In this episode we talk to Charlotte Edmonds and Andrew Gardiner about resilience of body and mind.
The government told us recently that dance was not a viable career, and whilst many would strongly dispute that – we probably all acknowledge it’s a difficult, sometimes even punishing choice. So it felt like a good time to check in with some of our dancing workforce to find out how they keep optimum mental and physical health, their tools of self care and how organisations can do better to nurture those who make our art.
Andrew and Charlotte discuss what resilience means to them, how their own challenges – of anxiety and dyslexia respectively, have helped them develop greater awareness of the triggers and mechanisms for self-care. Charlotte discusses how her internal struggles find a way out through her art – works such as Sink or Swim for the charity MIND and Grit for the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet. Andrew talks about the increased sense of responsibility he has for his own team of collaborators when working with his newly founded company Society of Strays and how the switch to making his own work as opposed to embodying the work of others has helped find equilibrium.
Both reflect upon the pressures of a dancers rigorous training and the expectations of an ever-demanding industry. Honesty, openness and the ability to sense and respond to triggers are discussed as are the responsibilities we all have to take care of those who work with, for and amongst us.
