Dancers and Eating Disorders - is there a connection?

There has always been a lot of talk about the art of dance being connected to the horrible diseases characterized as eating disorders.  I definitely think that when you become very competitive in dance, the thought of needing to be thin crosses your mind often.  I have a lot of experience in dance, and I know a lot about eating disorders.  I have been dancing since the early age of two years old.  I did every type of dance imaginable, and I have to say I was pretty good.  I came first runner up in the Miss Dance of Canada pageant, and I am the tap champion of Canada.  I just recently quit dance due to being too skinny.  Why might you ask was I too skinny? Well because I suffered from Anorexia Nervosa two years ago and have had trouble with my eating patterns ever since.  So I would definitely say I have a lot of experience with both of these topics.

Me in my pointe solo "Allegro"

Me and two friends after the Canadian Dance Masters pageant

Me in my contemporary solo "Get Up"

One reason why dancers are more likely to stop eating is the fact the environment and outfits they are working in.  I can tell you that when I danced, it was very difficult not to compare bodies with the other girls.  We were all wearing skin tight leotards so it was very obvious who had indulged in a big lunch and who was big boned.  Not only were we in skin tight clothing, but we were in a room that was absolutely filled with mirrors.  There were mirrors on every wall in the room so it was impossible to escape your reflection.  Another huge stresser when you are a dancer is the fact that in ballet class you are actually told to hold in your stomach.  There are a lot of moves in dance that are much easier for a "skinny" person.  I can definitely say it would be a lot harder to go on pointe (ballet on your toes) if I was overweight.  It would also be more difficult to balance, and get off the ground in the difficult jumps we were expected to do.  Also, it would be almost impossible for the boys to lift us when we were doing partner dancing.  So there is definitely a huge advantage to being skinny when you are trying to become a ballet star.

Another reason why dancers are more prone to eating disorders is their personality.  All of these dancers want to be the best of the best so they strive to be perfect.  I can definitely say that when I was in the studio working on my solos, I became a total perfectionist.  I had to make sure that my arms were graceful, my feet were pointed, my legs were stretched, my posture was perfect, and the list goes on.  I literally had to be "perfect" to be praised by my teacher.  The teachers at my studio expected nothing less than perfection from their top girls.  We also had to strive to be flexible.  Only about six girls out of my whole studio were born "flexible", yet almost every girl there could do the splits.  We had to push ourselves to the point of pain to get to where we were supposed to be.  Dancers' perfectionism really makes them more likely to strive for the perfect body by limiting what they eat, or stopping eating all together.

One more reason why dancers are more prone to eating disorders is the people they look up to.  I don't think I could name one person who made it as a dancer who was overweight or even just normal sized.  All professional dancers have the "perfect body".  If you look at any poster of a dancer you will definitely see an girl with narrow hips, little or no fat deposits, a slim middle, small breasts, delicate looking arms, and short height.  This is because all dancers have to look the same on stage for professional companies.  The star of the show is usually very thin so everybody else in the show has to be thin to match her. 

These are just a few reasons why dancers are more likely to become anorexic or bulimic.  Even though dancers have a higher rate of eating disorders, it doesn't mean that every single dancer is going to stop eating.  I know tons of girls who have a bigger build and are some of the most amazing dancers in the world.  I have a friend who is extremely muscular which is not the typical "dancers body", yet she was Teen Miss Dance of Canada, Miss Dance of Western New York, Americas Dancer of the Year five years in a row, and as if that wasn't enough, she has three world titles.  Eating disorders don't just happen to every girl who decides to dance, it really depends on the person and they personality they have. 

World champion in acro solo "Silent Night

Miss Dance of Western New York

World champion in pointe solo "Don't Stop Believing