Dance for me is truly essential. It’s been such an integral part of who I am as a person, and it’s a very freeing art form in that your body is your instrument. And there’s a beauty to that, but then there are also some dangers.
When I was 13, I developed a pretty serious eating disorder. As I started the recovery process, I recognized a need for change.
My mission and goal with Dancers Beyond Labels is to uproot the stereotype for what a dancer should look like.
A huge part of our work is our educational programing. We’ve partnered with eating disorder therapistsand the biggest dance events company in the world to bring our professionally developed nutritional program to competitions and conventions.
We’ve also been able to work with hundreds of studio educators across the country to abide by our body image code of conduct.
Central to all of the work that we’re doing, truly, is engagement with younger dancers on a one-on-one basis. Everything comes down to reaching that one individual that could be struggling.
It’s been incredibly special to see the impact that we’ve been able to make and I’m so excited to improve dancer mental health and nutrition for years to come.