 the male dancer
written by DancingDoc             on 24.12. at 22:16:35 - as answer to: Re: 13 and... advice (cont'd) by James of Ballet West atMOST dancers are generally thin but slightly built.. I don't think a lot of soloist, principal, or even backup dancers are USUALLY your weight. .... My advice is to lose a good number of your weight with healthy weight loss plans, eg excercise, eating right, etc. I would consult a doctor on the EXACT good advice. And added....the dancers are all generally skinny and somewhat UNDERbuilt. Sorry James, this is NOT GOOD ADVICE. Even you at 15 should not be following any weight loss diet. The reason is that Daniel at 13, and you at age 15, are within what is called the "growth spurt." You may have attained a good height, but your body is continuing to grow in many different ways. If you cut your nutrition at this age you risk certain problems for your future. Most (almost all) physicians do not understand the demands of dance training. This is because even if the physicians trained in "sports medicine," the concepts that underlie "dance medicine" are very different. Unfortunately the movement for dance medicine kind of fizzled out in the early 1980's, and the balance of what we call "sports medicine" never devoted much time and money into research in the demands of dance. The Ph. D., Linda Hamilton, who writes in DanceMagazine, has continued on with the best advice I've seen, and that's because her father, Dr. Hamilton, an orthopaedic surgeon, was instumental in attempts to make the world of medicine take dancers seriously, as athletes. Linda Spoke of the Dancer's Dilemma: Weight in the November 2000 issue. This was cursory, but the need for proper nutrition in dancers is extremely important. Although it may be true that many male dancers are skinny and underweight, my experience with a number of them taking college degrees in dance is that they are trying to GAIN weight. Just because you see skinny and underweight dancers does not mean you should emulate them. How do you know that these dancers don't run offstage and fall down, gasping for breath, after their solos? The stupid belief, for which I blame balanchine, that ballerinas should be as skinny as possible, has destroyed many lives and careers in dance. It is important that dancers stay true to their own bodies, and maintain proper nutrition. A balanced diet is extremely important. Daniel, please think carefully before you cut calories at your age. Find a physician who understands what you want in terms of your career, and with the help of a dance nutritionist, then plan a proper diet. Good luck! DancingDoc Answers to this message:
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