Dear Dance Family:
Purpose (noun) the reason for which something is done or created or for which something exists.
I am writing to you today to share a significant evolution in my personal and professional purpose within the dance field. Movement has always been integral to my identity, and recently, this calling has become even clearer.
A student approached me about mentoring them for their senior college project, which focuses on positive reinforcement in dance education. This conversation clarified my mission: to demonstrate that dancers can receive an elite education without the damaging ramifications of an elitist mindset.
Many young dancers sacrifice their love for the art form and potential careers by obsessing over an unrealistic vision of perfection. This often leads to severe mental and physical health issues, including eating disorders, anxiety, injury, and depression. I believe it’s a critical oversight that we do not emphasize how dancers can achieve success without sacrificing their well-being. My students and mentors exemplify that it is possible to create strong, beautiful dancers in a positive, body-loving environment. I am committed to speaking out about this.
My mission is to foster a viable, successful, and elite dance education in a nurturing environment where all bodies are celebrated. This means focusing on age-appropriate pedagogy, dance history, and artistry, rather than societal pressures and diet culture.
I frequently encounter negative stigmas associated with dance. Parents often express hesitation when enrolling their children due to concerns about excessive makeup, revealing costumes, and mental health issues. I also meet parents who, despite their own negative dance experiences, worry that our positive reinforcement methods are not “harsh enough” or “fast-tracked enough” to produce a “winner.” This highlights a pervasive, almost unconscious, belief system within the dance community.
The essence of dance lies in community, empowerment, storytelling, strength, joy, body awareness, and art. It has nothing to do with superficial accolades. I want to transform the narrative so that parents enthusiastically embrace dance, seeing it as a world of authentic beauty, empowering costumes, and deep-seated self-love.
To achieve this, I will purposefully prioritize each dancer’s well-being over ego or accolades. This includes ensuring appropriate training hours, consistently reminding dancers of their inherent worth regardless of external achievements, and selecting costumes that flatter all body types.
My ultimate goal is to remain steadfast in this mission, despite societal pressures within current studio culture. I am committed to moving with purpose and creating dance education that truly serves all bodies, where perfection is not the objective and everyone feels a profound sense of belonging.
Moving With Purpose,
Mrs. Jen
