Today’s locals to know After training at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and dancing professionally elsewhere, injuries affected her mental health.Why doesn’t the world of dance care about the brain as much as it cares about the body? Kathleen McGuire Gaines Founder of Dance Mental Health Organization mind the gapRead more from Kathleen!
Please tell us about Minding the Gap. How did the organization start?
Minding the Gap is a social good company that takes mental health as seriously as it does physical health in dance culture. We partner with licensed mental health professionals who specialize in dance to provide mental health skills and educational training to dancers and dance instruction artists. I was a professionally trained ballet her dancer, but I was never a confident dancer and struggled with self-esteem and body image. After my first major injury, I went through major depressive disorder and was really at a loss to process it. I thought I was just weaker than a dancer.I didn’t realize that the mental health issues I was facing were treatable and even preventable.In 2017, I wrote an article for Dance Magazine Why are we still so bad at addressing dancers’ mental health? The article went viral, and the response was one of the reasons I started Minding the Gap.
What is a “gap” and how do you use data to inform your work?
There are actually some gaps, the most obvious being the gap between dance culture and mental health awareness and inclusion in dance training. You can’t get into the NCAA without providing a mental health professional — but Dancing wasn’t as proactive. Another big gap is between dancers and mental health professionals who want to support them. I often hear from mental health professionals who want to work with dancers that they have trouble accessing them and that they don’t know how to find them.
I’m a big data geek and that’s what we do. Minding the Gap initially began collecting data on dancers’ mental health. Our data on dancers’ mental health Performing Arts Medicine Society and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science conference this year. I hope that by sharing it, other advocates can get the support that dancers deserve.Also, she points out that the Dance Department at Park University and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Her Theatre. We also use the data when consulting with individual dance institutions. Every dance environment is different, so we create programs for dancers based on what the data needs, not what we assume they need.
Speaking of mental health, what are some ways to practice self-care and relax?
I think self-care is a concept that has become so talked about that it has become almost meaningless. When we think of self-care, we tend to think of hot springs and vacations, but when things get really tough, eating and drinking water can also be self-care. Enforcing a strict bedtime to get enough sleep is self-care. i like to read Every night, I try to get out of my head, even if it’s just a few pages, and forget about my worries.
Where is your favorite place to eat in Barra?
i could eat at Deanoias Morning, noon and night on the strip. Cafe Raymond That forest neck is another favorite.I like it too Brassello Grill at Braddock. Mexican food is my favourite, and I seriously eat the best mole sauce in town.
What is it about our city that you can’t find anywhere else?
Pittsburgh is my home of choice. I first moved here when I was 14. Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, left to dance in San Francisco and then returned. So I’m both a transplant and a boomerang. I think Pittsburgh is naturally rooting for each other. We love to see ourselves succeed. I have an incredible number of mentors in this city. I try to extend that same generosity of time and belief to others, and I think in Pittsburgh, when one of us wins, we all feel that success .
Finally, where can your readers find you and how can they support your work?
Learn more about Minding the Gap on our websitewe are also riding Instagram and Facebook A place to share all of our future Open workshopMinding the Gap is not a non-profit, so I’m not asking for money, but I would love to talk to you about how mental health can be integrated if you’re affiliated with dance schools or companies across the country. your dance space.
Follow Minding the Gap on social media via the links above, or wearmindingthegap.org.
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Fix: The newsletter version of this interview incorrectly stated that Kathleen worked at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater instead of being trained there. This version has been updated to more accurately reflect her background.
