The Truth Behind the Pro Dance “Body Type” and Industry Fitness Stereotypes

There is a stereotype that goes around about professional dancers and professional cheerleaders, that to be in this industry you have to be “skinny” and if you’re not.. well, you can’t dance with us.

We’re here to talk about the truth behind the professional dance and professional cheerleading job title when it comes to our physical fitness, the accountability behind closed doors from our teams, and the negative stereotypes on our team’s upheld physiques.

The opportunity (especially as women) to be able to continue our talents at the professional level, on an iconic platform, in a male-dominant sport/industry, is something that should be respected and advocated for (especially in the female community.) An achievement that seems to get lost in negative perspectives within majority of the media.

We’re here to shed light onto our fitness standards as dancers - who have actually experienced this industry from the inside, in comparison to media coverage by people who have never walked a day in our shoes.

What people don’t understand is that this opportunity is something that lights up our worlds, turned us into dreamers, provided us with passionate work ethics, and allow us the opportunity to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. Also something that we, ourselves as dancers, actively fight to be a part of.

We are professional athletes, on a professional stage, in the entertainment business, performing a skill set that takes immense hard work and elite talent. With that comes accountability - just like the professional athletes themselves.

As dancers - being in your personal best shape comes with the craft. How can you not be in shape when you are spending hours in the dance studio, working every muscle in your body, aside intense cardio? I always say - dancing is the best workout because you are quite literally working every single muscle in your body from your arms, to your obliques, to your glutes! (You’d also be surprised at how much of an arm workout dancing with pom poms is.)

On the contrary - if you are not in your personal best shape to execute at the highest level in intense stamina, endurance, cardio, and hours of long endurance practices/games - how would anyone perform at the professional level? And what is wrong with stating the fact that you have to put in the strength and conditioning work to be on a professional dance and cheerleading team, alongside all other professional athletes in the world. Looking athletic on the sidelines and showing off what was hard-earned shouldn’t be something to look down upon.

Let’s just start here and answer the ultimate question of - is there any ideal body weight to be a professional dancer or a professional cheerleader?

The answer is NO.

After all, there isn’t a certain look that indicates wellness. Strong, healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. It’s 2021 after all!

You need to have an athletic body and be in your personal best shape (whatever that means for your body type) but of course it is always important to research the team you are auditioning and look for the fitness goals the team carries for their dancers.

All in all, you want to be in your personal best shape - not a certain weight, not just “skinny”, and not something forced in an unhealthy manner. We are athletes after all and we live the lifestyle as such.

Dancers and cheerleaders are not just “skinny”, making the team because they look good, or there as eye candy. There’s a reason we are in our own personal best shape when you see us on game days:

1. We are athletes

As professional dancers and cheerleaders - we are athletes. This seems to get lost in the stereotypes of our profession but changes the whole persona of what we do.

In order to survive on professional dance and cheerleading teams you have to be in *your personal best shape to be capable of executing the high endurance lifestyle at one of the most elite dance levels. We constantly practice/perform high stamina dance routines, perform advanced dance technique, and execute tricks up close for fans. On top of that, we are practicing up to 3 times a week, for up to 3 hours at a time, performing consistently through 4 hour game days, and training in various ways on our own time.

• Something to really think about the next time you read the media inaccurately calling professional sports dancers and cheerleaders “outdated and just there to be eye candy for the men.”

Why you see majority of professional dancers and cheerleaders in top physical fitness:

Imagine if an NFL quarterback was not in “their personal best shape” to throw the football accurately to his teammates or keep up the coach’s fitness requirements? He probably would not be in the NFL. His job requires him to have the fitness to execute his position at the highest level. With that – nothing is defining his “best shape” as skinny or even the extent of being ”ripped” in order to perform in that way. Just to meet the requirements of his professional position, which generally means high-level strength and fitness. Dance is the exact same concept just a different craft (and currently, consisting traditionally and majority women.)

This is no different than the standard of every other professional sport out there, NBA, NFL, MLS, etc. It shouldn’t be any different for female professional dancers to have fitness accountability standards as well and it shouldn’t be a “negative” type of accountability or image just because now we are focusing on a group that is majority female - as long as it is done in the correct manner. (But keep in mind - just as if you work with a personal trainer or pursue a coach for a body building competition - the accountability is direct. And what is wrong with fitness accountability, anyways? People pay thousands of dollars a year for that. For us, we get paid to have that plus more.

It shows a bit of hypocrisy from the world when the media headlines with the start of the 2021 NBA season reading:

“Harden has never been the skinniest player in the league, but fans were at a loss for words over his considerable weight-gain, particularly for an athlete of his caliber.”

So do you want us to have fitness standards for our professions or do you want us to have no accountability? It seems like you can never really win.

Except the issue for our profession is that these misconstrued stereotypes and the exaggerated media coverage is causing some NBA and NFL teams to cut or re-brand their traditional dance teams.

Taking away such an inspiring platform that is actually worth looking up to in this day-in-age.

2. We live a healthy lifestyle

As dancers, we live healthy lifestyles, whether we are in the practice studio or out of it. This doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy the sugary goodies and luxury foods, but we take things in moderation. The same goes for our fitness - we are not overwhelming ourselves by constantly working out or going on strict diets, but keeping in mind the accountability we have for ourselves and from our manager to look/feel our best in the limelight that we earned.

Diet

Being professional dancers with the practice/performance schedule mentioned above, it is impossible to manage our schedules without feeding our bodies nutritious and energizing foods. Essentially, a consistent way of living in order to thrive at what we love to do most. Consuming a diet that is energizing and nutritious to get us through the constant physical activity we put our bodies through is essential and it just becomes a part of our ongoing lifestyles.

Physical activity

Dancing is truly one of the best workouts you can do. Not only is it a full body workout but both an aerobic and anaerobic exercise - that we are constantly executing. I have consistently burned easily over 1000 calories as an NBA dancers in our weekly practices.

Imagine this being one of your jobs, requiring that type of full body cardio/weighted dance workout up to 3 times a week for up to 3 hours. Of course you will be physically fit when you step onto the court, field, or whatever venue you are performing at as a pro dancer!

• On top of the fitness accountability from the job, you are leading a fitness led lifestyle outside of the practice room or sporting event. We are training on our own time whether that is in the gym, joining cycling classes, practicing for practice, or at a local dance studio to perfect our technique. We enjoy to work on our fitness outside of the dance team because we ultimately have something to work hard for that keeps us accountable and motivated (plus we enjoy feeling our most confident and showing off our hard work when we put on our uniforms!)

• We also have various sponsorships through our dance teams - whether that be yoga, local gyms, or other health/fitness related sponsorships that we use in our spare time.

One of the best parts about being a professional dancer or cheerleader, is the accountability. Something bigger than yourself, that keeps you constantly reminded to stick with your nutritious food choices or to get some exercise in that day - even if it’s quick. Whether your motivation is putting on the iconic uniform, the moment you’re on stage for a packed game day, or simply knowing you have someone holding you accountable for the lifestyle you’re living regarding fitness and nutrition.

As much as it seems to get stereotyped and sometimes frowned upon - it is no different than the professional athletes all around the world.

3. Accountability

The health and fitness accountability withheld from our directors and organization doesn’t mean we are being told to be “skinny” or to “diet” but we are being held to a standard of living a lifestyle that keeps us in our personal best shape - however that looks for each dancer’s body type.

Just because this profession has a tradition of being majority women, doesn’t mean that we have to put fitness standards into a negative persona. If you audition to be part of an athletic dance team, you have to be ready to be held to athletic standards for the level of athleticism each season calls for. Just as you would if you decided to get a personal trainer or as an NFL quarterback.

There will always be different opinions - whether the team is full of different body types or everyone has six pack abs - there will always be criticism. The criticism should not come for groups of dancers that clearly work hard and are held accountable for the job position they applied for.

The hard work that goes into what we do should be applauded and leave us as individuals feeling achieved and proud.

My conclusive question towards the negative perception to dance team fitness standards is:

Why is our professional position frowned upon for our athleticism and fitness while other professional athletes are frowned upon when they’re NOT held to the same standards?

According to heatnation.com the Miami Heat players are required to weigh themselves every ten days. Instead of criticism of this standard, the very first line of the article states, “It is known around the NBA that the Miami Heat take conditioning and fitness extremely seriously.”

Why is it such a negative persona that professional dancers and cheerleader (specifically women) are held to nutritional, fitness, and conditioning standards? (A lime-lighted component of the professional sports and entertainment industry)

• Professional dancers and cheerleader are not just “skinny”, we do not just make the team because we “look good from a male dominant perspective”, and we do not have these exaggerated accountability tests.

  We are women (and men) that represent a platform and dream worth looking up to and working hard to achieve. Something that takes persistence, talent, and a work ethic deserving of a professional title for their craft. If it comes along with a certain “look” on the sidelines, shouldn’t we be supporting healthy and athletic bodies verse shaming them?

  
  Let’s applaud these dancers, men AND women, for the hard work that is reflected through fitness on the sidelines.