What should a pro dancer actually weigh?

What should a Pro Dancer actually weigh?

This question comes up a lot among dancers – whether you’re already dancing professionally or working towards that end, you’re not alone in  your desire for guidelines. Unfortunately, ballet companies still expect you to list your weight on your resume. Although, I sort of think this practice should be banned. It’s definitely not helping anyone.

So there’s BMI, different height-weight charts and body fat percentage measurements. Which is the right measure? What about the old Russian Ballerina height-weight charts? Ignore those recommendations. And that the fact is this is a completely personal question.

Don’t let your ballet mistress or Artistic Director tell you what to weigh.

Your Artistic Director (whether of school or company) really shouldn’t get a say in the number you see on the scale. Want to know why? That’s a little bit of what I dive into in this video. Check it out here:

Do you feel conflicted about where you think you should be with weight? You’re not alone. This is super common among dancers and something that might keep you up at night. Your dance goals shouldn’t be a distraction…shift your perspective around weight.

My goal with this video was to share some realities about those numbers on the scale and to assure you that you can support yourself (maybe with a bit of outside help) to reach your healthiest, most powerful dancing weight. And that’s what you should weigh as a pro dancer. It doesn’t matter what any other dancer concludes is her best weight.

Your best weight only has to do with one factor. YOU.

To get started, download The Whole Dancer 7-Step Best Body Guide. It walks you through The Whole Dancer process of reaching your personal best dancers’ body in a healthy, sustainable way.

As you go through the guide, remember that taking the pressure off weight actually helps a lot. Your body goals can feel pressure filled and impossible to reach if you’re obsessing over the scale. What would it feel like to focus on just dancing full out and with energy?

Dance makes it extra hard to stop worrying about your body. Your teachers and artistic staff have told you that the thinner you are, the better off you are…especially in ballet. What you weigh does not determine your worth, nor does it decide your future in dance.

Make your priority feeling good and dancing your best.

This will help you build confidence! When we take the focus off of the external and commit to turning inward, confidence grows. It helps to step out of your comfort zone as often as possible as well. When you do that, you prove to yourself that you are capable.

You can create and reinforce the story that you can dance center stage (or center studio) and shine.

It’s all about the stories we tell ourselves.

Much of life is about the stories we tell ourselves and the evidence we collect to reinforce those stories. If you tell yourself, “when I’m thinner I’ll be a better dancer”  you’ll hang onto the messages that reinforce this story.

Instead tell yourself, “when I’m well fueled and dancing with energy I’ll be a better dancer” you’ll collect evidence to back this up. So really, it’s up to you. Which story will you choose? So to get back to our question: what should a pro dancer actually weigh? Bottom line: the weight where she can dance her best with energy, vitality and JOY.

As always, if you need support reach out. I’d love to hear from you!!