Performance Anxiety Experiences of Professional Ballet Dancers

Abstract

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. Fifteen elite ballet dancers representing all ranks in one company were interviewed, and qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results revealed that cognitive anxiety was more dominant than somatic anxiety, and was unanimously interpreted as debilitative to performance. Somatic anxiety was more likely to be interpreted as facilitative, with the majority of dancers recognizing that a certain amount of anxiety could be beneficial to performance. Principal dancers suffered from higher intensities of performance anxiety than corps de ballet members. Feeling out of control emerged as a major theme in both the experience of anxiety and its interpretation. As a result, prevention or handling of anxiety symptoms may be accomplished by helping dancers to feel in control. Dancers may benefit from education about anxiety symptoms and their interpretation, in addition to psychological skills training incorporating cognitive restructuring strategies and problem-focussed coping to help increase their feelings of being in control.

Effects of tailored interventions for anxiety management in choking-susceptible performing artists: a mixed-methods collective case study

“…The relevance of interpretation and controllability has been pointed out in previous studies with actors (Goodman and Kaufman, 2014 ), dancers (Walker and Nordin-Bates, 2010 ), and musicians (Clark and Williamon, 2011 ). These studies link feeling in control of one's anxiety to self-confidence and self-efficacy, but with different directions: feeling in control may be the result of raised self-confidence and subsequently foster facilitative interpretations of anxiety (Walker and Nordin-Bates, 2010 ), or feeling more in control of debilitating aspects of anxiety may lead to increases in self-efficacy (Clark and Williamon, 2011 ). Notably, the intervention by Clark and Williamon did not reduce musicians' performance anxiety, but it did enhance their self-efficacy.…”

“…Feedback from others was an important part of how participants saw their performance. Whereas unfounded feedback may cause anxiety, positive and constructive feedback may enhance self-confidence (Walker and Nordin-Bates, 2010 ). From the standpoint of self-efficacy theory, participants' successful performances may have represented mastery experiences that supported their self-efficacy for performing and subsequently facilitated satisfying performance experiences in the posttest (Bandura, 1997 ).…”

“…With strong self-confidence, anxiety can indeed be perceived as facilitative for performance (Hanton et al, 2004 ). This has also been shown with professional dancers: self-confidence may protect against debilitative performance anxiety, as it helps to feel in control and reinterpret anxiety symptoms (Walker and Nordin-Bates, 2010 ). Whereas self-confidence is a generic term that indicates “strength of belief but does not necessarily specify what the certainty is about”, self-efficacy means the “belief in one's agentive capabilities, that one can produce given levels of attainment” regarding a specific skill or task (Bandura, 1997 , p. 382).…”

“…Performance anxiety as a specific kind of trait anxiety can be defined as persisting worries about and heightened physiological arousal in relation to public performance, which may lead to a decline of performance skills in the presence of an audience (Salmon, 1990 ; Kenny, 2011 ). Studies with musicians and dancers highlight that the cognitive dimension of anxiety (e.g., worry) is often perceived as more debilitative to performance than the somatic dimension (e.g., “butterflies” in the stomach; Miller and Chesky, 2004 ; Walker and Nordin-Bates, 2010 ). Compared to individuals low in trait anxiety, those with high trait anxiety may be more prone to perceive evaluative situations as threatening (Byrne and Eysenck, 1995 ).…”

“…Several researchers have emphasized the importance of tailoring interventions to performers' specific needs (Lidor and Mayan, 2005 ; Cotterill et al, 2010 ), as tailored interventions are likely to induce more visible benefits than generic “one-size-fits-all” interventions and might also increase the individuals' willingness to apply the intervention (Mesagno et al, 2021 ). This could be especially relevant with performing artists: some dancers who felt unable to manage their anxiety believed that psychological interventions would not help them, as everybody has different needs and coping styles (Walker and Nordin-Bates, 2010 ). The implementation of interventions inspired by sport psychology may therefore be challenging for artists and requires a domain-sensitive, holistic approach (Pecen et al, 2016 ).…”