How to Encourage Mental Toughness in our Dancers with Chelsie Hightower
Recently I had the chance to sit down with Bri from Apolla Performance and professional dancer Chelsie Hightower, who you might recognize from So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars. Chelsie and I found each other when a mutual friend connected us because she knew I would resonate with the mission behind Chelsie’s clothing line. Inside Out works to produce dancewear that encourages the next generation to know their worth. That mission for understanding your personal value and worth struck home for me. So I immediately wanted to connect and work with Chelsie.
That connection brought us both to Apolla Performance's show Beyond the Steps show. Bri and Chelsie and I worked together to try and answer the question, “how do we encourage mental toughness in our dancers while still validating their feelings and emotions? It was such a good conversation I wanted to share it with you here! So this is my conversation with Bri and Chelsie about encouraging mental toughness in our dancers.
Here are some highlights:
- [2m 47s] “The show must go on” mentality
- [6m 18s] Coping with the pressure of being a professional dancer
- [10m 15s] The danger of our current dance culture
- [12m 23s] Tradition goes too far when it’s unchecked
- [20m 46s] Is everyone’s mental toughness threshold different?
- [24m 31s] How the dance industry promotes unhealthy habits and what do you do when you’ve pushed someone too far
- [25m 26s] Industry’s pressure to be perfect all the time
- [33m 37s] Mental health vs. mental toughness
- [37m 40s] What do we do to help dancers improve their mental toughness?
- [42m 45] How can dancers (and parents) support their mental toughness?
Mentioned in today’s show:
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Have you tried Apolla Socks? I couldn’t believe how much better my body felt the first time I wore mine and now I’m obsessed with ALL of them! The only dance footwear accepted by the American Podiatric Medical Association, and they are running holiday sales you don’t want to miss! Go to: www.apollaperformance.com
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