pirouettes are turns or spins in one spot with legs and arms in a variety of positions. The dancers featured in these posts all have ideal bodies for dance with perfect turnout and extensions. Unfortunately, very few dancers are blessed with the perfect dancer’s body.
Due to the unattainable nature of the content posted, unattainable even for most dancers, the use of Instagram for these purposes can be damaging to a dancers’ physical and mental health.
On the physical realm, Rain Francis, a writer for Dance Informa, in her article The Dangers of Social Media for Dancers speaks with Lisa Howell, a physiotherapist and owner of the Ballet Blog, regarding injuries in ballet.
Howell explains that young dancers are putting themselves at risk of injury by copying photos and videos they see online. She clarifies that not everyone has the same body type and not all steps are possible for everyone to do safely. She explains that the skill level and training history of the online dancer may not be compatible with the dancer copying the post. They may be attempting steps that require more training and skill than they have.
Howell goes on to state that some online influencers are not qualified to be teachers and should not be referred to as examples for proper technique and training. Howell gives an example of a young girl who does stretching tutorials on YouTube with over 200,000 views who is unqualified to give this advice. Howell also points out that not all dance steps are safe for children.
As a young student I tried to emulate steps and positions that professionals posted. Most dance posts are from influencers, many of whom are not professionals. For example, Amber Skaggs, a dancer with the Phoenix Ballet, posted on her Instagram, ambernovella, a photo of her standing in 4th position bending so far back that her head is level with her glutes. This is the sort of step that would cause an injury like Howell suggests. It appears simple; however, it is not.
Also, in a CBC interview, newscaster Thomas Daigle and reporter Marika Wheeler interview Linda Paquette, a professor of physiology at the University of Quebec. She researched the relationship between risk of injury for professional athletes and filming themselves performing their sport with the intent to post online. Her results revealed that athletes are four times more likely to injure themselves while doing a recording. Paquette notes that athletes are willing to attempt riskier steps and tricks for posts and dancers are no exception.
I did not considered how this would affect my physical health all I cared about was the reaction on Instagram.
So why the increase in risk and ensuing injury?
Athletes push themselves in order to post more exciting content. Dancers are no different.
On my Instagram account, ella_hoogewerf, there is an old photo of me standing in arabesque, which is a step in classical ballet where a dancer balances in one leg with the other leg stretched out behind them. In the photo my leg is higher than my head; however, I have disregarded my technique in order to achieve a more impressive photo. My back is bent at an odd angle and the leg I am standing on is turned in, this means I have no support for my back and knees, increasing my risk for injury.
I did this despite being capable of safer technique; I did not considered how this would affect my physical health all I cared about was the reaction on Instagram. A similar disregard for technique can be found on other dancer’s Instagram accounts, as a result of this a dancer is more likely to damage their physical health.
A perfect example of this is Ashley Coupal an Orlando Ballet Trainee and winner of many dance competitions. She has an Instagram following of over 3000 and usually post photos and videos of her dancing.
In 2019, Coupal posted to Instagram, ashleycoupal, a video of her performing fouetté turns. Fouetté turns are a pirouette with a whipping action of one leg to create momentum and continue turning. Fouetté turns are extremely challenging and so it is easy to lose balance and control.
On her final turn, Coupal purposely knocks the cap off the bottle with her outstretched leg. This is in fact extremely dangerous. Coupal could have fallen or hit the table and injured herself. On stage, fouetté turns are only performed in a large space and would never be done near any object.
In addition to the physical concerns of using Instagram, there are also risks to a dancer’s mental health.
In their study “Exploring the Relationships Between Frequency of Instagram Use, Exposure to Idealized Images, and Psychological Well-Being in Women”, Mary Sherlock and Danielle L. Wagstaff, researchers from the Department of School of Health Science and Psychology at Fredericton University, found a correlation between social media use, in particular, Instagram, and increased symptoms of depression, anxiety and body image disturbances in women 18–35 years old.
The study exposed participants to images that showed idealized versions of travel, fitness and beauty. After participants were exposed to beauty and fitness images the participants gave themselves decreased ratings on their physical attractiveness. The study then concluded that time spent on Instagram led to a negative effect on one’s well-being, and even being briefly exposed to idealized versions of beauty causes one to believe they are less attractive. They believe long term exposure could be harmful.
Most professional dancers are within the age group the study focused on and many use Instagram. Dancers often compare their physical attributes to their peers, and online they do this even more. Online, there is nothing to stop a dancer from analyzing another dancer’s technique and body type and comparing themselves to them. It makes them powerless to the dancers they see online.
Dance photos are both athletic and beautiful since dance is about creating appealing lines using your body. Dancers tend to be perfectionists and hard on themselves. Photos of dance posted online depict an idealized version of a dancer and the steps they are performing.
Sherlock and Wagstaff’s study showed that images of idealized versions of fitness and beauty online decrease how attractive a person perceives themselves to be and increases symptoms of anxiety and body image dysphoria.
One can imagine that symptoms would be worse for dancers, as they are in a competitive industry that overemphasizes their body, fitness and beauty.
An example of this can be seen in the article “Social Media Stress” for Dance Spirit. Kathryn Holmes, a writer and dancer, interviews 14-year-old dance student, Rose, who says on Instagram she is constantly comparing herself to other dancers. If a fellow student posts something, she worries that she is not improving enough and feels threatened by the competition. She says that social media makes it easy for her to view herself unfavourably.
Additionally in their study, “Longitudinal Associations Between Cyberbullying Involvement and Adolescent Mental Health” by Amanda E. Fahy, Stephen A. Stansfeld, Melanie Smuk, Neil R. Smith, Steven Cummins and Charlotte Clark, all of whom are researchers with PhDs, attempted to find a relationship between cyberbullying and mental health in youth.
They surveyed 3,088 students aged 12–13 from 25 randomly selected schools in East London in 2012. They then followed up with the students in 2013 and 2014. Students who did not complete the follow-up survey were removed from the study, students who were absent for the first survey but completed the following ones were included in the results.
The survey measured the mental well-being, depression and social anxiety symptoms of students over time. It also asked students to identify their involvement in cyberbullying, as either cyber-victims (students who had received nasty or threatening comments and/or had rumours spread about them online) cyberbullies or uninvolved students (reported no bullying).
She explains that on Instagram she has experienced cyber bullying and it has upset her.
The results showed that cyber-victims were 95% more likely to report depressive and social anxiety symptoms than those who were uninvolved or cyberbullies. The article concludes that cyberbullying negatively impacts mental well-being and increases depression and social anxiety symptoms in youth.
To summarize, Fahy et als’ research, youth who experience cyberbullying are almost two times more likely to suffer from mental illness. Young dancers are particularly vulnerable to this because they often use social media and post about their dancing and training.
There is a definite presence of cyberbullying in the online dance community. Dancers judge other dancers’ technique and comment that they should not be allowed to go on pointe, or they may comment that a fellow dancer is either too thin or large to be healthy.
Alena Lebedeva is one such dancer, a seventeen-year old aspiring ballerina with 37.1k followers on Instagram, alionas_kate, posted a photo with a comment saying that it is hard to watch people humiliate others online. She explains that on Instagram she has experienced cyber bullying and it has upset her.
it’s hard to stay positive when she is on Instagram because of all the negativity
Elisabeth Beyer is another young dancer who has experienced cyberbullying. The 16-year-old who won the Senior Women’s Category at the Youth America Grand Prix’s New York City Finals (one of the largest dance competitions in the world). She often receives cruel comments on her Instagram posts directed at her weight.
In an interview, #InstagramOverload, with Kathleen McGuire, a writer with Dance Magazine, Beyer explains that it’s hard to stay positive when she is on Instagram because of all the negativity she receives about her weight and appearance.
These stories further reflect the results of Fahy et al whose research shows how cyberbullying can affect a person’s mental health. Dancers are potentially more vulnerable to cyberbullying as, for many dancers, professional or otherwise, dance is the focus of their lives.
From experience, I can say that posting a picture of myself dancing is stressful. Knowing one’s technique is not perfect or that one does not have an ideal body makes one feel vulnerable because one knows they will be judged, perhaps harshly. Cyberbullying directed at a dancer can be devastating.
Instagram can affect dancers at all stages of their career, from students to professionals alike, but, despite that, dancers feel a pressure to be online in fear that they will miss out on opportunities.
Dancers’ Instagram accounts are like a portfolio of what a dancer can do; they hope that be putting themselves out there they may get a job opportunity. Some directors and choreographers will check a dancer’s Instagram before hiring them, and sometimes people in the dance community will reach out to fellow dancers and choreographers after discovering them online. Dance is competitive and dancers will take every advantage they can get. If your peer is on Instagram and you are not, they have a better chance of being hired than you.
Dancers need more education about the risks of social media before they go online.
I suggest that every dance school and company have a mandatory course on the effects of social media and how to use it appropriately as a dancer. Dancer’s of all levels are notorious for poor eating habits for fear of gaining weight, so most post-secondary dance programs have mandatory nutrition courses. Similarly, there should be dialogue about the risks and damage the use of Instagram can have on a dancer’s mental and physical health.
If students were aware that they had an increased risk of injury, they would be more cautious as athletes know what how a serious injury can affect their training. In addition, it would be beneficial for teachers to be present for photo shoots. For the dancers’ emotional well being teachers should have open discussions with students about mental health and its importance. Teachers should talk to students about how the online dance world does not necessarily represent reality.
So why do dancer’s resort to Instagram, apart from the fear of missing out?
Aspiring dancers rarely receive much guidance on whether they are heading in the right direction. Teachers do not say whether or not a student has the skills to pursue a particular style of dance, or if they think that student has a chance of having a career in dance at all. Students feel lost, and those who do choose to pursue dance do so of their own volition.
Students turn to social media to look for similarities between themselves and professional dancers in an attempt to find some confirmation that they can succeed in this industry.
The internet only represents a small portion of the dance industry and this is discouraging for students. It is also untrue that the dance community is large and ever changing and most people who have the skill level needed can find a place in it.
I do not believe it is feasible for dancers to go completely silent online, nor do I think dancers would want to. What the dance community needs is open conversation about how to safely use social media.
