Dance, mirrors, weight
A dance teacher I had told me that when she was undergoing her dance training, she was restricted to only tofu and apples everyday. She said that was like a huge way to loose weight and makes one feel very light.That has become, to me the way dancers should strife to eat.
Then, I found this:
Athletes have special nutritional needs that will vary with sex, age, body composition and most importantly by the type, intensity, frequency and duration of the physical exercise. However the diet of certain groups of athletes such as ballet dancers is inadequate due to overly restrictive habits as a consequence of their obsession with losing or maintaining a low body weight that reflects an aesthetic preference for thinness. Physical exercise implies energy expenditure and thus, an increase in the energy intake is required to avoid possible situations of malnutrition. Both a negative energy balance and physical exertion have been shown to induce immunological changes which have been implicated as a possible explanation for increased susceptibility to illness and infections
Nutr Hosp, 1999 Sep-Oct;14(5):184-90.
Its true that dancers have an obsession with thinness. The desire to create an illusion of length, is further enhanced when one is thin. When you spend most of your day in a studio with mirrors for walls, its hard not to notice any bulging fats. Not least when you are clad in skin tight leotards which a friend once said to me "there is no way you can hide anything!" Therefore, dancers are disciplined. We are never late for classes, our hair is immaculately done up in a bun.. every strand has its place. Of course, with all these incalcated discipline, dancers are also disciplined eaters. In fact, they barely eat. Between practices with only 45min break, there really isn't much you want to eat or can eat. You really don't want to feel food bouncing in your stomach later during a jete or temp levee. And so usually, before you know it, the day has passed and you have barely eaten.
Having mirrors for walls, in my opinion makes dancers more self conscious. Its like how my teacher always says "Girls, you have to take care. Take care that your posture is right, your arms are held" You can say that dancing has made me more particular about how one looks. Which is good in a way, slightly different from the i'm-in-a-labcoat-therefore-i-don-care attitude.
Labels: dance
posted by eline @ 11:36 AM
Comments: 0
