Kathryn Morgan - Mental Health and Body Image
The video I have shared contains sensitive content.
Kathryn Morgan danced with New York City Ballet before developing autoimmune disease. After 9 years out of the dancing professionally for ballet companies in the US, she joined Miami City Ballet (MCB) as a soloist. She describes the shocking truth of what happened to her whilst she was there from August 2019 to March 2020. In brief, Kathryn explains how her mental health and negative body image escalated whilst dancing for MCB.
I believe she is so brave. Full of honesty and wisdom. Dancers must prioritise their mental and physical health. What was said to her at MCB I think is absolutely disgraceful, but her learning process and reflective journey is an inspiration.
Please comment your thoughts and opinions.
I got totally sucked in to this video. It’s bad enough in MT & acting so I can’t even imagine how bad it is within the dance world. These kind of comments get to you and seen to stay with you, and like she says- it’s not worth it for a role or a contract!
ReplyDeleteI also explored Kathryn Morgans videos and interviews during module two, it seems to me that we have a similar area of interest regarding our inquiry topic. I agree that dancers/performers should prioritise their mental health but another question is where is the support from the industry itself? Should it not be something already set in place to aid our performers to deal with the emotions and high level of demand expected from them. Specifically some ballet companies can be old fashioned and the idea of shaming someone for the way they look was seen as an acceptable method to get the performer to reach the ideal body that was/is required. We are not in a time where this should be acceptable and some dance styles have changed, we see more diverse body types in the commercial/ jazz and musical theatre setting than we did before. I believe that as an answer the way the professionals that teach or hire us as performers need retraining in the idea of body positivity and what is acceptable conduct when training a performer. I have written a blog about anxiety and the audition process that we share themes of interest on and I would love to get your input and thoughts on it! https://mollydutton.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteHi Molly. I see your point about gaining support from the industry itself. However, if you are self-employed there is no governing body to help you. No teacher, director, company manager. More often than not, artists are on short term contracts. Companies that tour won't have a base, or a 'hub' as such, where facilities such as an on-site physio, therapist and gym are available. It is a tricky problem to 'solve'. If you are a member of Equity union, there are helplines to use. In terms of the bigger picture, I think just acknowledging that mental health and stability is just as important as physical injuries is a huge step for the industry. Will happier artists lead to better creations, performances and new ideas? You may disagree, but I believe the phrase 'body positivity' is thrown around a lot these days. For me, 'body acceptance' seems to be more fitting. It is quite natural to want a better core, more toned arms etc... but accepting what is in front of the mirror that day is really important. Of course let's be positive about our bodies, embrace what they do for us every single day. But I listened to a podcast about body image, and those two phrases are very different. I will have a look at your blog!
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