by Catie Robinson | Apr 23, 2026 | Career, Pointe+, Training
For gymnasts, they’re called “the twisties.” For baseball pitchers and golfers, they’re “the yips.” And figure skating might not have a catchy term, but viewers of the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina watched skater Ilia Malinin struggle with elements in his routine...
by Kyra Laubacher | Aug 19, 2025 | Career, Health & Body, Pointe+, Wellness
Ballet dancers tend to be perfectionists. That knowledge is widespread within, and even beyond, the dance community. Whether people with more perfectionistic tendencies thrive in ballet settings, whether the art form elicits it, or both, the association has been...
by Kyra Laubacher | Jul 29, 2025 | Health, Health & Body, Pointe+, Wellness
In college, I was diagnosed with a labral tear in my right hip. My labrum, the protective tissue covering my femur head, had been shredded from an impingement and overstretching. The doctor gave me two options: 1) Stop dancing, and manage pain through physical...
by Madeleine Purcell Corbett | Mar 21, 2025 | Health & Body, Pointe+, Wellness
It’s no secret that ballet is extremely challenging mentally. When I was dancing, both as a student and professional, I had a difficult time managing my headspace. I was constantly worried about what others were thinking about me, from peers and teachers to directors...
by Jess Spinner | Sep 19, 2024 | Career, Company Life, Health & Body, Pointe+, Wellness
Entering a new dance environment can bring about mixed emotions—excitement, anxiety, homesickness, or even fear. Whether it’s your first step towards going pro in a traineeship, second company, or full company position, you want to feel confident and put your best...
by Jess Spinner | Jun 12, 2024 | Health & Body, Pointe+, Wellness
As a professional dancer, summer layoff is a very different experience from summers as a student, when you spent several weeks training at programs and intensives. Suddenly, you have much more time to fill on your own. Knowing what exactly to do with that time can...
by Zoe G. Phillips | May 30, 2024 | Career, Pointe+, Profiles
When American Contemporary Ballet principal Elise Kruger found herself stuck at home amid pandemic lockdowns, she signed up for an online psychology class. It’s a subject that’s always interested her. “There are so many basic psychology tips and tools you can...
by Rachael Parini as told to Linnea Swarting | Oct 11, 2023 | Career, Profiles
In the summer of 2022, BalletMet dancer Rachael Parini began to experience symptoms of bipolar disorder, a mental health condition characterized by episodes of mania or hypomania and depression. Parini was diagnosed with bipolar 1, which is determined following a...