| Adequate amounts of sleep, rest, and proper diet and eating are all of extreme importance to a dancer�s body. All people require proper amounts of sleep in order to perform their duties fully the following day. This is especially important for a dancer because without proper rest and sleep, he will not be able to perform with complete and full energy. Avoiding drugs and alcohol is also necessary in a dancer�s life. Drugs and bad lifestyles affect physical capabilities enormously and for a dancer, as well as being incredibly dangerous. Dieting and eating habits have to be watched closely in order for a dancer to be able to perform how he or she needs to perform. Dancers are thought to be overly skinny, hence the perception that they have eating disorders. This is really not the case. Although disorders are common, most dancers are not do not have them. The overall idea for a good ballet diet is for a dancer to know their body and set their personal diet according to their body (Nagrin, 56-60). This is true for sleeping habits as well. Slow breathing and long deep breaths are good for relaxation which all dancers need plenty of. In Daniel Nagrin�s book How to Dance Forever, he states the two general rules for resting, 1. �Find out how much sleep you need� and 2. �Be a genius and arrange your life so that you get what you need� (Nagrin, 44). Good dieting and sleeping habits within a dancer are essential for all dancers to become who they want to be (Nagrin, 42-46). |
