Social Media and Dance

As a dance related business owner, I understand how beneficial social media can be to the arts in general and more specifically dance schools and studios.  A good social media campaign can provide direct access to colleagues, clients, and potential clients that might otherwise not be reached through conventional advertising and networking.  It also can help to build a sense of community that includes other dance instruction and performance institutions and those with similar dance related interests. It can put your dance studio’s name first and foremost in the client’s awareness. That being said, we cannot ignore the danger social media also poses to our dancers, even if that danger is not immediately evident.

With social media like Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat and other social media outlets and blogs, dancers as young as 8 years old through adult at the touch of an phone can risk not only physical danger but the mental and psychological health of the dancer.

Sure, it seems safe and innocent enough.  What starts with beautiful dance poses, dance stories, compliments and statements of support to and from fellow dancers, can turn into something that is near to a living nightmare within a blink of an eye.  For instance, not too long ago a student (I’ll call her Amy) came to me in tears.  When I asked what was wrong, Amy said that someone had been commenting on her Instagram postings (which were of Amy in beautiful dance poses) in a very derogatory and demeaning way.  Unfortunately, I learned, this was not a onetime event, but one that had gained steam in the weeks preceding.  While it took many weeks to decipher who the comments were coming from, we did find that the remarks were from not only a dancer in our studio, but one of Amy’s ‘best friends’.  During this time, Amy began to skip classes, her appetite was gone, and her self esteem and sense of self worth was diminished.  When the friend was confronted as to why she made the derogatory remarks about her friend, not only once, but repeatedly, she said that she was just joking.  This was no joke; it was a case of cyber bullying.

Statistics show that teenagers spend an average of 30 hours per week on social media and over 200 million of social media is accessed by mobile devices.  Unfortunately, most of our young dancers don’t realize the impact a text, a comment on Facebook, Twitter, Snap Chat, etc. can be.  What used to be playground conversation among a few close friends is now open to the public, and not the immediate public, the entire world.  We need to give our dancers guidelines for healthy and appropriate use of social media and monitor social media of our youngest dancers.  Have them ask these questions before they post, text or comment: “Is this going to hurt someone’s feelings? How would I feel if this comment/text was sent to me? Is my comment threatening in any way? Am I revealing private information about this person?”  These are just some, I’m sure you can think of more.  The bottom line is that we need our dancers using social media to do so thoughtfully and carefully.  Our dancers need to know how powerful social media is…whatever you put out is there forever for friends, family, instructors, universities, and future employers to see.  Moreover, once something is said, typed, texted, or posted, those harmful and negative words cannot be taken back.

Just like everything else in life, our dancers can often feel pressure to conform to what is on social media, but it’s important for them to not ‘follow the pack’.  Let’s keep our dancers safe, healthy, and happy.  The ramifications of this kind of danger can be far-reaching.  Please educate yourself, be aware and set guidelines for your dancer.
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Louis McKay is President of North County DanceArts, Inc. located in Carmel Valley and currently trains 400 students from ages 3 to 93 years of age.  Louis has performed and taught Master dance and musical theater classes in 42 of our 50 states and Europe and South Africa. In 1980, Louis McKay opened Louis McKay Dance Studio, later to become North County DanceArts, Inc., which is a teaching facility that is best known for its professional teaching staff and quality dance training. Dancers from beginning level to professional are taught technique, terminology, and discipline in a nurturing and fun environment. Louis currently lives in Carmel Valley San Diego with his wife Tanya and is the proud father of four grown children and two grandchildren. Louis and Tanya McKay also own DanceHearts, a 501 (c) (3) Public Charity called Bells of Freedom Program, serves military men, women and their families by providing emergency care and support, back to school backpack program, vehicle donations and the annual “The Big Thank You” Military Holiday Event.