Information regarding The Prix de Lausanne's Health Policy
The Prix de Lausanne is proud of its comprehensive health policy, which is in harmony with those of major training organizations worldwide. As explained in "Article 30" of the Prix de Lausanne's Rules and Regulations (see below), the Prix's goal is to advance health and excellence in adolescent dancers with a view to increasing their capacity to fully explore their talent, improving performance and enhancing quality of life. In order to realize this objective, potential candidates are required, prior to registration, to complete a health questionnaire that screens for health problems such as eating disorders, growth problems and/or anatomical risks, in partnership with their family doctor. When results indicate potential health risks, the Prix's consulting physician, Dr. Carlo Bagutti, contacts those dancers and their doctors to explain his concerns and highlight the benefits of seeking solutions.
Additionally, each of those same candidates meets with Dr. Bagutti upon arrival in Lausanne and prior to the start of the competition. Dr. Bagutti then advises the Prix's Executive Committee whether each of these prospective candidates is fit to take part in the competition. During the course of the competition, appointments with Dr. Bagutti are arranged for candidates perceived to warrant further medical examination.
Whenever possible parents and teachers are involved in these consultations and in the development of strategies for the subsequent care and monitoring of the young dancer's health. In these consultations, emphasis is placed on explaining the link between health and long-term success as a world-class dance artist.
Noted below are answers to questions frequently asked by dancers and their parents:
Compared to other intensive physical disciplines, such as sports, what are the specific risks related to classical dance?
Dance, and classical ballet in particular, are extremely intense physical activities that subject the bones, joints, muscles and tendons to significant and repeated stresses and strains.
The body is extremely adaptable and can tolerate high levels of stress if that stress is increased gradually. Pushing too hard or too fast will cause tissues and bones to give way and can provoke hormonal disorders.
However, classical dance demands two skills that no other discipline requires: the ability to stand on pointe (for women) and the ability to perform with the legs rotated outwards in the hip sockets. Acquiring both these skills involves a gradual build up - over many years - of the strength required. There is an individual tolerance threshold to these physical challenges, based on individual physiques, beyond which so-called "overload" injuries may occur.
Their onset is often gradual and the dancer becomes so accustomed to working with pain that they consider it 'normal'.
However, the long-term implications of overload injuries are extremely serious as they can interrupt the dancer's career for significant lengths of time.
Is it possible these days to achieve quality performance without taking physical risks?
Reaching peak quality performance in the field of classical dance calls for extremely high physical, technical and artistic attributes. The risk of injury within this quest is relatively low. However, certain dancers might seek to emulate - or be encouraged to emulate - the achievements of dancers with extreme physical capabilities such as exceptional flexibility or flat turn out.
Through forcing their bodies to mimic another dancer's skills, rather than gradually enhancing their own, these dancers run the risk of serious 'overload' injuries, with long term consequences to their dancing careers.
In recent years, the Prix de Lausanne has also devoted attention to the issue of excessive leanness, or even anorexia, in young female dancers. Is anorexia a significant or a marginal phenomenon?
Anorexia is far more prevalent in the general population than one might imagine. In certain fields (such as classical ballet, fashion modeling, and sports such as artistic gymnastics, ice-skating and running) where the aesthetic appearance and weight are particularly in the spotlight, it is even more widespread.
Nonetheless, the majority of problems stem from eating disorders related to but less serious than fully-fledged anorexia. These anorexic-types of behaviours, which occur more frequently than fully-fledged anorexia, also jeopardize the health of such individuals, particularly if they are young people in the midst of their growth period.
There is a growing awareness that the psychological demands of training to be a professional dancer need to be acknowledged and understood. Is it psychologically more difficult to perform ballet than to engage in another artistic or sports discipline?
Ballet requires considerable personal investment. From childhood on it is the focal point of the young dancer's life. In itself, experiencing dance through one's body generates tremendous personal passion in both physical and psychological terms.
As dancers need to devote so much time and energy to their training, they generally forego the usual balance of leisure and social activities.
Therefore, it is extremely beneficial if family support and friendships can be adapted so that the dancer is not always forced to choose between their training and friendships and family activities.
Despite the short period of time in which you, as the Prix's consulting physician, are in contact with the participants, what steps can you take to raise young people's awareness of their state of benefits of healthy training practices and nutritional choices?
Our health-oriented educational project has a three-pronged thrust.
First of all, the candidate receives a medical document that must be completed in the presence of a family doctor. This is accompanied by a detailed questionnaire regarding nutritional behavioural disorders. The aim of this medical file is to raise awareness of potential problems related to disordered eating among candidates, and those around them, and to provide the family doctor with an opportunity to discuss these issues. This information from the family physician, shared with me in strict confidence, allows me to form an opinion of the dancer's state of health and identify dancers at risk.
My personal interventions during the competition represent the second focus of our action. In situations that I consider particularly risky, I draw up a strategy for subsequent care and monitoring of the young dancer's health.
Finally, we also organize training seminars intended for the candidates, their families, friends and their teachers.
Doesn't responsibility for the health of these young dancers mostly lie with their parents and those supervising their training?
That is absolutely true, but the organizing committee of the Prix de Lausanne feels that it is highly irresponsible to simply turn a blind eye to the health risks related to excessive leanness or to an injury due to excessive strain, as this compromises dancers' long-term development.
Dr. Carlo Bagutti and the Prix de Lausanne Organizing Committee
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