Sanna Nordin-Bates

Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences | GIH

Introduction Dancers are expected to navigate major challenges in their careers that might take a toll on their physical and mental health. To address underlying factors that might increase dancers’ mental and physical health difficulties, research suggests the systematic use of techniques to build mental skills that can reduce risk factors and enh...

Performance anxiety is a major issue for performing artists. This qualitative paper extends our recent mixed-methods collective case study showing the beneficial effects of psychological interventions for managing performance anxiety, tailored in individual coaching settings. Here, we report on participants’ experiences of being coached, their unde...

While there is a lack of research into abuse in elite dance, numerous allegations of emotional, sexual and physical abuse of dancers can be found anecdotally in the media, legal convictions and personal accounts. As more dancers speak out, the scale of the problem within preprofessional schools and professional companies is becoming apparent. Accor...

In this small-scale study we investigated ballet teachers’ views and experiences of autonomy and autonomy support. For this purpose, we conducted semi-structured interviews with six ballet teachers in a prestigious pre-professional ballet school in Europe. Findings indicate that when and how autonomy was provided seemed to be impacted by whether a...

Talent-school settings may generate stress via demanding expectations. To investigate students representing Norway’s growing phenomenon of early adolescent talent schools, we interviewed twenty-seven 14- to15-year-old boys and girls about their experiences with self- and socially imposed expectations. Students were recruited from two sports schools...

Background: Disordered eating (DE) behaviors are relatively common among high-level dancers, especially in classical ballet. At the same time, interventions aimed at reducing DE behaviors in this population are scarce. Methods: An 8-week exploratory preventive intervention for DE behaviors was carried out in a high-level ballet school for 40 tee...

Objectives: To contribute further knowledge about symptoms of anxiety, depression, body concerns, and self-worth among young talent development (TD) and mainstream students by exploring the indicators within-person combinations prospectively, aiming to identify distinct profiles. Methods: We included 946 students, n = 168 (45% girls) from three...

Introduction Not being able to manage performance anxiety and subsequently experiencing a decline in performance have been called “choking under pressure”. High trait anxiety and fear of negative evaluation, as well as low self-efficacy or self-confidence, can put performers especially at risk of experiencing choking. This study, therefore, examine...

The purpose of the present study was to explore perceptions of shared reality in teacher-student partnerships in ballet, and how these perceptions were related to experiences of quality in the relationship and well-being. A longitudinal qualitative study design was adopted, with three female ballet students and their teacher participating in three...

Using a case study design, we explored two ballet dancers’ perfectionism experiences via interviews and questionnaires at two time points 5 years apart. They represented the two types of “pure perfectionism” in the 2 × 2 model of perfectionism: a female representing pure personal standards perfectionism (high perfectionistic strivings, low perfecti...

A substantial body of evidence links perfectionism to well-being and performance outcomes in dancers and athletes. Yet, we know relatively little about leaders’ perfectionism in dance and sport. This is important because leaders’ perfectionism likely impacts both themselves and their performers. In this study, we examined relationships between lead...

Early specialisation is largely advised against, partly due to the postulated negative motivational implications. However, early specialisation is commonly considered necessary for high-level performance in aesthetic activities, such as gymnastics and dance. The present study, therefore, explores the relationship between motivation and early specia...

The methodological underpinnings of studies into early specialization have recently been critiqued. Previous researchers have commented on the variety of, and over-simplified, methods used to capture early specialization. This exploratory study, therefore, suggests a new direction for how early specialization can be conceptualized and measured. We...

Classical ballet training has been criticized for prioritizing technical excellence over creativity, despite 21st century dancers needing to be strong in both aspects. The aim of this study was to investigate professional choreographers’ views on (a) how ballet training inspired vs. inhibited their creativity and (b) potential gender differences in...

This study provides the first in-depth investigation of how perfectionism is experienced in high-level dance. Seventy-seven students (M age = 15.52, SD = 2.30) completed a perfectionism questionnaire. Next, dancers with the highest and lowest levels of perfectionistic strivings (PS) and perfectionistic concerns (PC) were recruited for interview (N...

Conceptualized within the framework of self-determination theory, the aim of the current study was to investigate the relation between perfectionistic concerns and (a) controlled (non-self-determined) motivation and (b) performance anxiety through basic psychological need frustration (frustration of competence, autonomy, and realtedness), and if th...

This study explored the motivational experiences of nine successful elite performers in ballet, music, and swimming at Norwegian talent development (TD) schools. Semistructured interviews were conducted. Thematic analysis revealed that the performers navigated within and between several contextual layers, characterized by egalitarian values, high-p...

Ballet training is designed to develop creative, expressive artists. However, an explicit approach to technical instruction may not assist in the development of individual creativity and may encourage counterproductive perfectionistic goals. This paper describes a five-day intervention designed to enhance creativity in thirteen adolescent vocationa...

The extent to which creativity and perfection can be considered compatible aims for dancers was investigated. Also investigated were how creativity and perfectionism are (1) nurtured versus inhibited, and (2) related to basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence, relatedness). Seventy-seven ballet students (12–19 years old) in Stockholm, Swede...

The relationships between multidimensional perfectionism, burnout, and motivation were examined. In so doing, this study aimed to replicate and extend the study by Cumming and Duda (2012). Ninety-one ballet dancers completed questionnaires assessing the target constructs. Using cluster analysis, four profiles emerged that replicated Cumming and Dud...

The understanding of the significance of movement to learning benefits from advances in neuroscience. This study considered a neurophysiological perspective in relation to the educational theory of Accelerated Learning (AL) for which little empirical evidence exists. Childhood development themes and learning strategies from a neurophysical-psycholo...

Objectives This longitudinal study examined potential predictors of disordered eating attitudes (DEA) for male and female dancers, with a particular focus on whether environmental predictors (perceptions of task- and ego-involving motivational climate) added significantly to the prediction made by intrapersonal predictor variables (demographics/tra...

Dance imagery is a consciously created mental representation of an experience, either real or imaginary, that may affect the dancer and her or his movement. In this study, imagery research in dance was reviewed in order to: 1. describe the themes and ideas that the current literature has attempted to illuminate and 2. discover the extent to which t...

Abstract Little is known about the predictors of adherence in a dance context. The aim of this study was to investigate adherence to a dance talent programme using a multidisciplinary set of variables representing psychological correlates of adherence, maturation and physical factors relating to dance talent. Psychological (passion, motivational cl...

The present study examined the relationship between dance-related perfectionism and perceptions of motivational climate in dance over time. In doing so, three possibilities were tested: (a) perfectionism affects perceptions of the motivational climate, (b) perceptions of the motivational climate affect perfectionism, and (c) the relationship is rec...

Commitment to an activity forms an essential part of the talent development process, yet little is known about the reasons why young people commit to dance training. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that affect young dancers’ commitment to a selective dance talent scheme. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 committ...

The identification and development of talent is a key concern for many dance educators, yet little research has been conducted in the area. In order to understand better how to optimise dance talent development among young people, systematic and rigorous research is needed. This paper summarises and discusses the key findings of a ground-breaking l...

The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Performance Psychology includes the latest research and applied perspectives from leaders in the field of performance psychology, presenting sport and performance psychology from myriad perspectives. It looks at individual psychological processes in performance such as attention, imagery, superior performance intell...

This research validated and extended the Movement Imagery Questionnaire- Revised (MIQ-R; Hall & Martin, 1997). Study 1 (N = 400) examined the MIQ-R's factor structure via multitrait-multimethod confirmatory factor analysis. The questionnaire was then modified in Study 2 (N = 370) to separately assess the ease of imaging external visual imagery and...

This study is a qualitative enquiry into cultural background variables – social support, values, race/ethnicity and economic means – in the process of dance talent development. Seven urban dance students in pre-vocational training, aged 15–19, participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were inductively analysed using QSR International N...

The aim of this study was to understand reasons for dropout from a dance-talent program in the UK, using a mixed methods design. In-depth interviews were conducted with ten dropout students to explore the influencing factors in their decision to leave the program. In order to triangulate these findings, reasons for dropout were then examined from d...

The Oxford Handbook of Sport and Performance Psychology includes the latest research and applied perspectives from leaders in the field of performance psychology, presenting sport and performance psychology from myriad perspectives. It looks at individual psychological processes in performance such as attention, imagery, superior performance intell...

This is a case study investigation into creativity involving young dancers and faculty members on the UK government-funded pre-vocational contemporary dance training programme. Qualitative research techniques were used to gather and interpret data on how individuals nurtured and viewed creativity at an individual level, as well as how the facilitat...

Little is known about how community dance influences well-being. Grounded in selfdetermination theory (SDT), this study examined the relationship between dancers' perceptions of the motivational climate, basic need satisfaction (competence, autonomy and relatedness) and motivation-related variables (intrinsic motivation, enjoyment and perceived eff...

The aim of this study was to examine how dance teachers work with psychological skills with their students in class. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six female professional teachers in jazz, ballet and contemporary dance. The interview transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (Smith 199638. Smith , J.A...

Little is known regarding the stability of motivational climate perceptions, or how changes in climate perceptions affect performers. As a result, dancers' perceptions of the prevailing climate within both regional centers for talented young people and local dance schools were assessed longitudinally and in relation to dance class anxiety and self-...

This study investigated differences in the characteristics of talented dancers in relation to age. Physical (handgrip muscular strength, leg muscular power, hamstring flexibility and external hip rotation), psychological (passion, self-esteem and anxiety) and social (the motivational climate) characteristics were assessed in 334 students enrolled o...

Correlates of disordered eating attitudes were examined with a mixed-sex sample of 347 young talented dancers aged 10-18 years from all UK Centres for Advanced Training. Equal proportions of females (7.3%) and males (7.6%) were symptomatic for disordered eating but correlates differed: for females, self-evaluative perfectionism, waking up > twice/n...

The purpose of this study was to investigate a selection of psychological variables (help-seeking behaviors, mental imagery, self-esteem) in relation to injury among UK dancers. We recruited 216 participants frotn eight dance styles and six levels of involvement. It was found that 83.5% of the participants had experienced at least one injury in the...

The present study investigated perfectionism prevalence and its relationship to imagery and performance anxiety. Two hundred and fifty ( N = 250) elite students (66.4% female; M age = 19.19, SD = 2.66) studying mainly classical ballet or contemporary dance in England, Canada, and Australia completed questionnaires assessing perfectionism, imagery,...

Predictions from the applied model of imagery use (Martin, Moritz, & Hall, 1999) were tested by examining the perceived effectiveness of five imagery types in serving specific functions. Potential moderation effects of this relationship by imagery ability and perspective were also investigated. Participants were 155 athletes from 32 sports, and mat...

Performance anxiety research abounds in sport psychology, yet has been relatively sparse in dance. The present study explores ballet dancers' experiences of performance anxiety in relation to: 1. symptom type, intensity, and directional interpretation; 2. experience level (including company rank); and 3. self-confidence and psychological skills. Fi...

The imagery of aesthetic sport athletes and dancers was compared, and the relationship between imagery and self-confidence was explored. Materials included the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ; Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998), the Dance Imagery Questionnaire (DIQ; Nordin & Cumming, 2006), the Trait Sport Confidence Inventory (TSCI; Vealey,...

Mental imagery is the creation or re-creation of experiences in the mind and it is a common, yet under-researched area in dance. Indeed, although sport and exercise researchers have imagery measurement tools designed for their respective settings, no such tool has existed for dance. Having a valid and reliable questionnaire can produce information...

Imagery use was examined within the deliberate practice framework (Ericsson, Krampe, & Tesch-Römer, 1993). Athletes (N = 150) from three competitive levels (recreational, intermediate, and elite) completed an adapted version of the Sport Imagery Questionnaire (SIQ; Hall, Mack, Paivio, & Hausenblas, 1998). Each SIQ item was scored for frequency, del...

The study investigated the impact of varying combinations of facilitative and debilitative imagery and self-talk (ST) on self-efficacy and performance of a dart-throwing task. Participants (N = 95) were allocated to 1 of 5 groups: (a) facilitative imagery/facilitative ST, (b) facilitative imagery/debilitative ST, (c) debilitative imagery/facilitati...

A series of two studies was undertaken to investigate the development of imagery among dancers and how dance teachers might affect the imagery development process. The first study is reported here, the second in Part II. For the present study, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 female (n = 9) and male (n = 5) professional da...

The present study was undertaken to investigate the development of imagery among dancers. To effectively extend the results presented in Part I, the main topics emerging from the interviews in that study were investigated quantitatively. Participants were 250 female (n = 218) and male (n = 27) dancers from various dance types and ranging from recre...

In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 male and female professional dancers from several dance forms. Interviews were primarily based in the 4 Ws framework (Munroe, Giacobbi, Jr., Hall, & Weinberg, 2000), which meant exploring Where, When, Why, and What dancers image. A dimension describing How the dancers employed imagery also e...

The effects of imagery direction on self-efficacy and performance in a dart throwing task were examined. Two imagery types were investigated: skill-based cognitive specific (CS) and confidence-based motivational general-mastery (MG-M). Seventy-five novice dart throwers were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (a) facilitative imagery, (b...

Aesthetic sport athletes are subject to pressures to be thin. Because such pressures may vary across different subtypes of gymnastics, differences between 3 gymnastics types (artistic, rhythmic, and sports acrobatics) on indices of eating disturbances were investigated. This was performed with a younger sample than has commonly been the norm. Fifty...