SavedAdd your journal

Journals / Konservatoryum / 2026 / Cilt: 13 Sayı: 1

Is a Healthy Dancer a Healthy Human?

Sağlıklı Dansçı, Sağlıklı İnsan mıdır?

Murat Çatbaş

Pages
388–402
Publication Date
2026-06-30
🏛️Bibliographic metadata and full text access for this article are provided via DergiPark.
DergiPark Record ↗

Abstract

This study aims to reconsider the concept of the “healthy dancer,” which in dance is often defined through performance continuity, technical competence, and the maintenance of functionality on stage. While this perspective plays an important role in explaining a dancer’s ability to meet the demands of training and performance, it may not fully account for long-term physical sustainability, recovery processes, and psychological integrity. Based on the question of whether a dancer who can perform on stage can also be considered a healthy individual, this study opens a discussion on health from a more holistic perspective. In this context, seven movement principles developed within the author’s ongoing arts proficiency research titled “A Contrology-Based Healthy Dancer Model for the Classical Ballet Dancer“ are presented as a conceptual model” are considered as a conceptual model. These principles; presence/breath, movement/mobility, balance/alignment, endurance/control, acquisition/concentration, consistency/precision, and wholeness/movement integration, were developed through the adaptation of Pilates-based concepts to the context of classical ballet. The principles are discussed through the interaction between physical fitness and psychological processes, and health is interpreted not as a fixed condition but as a dynamic organization regulated over time. This conceptual framework suggests that a healthy dancer should not be defined merely as a body that functions on stage, but as a subject who can perceive, regulate, sustain and integrate movement within an artistic mode of being.

Özet

Bu çalışma, dans alanında çoğu zaman performansın sürdürülebilirliği, teknik yeterlilik ve sahne üzerindeki işlevselliğin korunabilmesi üzerinden tanımlanan “sağlıklı dansçı” kavramını yeniden ele almayı amaçlamaktadır. Bu yaklaşım, dansçının sahne üzerindeki işlevselliğini açıklamada önemli bir yer tutmakla birlikte, uzun vadeli bedensel sürdürülebilirlik, toparlanma süreçleri ve psikolojik bütünlük gibi boyutların da dikkate alınmasını gerektirmektedir. Bu nedenle çalışma, sahnede performans gösterebilen bir dansçının aynı zamanda sağlıklı bir birey olup olmadığı sorusundan hareketle sağlık kavramını daha bütüncül bir perspektifle tartışmaya açmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, Joseph Pilates’in Kontroloji yaklaşımından yola çıkılarak yazarın yürütmekte olduğu “Klasik Bale Dansçısı İçin Kontroloji Temelli Sağlıklı Dansçı Modeli” başlıklı sanatta yeterlik araştırması kapsamında geliştirilen yedi hareket ilkesi (varlık/nefes, hareket/mobilite, denge/hizalanma, dayanım/kontrol, edinim/konsantrasyon, tutarlılık/kesinlik ve bütünsellik/hareket entegrasyonu) kavramsal bir model olarak ele alınmıştır. Bu ilkeler, Pilates temelli kavramların bale bağlamına uyarlanmasıyla oluşturulmuştur. İlkeler üzerinden yapılan kavramsal incelemeler, fiziksel uygunluk ile psikolojik süreçler arasındaki etkileşimin sağlık kavramını daha geniş bir çerçevede düşünmeye olanak sağlayabileceğini düşündürmektedir. Bu bağlamda sağlıklı dansçı, yalnızca işlevsel bir beden olarak değil, hareketini algılayabilen, düzenleyebilen, sürdürebilen ve sanatsal varoluşla bütünleştirebilen bir özne olarak yorumlanmaktadır.

Keywords
🔖

Cite This Article

Çatbaş, M. (2026). Is a Healthy Dancer a Healthy Human?. Konservatoryum, Cilt: 13 Sayı: 1, 388–402. https://doi.org/10.26650/CONS2026-1910444

📄 Full Text PDF Viewer

References (30)

  1. Allen, N., Nevill, A., Brooks, J., Koutedakis, Y., & Wyon, M. (2012). "Ballet Injuries: Injury Incidence and Severity Over 1 Year". Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 42(9), 781-790. google scholar
  2. Anderson, B. D. (2024). Principles of Movement. Thorofare: Slack. google scholar
  3. Aujla, I., Farrer, R., Jenkins, L., King, N., & Win, S. (2019). "The Role and Impact of Freelancers in the UK Dance Sector". Kasım 14, 2025 tarihinde Arts Council England / Dance Fund: https://www.dancefund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Freelancers-full-report-final-draft.pdf adresinden alındı google scholar
  4. Blasis, C. (1820). Traité élémentaire, théorique et pratique de l'art de la danse. Milano: Chez Joseph Beati et Antoine Tenenti. google scholar
  5. Bolling, C., van Rijn, R., Pasman, H., van Mechelen, W., & Stubbe, J. (2021). "In Your Shoes: A Qualitative Study on the Perspectives of Professional Dancers and Staff Regarding Dance Injury and Its Prevention". Translational Sports Medicine(00), 1-9. google scholar
  6. Choudhury, M. M., Stapleton, E., Erdman, A., Gale, E., Chung, J., & Ulman, S. (2025). "The relationship between pain and athletic identity in youth ballet dancers". Frontiers in Psychology(16:1561450), 01-10. google scholar
  7. Christensen, J. F., Wesseldijk, L. W., Mosing, M. A., & Ullen, F. (2026). "Mental health in recreational and professional dancers: a genetically informed study in Sweden". SSM - Population Health(33), 1-11. google scholar
  8. Evgin, D. M. (2022). Klasik Bale Teori ve Analiz. İstanbul: Boyut Yayıncılık ve Tic. A.Ş. google scholar
  9. Franklin, E. (2004). Conditioning for Dance. Champaign: Human Kinetics. google scholar
  10. Franklin, E. (2012). Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery. Champaign, A.B.D.: Human Kinetics. google scholar
  11. Guo, A., Zhang, X., Hagins, M., Liederbach, M., & Hodges, P. (2026). "Professional Dancers' Beliefs and Conceptualisations of Their Posture and Movement: A Qualitative Research Study". PLOS One, 2(21), 1-17. google scholar
  12. Isacowitz, R. (2006). Pilates. Champaign: Human Kinetics. google scholar
  13. Kaufmann, J.-E., Stubbe, J. H., Nelissen, R. G., & Gademan, M. G. (2024, June 1). "Perspectives of Ballet Dancers on Causes of Their Injuries and Implementation of Injury Preventive Measures by Ballet Teachers and Masters". Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 39(2), 93-107. google scholar
  14. Keay, N., Overseas, A., & Francis, G. (2020). "Indicators and correlates of low energy availability in male and female dancers". BMJ Open Sports & Exercise Medicine(6), 1-7. google scholar
  15. Kostrovitskaya, V., & Pisarev, A. (1995). School of Classical Dance. London: Dance Books. google scholar
  16. Nakamura, J., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2014). The Concept of Flow. M. Csikszentmihalyi içinde, Flow and the Foundations of Positive Psychology (s. 239-263). Dordrecht: Springer. google scholar
  17. Noverre, J.-G. (1783). Lettres sur la danse et sur les ballets (Seconde Edition b.). Londra, Paris: Veuve Dessain Junior. google scholar
  18. Pilates, J. H. (1998). Your Health. Moscow, Idaho, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri: Presentation Dynamics. google scholar
  19. Pilates, J. H. (2003). Return to Life Through Contrology. Miami: Pilates Method Alliance, Inc. google scholar
  20. Pilates, J. H., Robbins, J., & Van Heuit-Robbins, L. (2012). Pilates Evolution: The 21st Century. Moscow, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri: Presentation Dynamics. google scholar
  21. Robinson, L., Fisher, H., Knox, J., & Thomson, G. (2002). The Official Body Control Pilates Manual. London: Pan Books, Pan Macmillan Ltd. google scholar
  22. Ryan, A. J., & Stephens, R. E. (1997). The Dancer's Complete Guide to Healthcare and a Long Career. London: Dance Books. google scholar
  23. Schofield, C., & Start, L. (2019). Psychology for Dancers. New York: Routledge. google scholar
  24. Serebrennikov, N. (2000). Pas de Deux: A Textbook on Partnering. Gainesville: The University Press of Florida. google scholar
  25. Shumway-Cook, A., & Woollacott, M. H. (2018). Motor Kontrol Araştırmanın Klinik Uygulamaya Aktarılması. (A. Gündüz, S. Bilgin, Ç. Öksüz, Ö. Ertekin, & G. İyigün, Çev.) Ankara: Hipokrat Yayınevi. google scholar
  26. Siler, B. (2000). The Pilates Body. London: Michael Joseph. google scholar
  27. Taylor, J., & Taylor, C. (1995). Psychology of Dance. Champaign, Amerika Birleşik Devletleri: Human Kinetics. google scholar
  28. Vaganova, A. (1969). Basic Principles of Classical Ballet Russian Ballet Technique. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. google scholar
  29. Vicioso, C., Jalloh, H., Singh, P., Jain, C., Docters, F., Balachandran, U., . . . Colvin, A. (2026). "Caring for the Professional Dancer: A National Survey of Physician Healthcare Models and Orthopaedic Needs in Major U.S. Ballet and Contemporary/Modern Dance Companies". Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 0(00), 1-16. google scholar
  30. Warren, G. W. (1989). Classical Ballet Technique. Gainesville: The University Press of Florida. google scholar