Dance has just been categorized as the most physically demanding job in the U.S. The country may be shocked, but dancers could not be less surprised. But, for some reason, even though dancers fight for recognition of working in an intensely physical profession, when injury happens, dancers have a hilarious reaction. They are shocked and completely surprised. “I can’t believe I’m injured!!! How did this happen?!!”
Well, with dance being the most physically demanding job in the US, you would expect it to come with at least some injuries…
It is rare that a dancer can escape a full career without at least a minor injury. And how could we? Our bodies are our instruments, and bodies do not have the perfect track record of being indestructible. And that is OKAY!
Today, we aren’t going to focus on the body’s way of dealing with injuries. There is a lot of information out there on what to physically DO when you are injured. At some point I might even write a blog post on it. But here, I wanted to talk about the mind. Mentally, how do you handle getting injured? How can we discuss reframing our mindset when dealing with injury?
Inspiration for this idea-
Last week I was in Austin, Texas doing a workshop through ARCOS Dance. They brought in Sidra Bell from NYC, and we got to participate in her MODULE. It was a really unique experience! One of the ideas that popped up during the workshop was the idea of “EGO” and how your ego can be a harmful motivator in your dance practice.
This was really evident to me at the workshop since the entire four days was improv. At first, I found myself being occupied with what people were thinking of me. I wasn’t listening to my body and growing an introspective mind/body connection. After I let this go, I was able to have a super fulfilling and enriching experience and learned so much.
EGO mindset VS. GROWTH mindset.
Dance is obviously a performance art. An innate desire dancers have is showing people what we are doing through performance. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that at all if it is done with healthy motivation. Whenever your EGO is your motivator, you want to perform, get complimented, get good reviews, and get lots of positive recognition for what you are doing. You aren’t as interested in the rehearsal process, the technique classes, finding just the right music, developing your creative voice etc. If no one comes to your performance, would you still be glad you went through the process of developing your work?
Personal realization-
This realization hit me hard a couple of years ago. I was in college, and it was the first time I presented my choreography in a show. After the show I was so excited to get complimented. Seriously. So conceited and ego driven. But not ONE person said anything. I was crushed. But I had that opportunity to reevaluate my motivation. It was not in a healthy place for me because I was dependent on others for validation of my work. Maybe you are in a place similar or have been before.
It is one thing if your ego is driving your dance practice. But, ego is even more harmful when injuries show up. Which they will. I have generalized two responses that ego-driven people have when dealing with injuries.
2 “Ego” responses to injury:
- Denial
- Depression
If you get injured and find yourself in one of these camps- maybe this is an indication that your ego is playing a bit too big of a role in your life and you need to let that go so you can recover from injury. If not you will experience what I call an ego driven cycle of injury. There is nothing wrong with your body. You are strong and well trained. But because you can’t get over yourself long enough to rest and recover, you will be oscillating through the cycle of injury for possibly the rest of your career.
EGO mindset vs. GROWTH mindset. Very important.
What do these mindsets look like?
Denial:
You get injured. You play it off as nothing. “It’s fine, no big deal” Sitting out and watching class is not an option, because that would be really pathetic. You’re here aren’t you so you might as well just get through class? You don’t want to admit the true amount of pain you are in. A doctor would tell you that you need to take time off of dance, so the thought of getting checkout out is a bit scary. You aggressively try to stretch and rehab it even though it hurts. You think, this is what “real” dancers go through so I guess being in pain 24/7 is the life now.
Depression:
You get injured. Why does this always happen to you?? You have accepted your fate of having to not dance for the next couple of weeks. Why does your body hate you? Everyone else is way better than you and it is just not fair that they are okay and you’re not. Since you injured ___ you could probably still work on ___ but you just have no motivation to do that. Maybe you should start cross training? Well there is no point until after you’re back to dance. Which will take SO, LONG.
Do one of these sound like you?
If so, you are not allowing yourself grace and patience because your EGO is the one that is controlling you.
As a dancer, it is OKAY to take time off of dance to recover from an injury. It is OKAY to take time off of dance even if you don’t have an injury to pursue other creative/educational endeavors. Not having perfect attendance in class is OKAY. It is OKAY to take the summers off and not go to a flashy summer intensive.
Sigh of relief.
If you find yourself getting injured- which you probably will at some point since you’re in the most physically demanding job in the US- replace the ego mindset with the growth mindset.
Growth Mindset:
You get injured. You understand that this your body communicating to you that you need to slow down. Resting is a priority, and you take some time off to recover. “Now I can spend some time focusing on the idea of my next choreographic work!” You limit your activity. Research about the area that you injured and consult professionals. You listen to your body. You have gratitude for your body for being able to move. “What do I need to do to rebalance my weaknesses?” You work your way back to 100%. Cultivation of the mind/body connection is key.
Of course, there are steps you need to take to treat and rehab your injuries. I don’t think the power of positive thinking will heal fractures and strains, but I think if you work on reframing the mindset for injury from an ego mindset to a GROWTH mindset, it will just make your life a whole lot more enjoyable as you go through the healing process.
If you get injured, there are medical professionals out there that “speak dance”. I talk about two sources in this earlier blog ^^ that you can use to find all kinds of healthcare practitioners that were dancers, or have worked with dancers and actually understand what we are going through. Check it out and find someone that you can work together with to get back to dancing!
2 Comments
This idea of “ego driven cycle of injury” is really helpful. Thank you for this blog and the encouragement to adopt a growth mindset!