Peter Lovatt - Do dancers have lower self - esteem than non-dancers?

I recently watched Dr Peter Lovatt (Head of Dance Psychology Lab at the university of Hertfordshire) video on how his research shows that dancers do not have lower self-esteem than non-dancers.

Peter talks about dance and thinking and how moving the body in certain ways, rythmic or unrythmic changes the way you think and solve problems. Which links with the way you move your body and conversion and diversion problem solving - thought processes. He states that dancers are able to recognise emotions in dance and communicate emotions through movements. He then goes on to state that there is a link between dancing and your hormonal make up and the way in which you move your body is linked to your hormonal & genetic make up.

Peter talks about his life experience, communicating was difficult for him and dancing came natural, when he danced it changed his mood; He thought more differently, felt better and thought more clearly allowing his mood to be uplifted. He believes that we are born to dance and that dance was used as a form of communication and social bonding before verbal language. 'Dance is a fundamental part of language, a fundamental part of communication'.

He goes on to talk about dance and self esteem and that literature has suggested that dancers have lower self esteem than non dancers. Self esteem (umbrella term) - 'The degree to which one values oneself' (Reber, dictionary of psychology). He suggests that when we measure self esteem we have to be careful about what it is where measuring, what aspect of self esteem.

Other elements of self esteem:

- Domain specific:  How good am I at what I do? What is my self worth?

- Domain general: What sort of person am I?

- Trait: How persistant is my self esteem?

- State: How you feel right now?

- Personal: How good I am personally with other people?

- Social: How comfortable and secure am I in my social relationships?

- Appearance: How you feel about the way you look?

All different types of self esteem can be measured differently and altered and changed in each of us.

So why is this relevant in dance training?

- Some studies have reported that dancers have lower self esteem than non dancers.

- The dance training enviroment is responsible for reducing a persons self-esteem. Peter suggested that if this is the case, there needs to be thought about changes in the dance enviroment.

So what? Why should this matter? What is the issue?

- Low self-esteem is a predictor of eating disorders (Button 1996; Grant&Fodor, 1986; Pesa, 1996)

- Low self-esteem is associated with:

                                                      - Stress(Fryer et al. 1997)

                                                      - Depression (NHS)

                                                      - Self-harm (NHS)

If low self-esteem wasn't a problem then it wouldn't matter whether dancers have high or low self-esteem, but if dancers have low self-esteem it can lead to these kind of things. Lovatt suggests that if it is the dance enviroment that has changed a person's self-esteem, lowered it in some sort of way, it becomes very very important.

Evidence that links to dancers having low self-esteem:

- Alter (1984)

- Bakker (1988 & 1991)

- Bettle et al. (2001)

- Hamilton et al. (2001)

- Marchant - Haycock & Wilson (1992)

- Solomon et al. (2001)

- Taylor (1997)

These researchers looked at the relationship between dance and self esteem and there was no consistent pattern found between papers. However these 3 papers argue that dancers have lower self-esteem than non-dancers:

- Bakker (1988 & 1991)

- Marchant - Haycock & Wilson (1992)

- Bettle et al. (2001)

Bakker took 15 dancers aged 15 from a ballet school and compared those with an equal number of none dancers. He found that the ballet dancers had lower self esteem than the non dancers. He then took 11-12 year olds and concluded that there was a lower self-esteem in dancers again.

Reasons being:

- Constantly told their not very good

- Self- selection (reinforce negative feelings) (Bakker, 1991)

- Teaching methods reduce self-esteem (Buckroyd, 2000) Argues that dancers go into dance college with high self-esteem andcome out with extremely low self esteem.

- Mirrors effect body image (Radell et al. 2002) Argues that self - perception was higher when the mirrors weren't there.

- Tight clothing has effect on self-perceptions (Price & PettiJohn, 2006)

These 3 papers argue that dancers have high self-esteem:

- Solomon et al. (2001)

- Hamilton et al. (1989)

- Alter (1984)

Solomon looked at professional dancers, finding that they had high self-esteem.

I can agree with this as I believe professional dancers are bound to have high self-esteem, they are working consistently and professionally in what they are trained in and love doing. However the large amount of dancers who are trained professionally to a high level who are not working as a professional dancer are bound to have lower self-esteem. I believe we cannot categorise that 'all dancers have lower self-esteem' as there is a wide range of dancers on the scale to think about; Dancers training at college (In a bubble, in a comfort zone - doing what they love every day and yet to go into the profession)Experienced Professional dancers (Dancers who have danced professionally for many years with a large ammount of experience) Professional dancers (Dancers who are new to the industry and recently had their first professional job) Trained dancers but not working professionally (Dancers who are trained but struggling to gain a professional job)

To state that dancers have 'low self-esteem' than non-dancers I feel you would have to consider and take into account the aspects above.

Lovatt replicates the studies as he believes that in previous studies:

- There was no consistent way of measuring self-esteem

- Only small samples were used

- Was difficult to draw together

- There are different types and levels of dancers

- All studies used very different methods of measuring self-esteem

Present study on whether dancers have lower self-esteem than non-dancers:

- Larger sample (816)

-Vary in dance styles, level, frequency

- Dancers, ex dancers, non-dancers

- Targeted groups on-line

- Rosenbierg self-esteem scale (1965) (Trait)

-Heatherton & Polivy (1991) (state)

Lovatt talks about there being an issue defining who was a dancer and who wasn't a dancer as he suggests that it is difficult to define yourself as a dancer if you are not earning a lot of money professionally.

Lovatt studies shows that dancers do NOT have lower self-esteem than none dancers. Questions used in the sample:

-What sort of styles?

- How long have you been doing the styles?

- When they last did the style?

- Level they are at at thestyle?

He used an anova to analyse this and there was no difference in trait and state self-esteem.

He concludes that:

- Self esteem varies with level or experience

- Dancers do not have lower self-esteem than non-dancers

- Self esteem varies with dance frequency

- Self esteem carries with dance expertise

- Self esteem changes over time

- There are different levels of self esteem.

What next?

- What is the self esteem of advanced yet Non-Professional Dancers?

- What other factors interact with self-esteem in dancers?

- What happens to millions of people who train all those years? but never work as a dancer in their life?

 After watching this video, I agree with neither studies. The question 'do dancers have lower self esteem than non-dancers' A large percentage of dancers could have lower self-esteem than non-dancers but then a large percentage of dancers could also have higher self-esteem than non-dancers. There is no yes or no for this questions as it depends on many factors. I also believe it depends on the type of person you are and how you deal with certain situations and obstacles you face.

As I wanted to look into psychology within a dancer as a potential inquiry I thought this video would be interesting to watch, however as I am becoming more passionate about teaching now I want my inquiry to link to my teaching. So I am now thinking how I can link both together and come up with a possible inquiry relating to psychology within dance in the teaching enviroment.

Feedback from initial questions

As I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to ask some of my questions to experienced teachers. I now have feedback from 3 different experienced teachers which I feel will help me develop my practice. Below is the feedback from a mix of questions.



Feedback from Initial questions

(Dance teacher, aged 22, Teaches age 3-16)

-          How would you teach a class of students/children at different levels with different capabilities and skills? Without holding the more capable students back but also not making the class too difficult and advanced for the less capable students?

I would split the class into different groups, teach the more capable ones something at a fast pace and let them practice to get it perfect. Then the less capable I would really take my time going over and over it with them a little section at a time. If it was for a routine I would probably separate the class into groups and teach the more capable ones something advanced and the less capable something a little easier. I would then allocate them their own sections in the dance.

-          How would you get the best out of every student without focusing all your attention on the students with more potential than others?

To get the best out of every student I think you need to make them all feel like there just as good as each other, even the ones who don’t have as much potential I try to give a lot more positive feedback to them. For example tell them there doing great and good try allowing them to keep their confidence up and keep focused.

-          When a student/child is constantly distracting the class and demanding attention from you – how would you keep the class moving forward without wasting time constantly having to speak to the demanding child?

When a child is constantly distracting the class, I always tell them they have 3 chances. If I have to shout at them or say their name more than 3 times then I make them sit at the front and don’t allow them to join in with the rest of the class. It usually works and if they do sit out, the usually say sorry straight away and ask to join back in.

-          How would you keep children fully engaged when they start to get distracted whilst also keeping your lesson plans and objectives in tact?

To keep children fully engaged throughout the class, I think you have to keep the class exciting and keep referring to what they are going to get out the end. Eg the classes are always working towards something at the end either exams or a show, so I make it clear to them that if they keep working this hard and stay focused that they will look great on the stage, or how well they will do in their exam.

(Dance teacher, aged 35, Teaches all ages 3-21 – Dance schools &vocational college’s)

How would you teach a class of students/children at different levels with different capabilities and skills? Without holding the more capable students back but also not making the class too difficult and advanced for the less capable students?

 I have chosen to respond to your question regarding teaching a class off students with different levels/mixed abilities.
It’s actually very common for me to find myself in front of this type of class, as street dance/commercial is not a ‘Core’ subject on the time table such as ballet/jazz etc, therefore I do not have the privilege of splitting the classes into A and B groups. This often means that I can be teaching up to 30 students all with varying dance backgrounds. My first year students are typical of this mixed level grouping, with the majority having never experienced commercial street before and a handful of advanced street dancers who are at vocational college mainly for the more technical side of their training. In light of this, it can be difficult to meet all students’ needs in one class.
How I work to overcome this is to teach a block of commercial choreography, one that challenges musicality, dynamics, levels etc and break it down so that all students have a better understanding of how each move should feel (kinaesthetically). There will always be some students who are slower to pick up the routine therefore once choreography is broken down; I put them into smaller groups to go over it. What I’ve done in previous sessions is to give my more advanced group the challenge of choreographing a further 16 counts whilst I work with those that are struggling with the style/dynamics/weight placement etc. I have then sometimes challenged advanced students further by then asking them to teach their choreography to rest of the students. This way, those struggling to pick up the choreography get the chance to work in a more intimate group under my guidance until they are more confident, and those who appear to be flying through class then have to think about putting together their own choreography whist also paying attention to the musicality, flow etc. The final challenge comes with having to break it down and teaching it to their peers. I have found that some advanced students will rise to this task with ease, whilst others, although strong commercially, feel a little out of their comfort zone coming up with choreography but it does push them to think in a different way.
At the end of session I like each smaller group to perform in front of their peers. They are then given individual feedback and informally assessed on their progress. Students are also asked to observe and give a positive comment along with an area for improvement.
 
Another differentiation exercise is to get more advanced students to perform the choreography facing away from the mirrors, I also ask them to change up at least one move and make it their own, Or, to interact with each other- for example they might freestyle during the first few counts of music before the choreography starts.
 
I find these types of exercises keep more advanced students on their toes as it poses further challenges on top of what they have already learnt.
Students who are not as confident start to emulate the style of the more advanced dancers and start to become more confident within their performance.
Everyone is pushed, but at the right level for them as individuals.

Megan Lewis feedback

When a student/child is constantly distracting the class and demanding attention from you – how would you keep the class moving forward without wasting time constantly having to speak to the demanding child?

If it's one child, and it's constant I would ignore the poor behaviour and praise the good behaviour (of everyone) as much as possible in the hope that they are just looking for attention and I can guide them in the correct direction. I would also have a chat with the parent and see if there is a problem elsewhere.

With younger children I often remind them all to put their "dance brain" in at the start of class and we go to the pretend cupboard and get out our pretend locked box etc. I can then "remind" them of anything I'd like them to think about during the lesson. Set out your expectations.

If one of my children older children/students does something I don't approve of etc I do speak to them about it - they might not know it is inappropriate. Once I've explained, I don't expect to see them doing it again. They appreciate my fairness, I appreciate their cooperation! If they don't cooperate, I'm not fair...

I think it's much more beneficial for the children to feel as though they have been rewarded, rather than reprimanded. Words mean a lot. Also, establishing rules and boundaries and sticking to them is vital.

After reading the feeback from these questions I will allow myself to try new methods and approaches to take when teaching my classes. I realise not all teachers will deal with situations the same way but I believe it is about finding a right way for me and what I feel will benefit the children the most.

Developing my questions 'Managing, engaging, and interacting with young children in an active setting like a dance class can be extremely challenging'



Recently I have been struggling in one of my year 3-6 classes (Mainly yr 3’s). I have been keeping notes on why the class doesn’t seem to be working as well as the other classes I teach. What I have noticed is that the children’s attention spans and concentration levels are really lacking, but could this be down to me?

Two questions I posted as part of my inquiry in a previous blog were:

-          When a student/child is constantly distracting the class and demanding attention from you – how would you keep the class moving forward without wasting time constantly having to speak to the demanding child?

-          How would you keep children fully engaged when they start to get distracted whilst also keeping your lesson plans and objectives in tact?

These are the two main areas that relate to the class I am teaching. Below is an article I found ‘Managing, engaging, and interacting with young children in an active setting like a dance class can be extremely challenging’. This article has really given me insight to how I feel I could be going wrong with the class:

-       Am I making the class fun enough? ‘You should be the most interesting thing in the room! ‘

-       Am I being too strict bearing in mind ‘Young kids enrolled in a dance class are there to have fun?’

-       Am I spending too much time on a single activity? ‘ A common mistake in teaching classes with young children is to spend too much time on a single activity’

-       Am I constantly telling the disruptive child off without thinking of other methods and approaches to take? ‘

‘Instead of constantly reprimanding the child, enlist his/her help in some way. Ask her to be your helper when handing out props, or recruit him to make the check marks in the attendance roster. Sometimes your faith in the student as you offer them this responsibility is all the incentive they need to behave better.’

Coming from a very strict dance training background I have started to realise that the way I teach is quite strict, forgetting that some classes I take are after school dance club classes where children are there as a hobby not to become  professional dancers. I focus and spend too much of my time wanting to get as much as I can out of the children throughout the hour without wasting a minute. Whereas sometimes it can be as effective if not more effective if I tried incorporate elements of fun into my lessons. I have never taught a class by ‘playing games’ with the students as I was never taught that way and I believe you are a reflection of what you have been taught. However this article has answered some of my lines of inquiry and made me think twice about how I am teaching these young children.  

This article has allowed me to review and reflect on the class I am struggling with. I will now change my lessons plans and objectives for this class in particular and hopefully see some positive changes.

Managing, engaging, and interacting with young children in an active setting like a dance class can be extremely challenging.

Photo by Tommy Wong

I have found that classes for dancers under six or seven require the most preparation, the most energy, and the most patience.

A young assistant once stated, “I had this big idea of how the kids would act and how the class would be, and this is more hard work than what I thought.”

She is very right. It is a lot of hard work and a teacher that does it well may seem to know magic the rest of us don’t. But really, it’s all about problem solving.

Below are strategies for dealing with the short attention spans and behavioral challenges typical of the preschool (3-6 years) age group — and maybe even older!

1. Add layers to the movement

When teaching basic dance skills, repetition is important. Keep skill practice interesting by layering your instruction with imagery. Find occasions to play pretend that will also enhance their understanding.

For port de bras exercise, you can ask children to pretend that the wind is blowing their arms out (for demi second), or encourage them to become pancakes and “flip” as they practice three-step turns.

Bringing their attention to a special quality within the movement can improve their focus as well. For example, encourage them to “eat up the space” with large movement in leaps, make their whole body sharp like a knife during marches, or point out the level changes in jumps/sauté and have them try to make their highest level higher each time.

2. Keep the class moving

A common mistake in teaching classes with young children is to spend too much time on a single activity.

For students under six, five minutes on any one thing is usually the maximum. Generally, I try not to spend longer than 10 or 15 minutes in any one formation or on any one portion of the class (in a circle, across the floor, standing in lines, etc.). Children are easily distracted and their attention wanes quickly.

Always plan more activities than you have time to include. If you see that you are “losing them,” do the kids and yourself a favor by wrapping it up and moving on to the next activity.

3. Light up the room

Young kids enrolled in a dance class are there to have fun. It is not yet truly satisfying to “work hard” at something even if they think it will please you.

If it doesn’t feel like playing, they’re far more likely to be inattentive.

Therefore, it is imperative that your energy level be high throughout the class, that you vary the tone of your voice, and that you aren’t afraid to be a bit goofy or over-the-top. You should be the most interesting thing in the room!

Bonus tip on vocal volume: I sometimes like to whisper when students are getting too noisy because it adds an element of surprise and because they have to quiet down to hear me.

4. Participate and model behavior

With older children it is sometimes necessary to limit your demonstration or participation in the actual moving/dancing portions of class.

Young children, however, take all of their cues from you.

If you are asking them to pretend they are in a dark forest as they creep around the room, then you must be in that forest with them at least part of the time.

If you want them to perform with 100 percent of their energy, then you have to give 150 percent.

Modeling behavior is also important for showing children how to behave. Ask the students what is the proper way to sit or stand while waiting on their spot or number, then show them, and then have them practice it with you.

5. Offer “Dancer’s Choice”

The freedom to choose is empowering, particularly for children who are learning to become independent in their thoughts and decisions.

Try to include a chance for your dancers to make a choice at least once in each lesson.

However, be careful about offering unlimited possibilities. Children do best when they have an “either/or” alternative. This can be as simple as occasionally allowing children to choose if they’d like a blue spot or a red spot to stand upon (just make sure when offering these types of choices, you have enough of each so that no child gets “stuck” with something).

Every so often allow the class to vote for doing échappé or balancé for this lesson, practicing the other next week. You can also offer opportunities for children to make decisions in their movement. For instance they may choose between dancing sharply or smoothly (quickly/slowly, happily/sadly) around the room. They may choose to make a round shape or an angled shape (balanced/off-balanced, big/small) when they finish their exercise across the floor.

In fact, this ability to choose is what makes creative dance a powerful introduction to movement and dance for children (and, in fact, all people).

6. Enlist and recruit a misbehaving child

A chronically misbehaving child can be like a little thorn in your side. If you’re familiar with the advice to keep your enemies closer than your friends, this tip is similar.

Instead of constantly reprimanding the child, enlist his/her help in some way. Ask her to be your helper when handing out props, or recruit him to make the check marks in the attendance roster. Sometimes your faith in the student as you offer them this responsibility is all the incentive they need to behave better.

If you can identify the portions of class which are most difficult for this student (during recital practice, across the floor, etc.), these may be your best opportunities for recruitment.

7. Avoid making promises you can’t keep (line leader problem-solving)

Children are a lot like elephants – they never forget!

Therefore, I’ve found it best not to make too many promises that I can’t (or won’t remember) to keep. When there is turmoil over who gets to be line leader, it may seem a grand solution to promise a child that “next week” they’ll be the leader. The problem is that you’ll rarely remember that appeasing promise.

Instead, the victim of your faulty memory will remind you after you’ve already broken your promise and then more promises will need to be made.

Some teachers use a detailed chart or system for choosing line leaders. My solution may not be perfect but I typically choose (at will) a line leader during the warm-up circle. When the decision is made long before the moment of actual leading, it seems to lessen the disappointment of not being chosen.

I make it clear in our classroom rules/procedures that this is a privilege they can lose due to poor behavior. Should this occur, they must choose the new line leader that will take their place. I try to be fair, but my selection process is typically rather arbitrary. When met with discontent, I reply kindly but firmly “I know it is disappointing not to be chosen this time but you’ll get a turn another day!” (Notice I didn’t say “next time.”)

8. Offer positive feedback at every opportunity

Children respond well to positive feedback.

Continually be on the look out for things that are being done well. This gives the class a chance to model the appropriate behavior.

If the majority of the class is messing around, look for that one child who is doing SOMETHING (anything) right and single them out rather than reprimanding the whole class. You’ll definitely get more mileage out of saying something positive (“beautiful arms, Suzie” “that’s a high jump, Becca!”) than overstating negatives.

Try to be specific. “Good job” doesn’t have much power all on its own so really keep your eyes open for specific things that are being done properly.

9. Limit negative attention

A child will eventually stop responding to his/her name if it is said over and over in a negative way. In fact, if a student receives negative responses a lot at home they may already be well-practiced at the skill of “tuning you out.”

Interestingly, you may need to hone your own skills in this area because it is often better to ignore bad or distracting behavior (if no one is getting hurt) than to draw attention to it. Negative words like “No,” “Stop,” and “Don’t” should be used sparingly — usually only when there is risk of danger or injury.

For some children, negative attention is preferable to no attention at all, in other words, they will look for ways of getting your attention if you don’t first give it in a positive manner.

10. Say what you want to see, even if you don’t really see it

For instance, let’s say no one is pointing their toes. Instead of saying “Point your toes!” say “Thank you for pointing your toes!” or “I see beautiful, pointed toes!” and you may be surprised that suddenly the children all point their toes (even if they wouldn’t have if you had specifically asked or told them to).

Use the same method for all kinds of behaviors, including waiting quietly, keeping hands to oneself, quickly changing shoes, etc.

This tip transformed my teaching. The concept may seem obvious, or perhaps just a silly matter of semantics, but it is powerful. I can’t take credit for the “Say and see” wording or concept, however. It comes from one of my favorite resources, Creative Dance for All Ages by Anne Green Gilbert. In fact, many of her ideas have worked their way into my teaching and are likely to show up elsewhere within this list.

Photo by Dianna Mullet

11. Assign objectives that heighten anticipation

Repetition and routine are extremely important in a class for children; however, if the same skills are done the same way each week, the children are bound to get bored.

Even if you work on the same skills each week, you can still give the kids creative objective that will increase their anticipation toward participating, as in layering, these “assignments” are easy to change from week to week.

For instance, if you practice gallops across the floor, tell the class they must gallop a special dessert to their friend on the other side. When taking turns, ask each child what kind of dessert they are offering.

Next week, perhaps they’ll take a special balloon to the other side. Just make sure you inform the class of what you’re going to ask and what you expect of them before the exercise. Something to the effect of, “Now we’re going to do brush walks. When it is your turn, I’m going to ask you your favorite color. Keep it a secret until it’s your turn! After you tell me, you can do your walks across the floor and pretend to paint that color with your feet.”

This method gives the children something to look forward to and think about as they wait for their turn.

12. Use distraction and redirection

When children begin to get bored, are tired of waiting, or are seeking attention, they often complain, ask to do something else (like visit the restroom or get water), or fidget.

During moments in which it is important to finish an exercise or task, refocusing your students’ attention, or distracting them is key.

If a student is hounding you for a water break during arabesques be clear and firm that “Right now we’re dancing.” Then, in an energetic tone, swoop in with something that will refocus their attention like, “In fact, I’m pretending to be a beautiful bird while I do my arabesque! What kind of bird are you?”

Waiting for a turn can be difficult; sometimes just having something to hold while standing by can be calming for a child who is forced to sit tight. When asking large classes to take turns crossing the floor, I have offered the next children in line something sensory like scarves (or a stuffed animal) to hold until it is their turn, at which time they pass the object to the person behind them who is waiting.

In a class which has an especially hard time waiting, each child could keep a scarf and you could suggest different ways of using it as they practice a skill.

BONUS TIP!!!

Keep a few things in your “back pocket”

It can be hard even for experienced teachers to phrase things in the clearest way possible, make up creative suggestions or distractions on the spot, or switch gears when needed.

Therefore, think about the skills you practice in class and come up with a few images for each that you can whip out at appropriate moments.

Try to anticipate problems or situations that may arise and rehearse your manner of giving instructions just as you would rehearse the combination that you are giving the class.

Always have a few “crowd pleasers” handy to gather scattered attentions or revive a spiritless mood.

Keep these things in your “back pocket” so that they are there when you need them.

Practicing Magic

Improving skills for working with preschool children is not a magic trick. It comes down to thoughtful practice and assessment of what works and what does not.

Watching a child enjoy dance and get excited about movement — now that is magical!

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Module 2 Registration

Hey everyone!

I am wondering if any of you could help me! I am trying to register for module two but having trouble doing so? Anyone who is registered could you please guide me on how you done this? I am on my uni hub page but there doesn't seem to be any option anywhere to register?

I would appreciate anyones help!

Mel :) X