Tag: depression

One Dancer's Journey Through Depression and Anxiety

Twenty-five-year-old Sydney Magruder Washington had dreams of auditioning for ballet companies and Broadway shows when she moved to NYC four years ago, as a recent graduate of Skidmore College. But after completing an apprenticeship with Connecticut Ballet in 2015, her anxiety and depression became so severe that she could barely leave her apartment—let alone go […]

Watch a Moving Underwater Ballet Created to Raise Awareness About Depression

Many who suffer from depression describe feeling like they’re drowning, desperately trying to keep their heads above water. In “Sink or Swim,” a poetic new short film, Royal Ballet principal Francesca Hayward embodies that struggle in a haunting underwater ballet. Directed by filmmaker Louis-Jack, choreographed by Charlotte Edmonds, and supported in part by the mental […]

Let's Have an Honest Conversation About Dancers and Mental Health

This story originally appeared on dancemagazine.com. “So why did you quit?” It’s a question I’ve been asked hundreds of times since I stopped dancing over a decade ago. My answer has changed over the years as my own understanding of what lead me to walk away from greatest love of my life has become clearer. […]

Coming Down Easy

Any parachuter will tell you that the adrenaline rush that comes from jumping out of a plane is often followed by an intense feeling of let-down after landing. The same thing happens when you finish a big show. Performers of all kinds know there’s very little logic to those icky feelings that come creeping in […]