National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) has made HDC founding member and Past President Andrea Downie's article Equity-Informed Dancer Wellness open-access for the months of August and September. Read the article at Journal of Dance Education: Full article: Equity-Informed Dancer Wellness (tandfonline.com).
3 Comments
![]() Motor Development and the Young Dancer (by HDC members Dr. Donna Krasnow and Dr. Virginia Wilmerding) has been made available to the public on the open resources page of the website, while their latest resource, Motor Control and Dance, has been released with early-access to our members on the members' page. Longtime HDC board member, Nicole Inica Hamilton, and HDC member Amber Downie-Back were involved in the 2022 AMANI Project. AMANI (Artist Mentorship and Networking Interplay) shares intergenerational wisdom among African Diasporic artists and educators while creating an enduring archive of their contributions to the cultural fabric of the world. Programming includes recorded interviews and panel discussions, as well as a commemorative magazine.
Healthy Dancer Canada is pleased to partner with Human Kinetics Canada for a book giveaway. The winner will be able to select any book from their dance collection page!
HOW TO ENTER: Be the first HDC member to email the Healthy Dancer Canada Newsletter with an answer to the following question: What is the mission of Healthy Dancer Canada? Email your response to newsletter.healthydancercanada@gmail.com. The first person with the correct answer will win the above mentioned prize. The winner will be contacted by Human Kinetics in order to arrange receival of your prize. The winner must meet the "How to enter" guidelines above. This contest is open to contestants in Canada only. The prize will be mailed to contest winner and is transferable to another Canadian address should the winner wish to provide their win as a gift. One prize bundle per winner. Healthy Dancer Canada is pleased to announce our new BIPOC Emerging Artist Scholarship Program! This new scholarship aims to address existing and/or anticipated barriers faced by BIPOC artists pursuing careers in dance, and to improve access to supports that will further racialized artists in their professional pursuits.
The dire discrepancy between opportunities available for White versus BIPOC artists is not only evidenced in the lived experience of these artists, but one further evidenced by rigorous scholarly research. According to 2016 research by Data USA, approximately 79.5 percent of female-identifying ballet dancers are white, while only 6.72 percent are African American. Data USA also found that among post-secondary ballet students, white students earned 90.7% of Bachelor’s degrees and 75% of Master’s degrees awarded in this field in 2019. Another recent study by Hill Strategies on the Demographic Diversity of Artists in Canada in 2016 found that Indigenous artists make a median income of 68 cents for every $1 for non-Indigenous artists, while racialized artists make a median income of 72 cents for every $1 for non-racialized artists. These numbers not only clearly demonstrate the lack of diversity in the professional ballet world, but also exemplify concerning trends in the dance world at large that are in urgent need of addressing. Interested applicants may also express interest in HDC’s Mentorship Program, which will pair the emerging artist with an established dance professional in a mentoring relationship for six hour-long meetings over a designated six-month period (six sessions total). The Mentorship Program aspires to offer further professional advice, guidance, resources, and emotional/social support to BIPOC artists in the early stages of their dance career. Format:
Submit applications and nominations to bipoc.healthydancercanada@gmail.com. Submission deadline: January 1, 2022. Successful applicants/nominees will receive a response not later than February 1st, 2022. Healthy Dancer Canada is pleased to announce three new workshops!
We are also pleased to share our newest resource Nutrition Tips for Dancers by Marie Scioscia, currently available to members through early-access on the members-only page. We also now have available to the public Encouraging Continued Participation in Dance at Adolescence by Siobhan Mitchell on the open dance resources page.
Don't miss DSSE virtual conference this summer!
Visit dancescienceandsomatics.com for more information. ![]() HDC Past President and BIPOC Advocacy Working Group member, Andrea Downie, had the opportunity to interview Dr. Janelle Joseph of University of Toronto about the importance of representation in dance and academia. AD - How does lack of representation impact dancers’ / athletes’ health, wellbeing, and performance? JJ - Lack of representation impacts dancers’ / athletes’ health and wellbeing as it can lead to enhanced feelings of being an imposter and doubt over one’s inclusion and talents. When Black dancers don’t see themselves represented in the teachers, dance school owners, administrators, or educators they may not imagine that those roles are for them. They might limit their imaginations and restrict their roles. As a Black dance teacher and educator, I have acted as a role model and mentor for many people. Black leaders provide guidance to all learners, but especially People of Colour, to understand how to navigate their careers. AD - Please discuss the importance of representation in academia. JJ - Representation in academia is essential for the same reasons. Faculty have to not only guide students but decide on curricula, syllabi, and do committee work within the department that helps to shape the departmental and faculty culture. Without racialised and specifically black faculty the knowledge that is produced about black communities will be limited. This will affect student learning, which ultimately has an impact on the broader culture as students with understanding of and respect for Black peoples and cultures will end up influencing many different industries in anti-racist ways. AD - What are some of the barriers that Black dance scholars face in the academy? JJ - The barriers faced by Black dance scholars are replicated in many different faculties. It is clear that hiring practises are not equitable. In addition to being excluded from hiring and promotion, there is an over-burden of equity work in addition to academic work even if one’s research and teaching do not focus on Black issues. Many Black faculty feel obligated to make things more fair for the next generation to come and end up doing more service work. The burden is especially heavy for those socialized as women who feel pulled into caring and administrative roles. Another important issue for black dance scholars is that we often have to be away from our campuses for research. There is great research happening on black dance in Canada. However, many dance researchers need to travel to Brazil, the U.S., the African continent or across the Caribbean for their research. This can add additional strain to our faculty members role and our personal lives. I don’t think scholars in bench science or humanities consider these additional pressures. AD - How would you describe your research to those not in academia? JJ - To those not in academia I say my research relates to ideas of movement (including dance, sport, and martial arts) and ideas of culture (including race, multiculturalism, and nationalism). I love exploring the meanings we make from, communities we form within, and stories we tell about the moving body. Dr. Janelle Joseph is an Assistant Professor in Critical Studies of Race in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education and Founder and Director of the Indigeneity, Diaspora, Equity, and Anti-racism in Sport (IDEAS) Lab. Dr Joseph studies broadly defined movement practices including dance and carnival culture, and produces award-winning research including three books. https://kpe.utoronto.ca/faculty/joseph-janelle |
AuthorHDC connects dancers, dance educators, health care professionals and researchers across the country via our News blog and Members' Newsletter. Share our news and newsletters in your studio, school or clinic! Categories
All
Archives
January 2023
|