What is it about?
The researchers followed a team of competitive dancers that represented Canada at an international competition at the end of their competitive season. Based on interviews over the course of the season, this paper highlights the stressors that the dancers faced and how they tried to manage these challenges in the early, middle, and final stages of their competitive year.
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Why is it important?
Little is known about how competitive dancers—particularly those in hip-hop and related forms—manage stressors over their season. Additionally, the ability to cope with demands becomes increasingly challenging as high-stakes competition approaches. Given the growing popularity of hip-hop and related styles, it is crucial to better understand the demands that competitive dancers face, and how they manage them, to best prepare these dancers for their journeys to the biggest stages. The findings from this project can provide dancers, instructors, and supporters with insights to help dancers in reaching their full potential.
Perspectives
It was an honour to collaborate with a passionate, talented, and caring team of dancers to build understanding of their experiences in competitive dance. Their engagement with this project will benefit dancers, directors, and the dance community that follow after them. It was a pleasure to work on this project with my co-authors, Danae Frentz, Sara Sereda, and Amber Mosewich, all of whom share my hope that this work gives those in the competitive dance context support tailored to their experiences.
Ben Sereda
University of Alberta
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: From studio to stage: A longitudinal exploration of competitive dancers’ stress and coping experiences., Sport Exercise and Performance Psychology, November 2025, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/spy0000402.
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