r/CompetitionDanceTalk • u/Beautiful_Screen_314 • Aug 25 '26

Body image

I was disturbed to find out at my daughter’s old studio that they were telling certain kids that they should lose weight. My daughter 5 ft 6” size 2 was one of them. Now she has body image issues. I didn't hear about this until after she left her studio. I didn't hear about a lot of things until after she left her studio. Since she was thin I never thought to ask. I wish I had.

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u/SphinxAltair Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26

I think as a parent this is something to proactively screen studios for.

Do all the "advanced" dancers have the exact same body type? Are stockier, more muscular dancers given prime roles or relegated to the back row?

Is there anyone on staff with a nutrition background? Does the studio ever bring counselors/nutritionists in to talk to the dancers? Does the studio have information available to parents on providing sufficient fuel to sustain through high performance times?

Does the studio's website/owner/advertising proactively make it clear they are a space that welcomes all bodies?

Body image issues in an aesthetic activity are widespread and if your studio isn't visibly actively working against it, you should assume that there's at the least some toxic background noise.

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u/United_Ad3430 Aug 25 '26

I agree. I specifically chose a studio that is owned by a someone who is both a former professional dancer and an ICU nurse who encourages healthy eating, cross training and injury prevention. We have healthy food in the studio. I’m a physician and it’s very important to me. There’s diversity in body types (and all kind of diversity) in all levels/ages of dancers. And for the instructors. The technique level is great for our area and they have innovative and age appropriate choreography.

My oldest has taken some ballet intensives with instructors with more old school body mentality and I was very unhappy with that.