Mark Meismer: Are Young Dancers Being Pushed Too Hard?

Mark Meismer on 'To The Pointe.'

With such a high level of training in the dance industry, are young dancers setting themselves up for injury or burn out later on in their careers? That was the hot topic of conversation on To The Pointe with this week's guest, Nuvo Dance Convention educator Mark Meismer.

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He wants to make sure the entertainment industry is raising a generation of healthy dancers.

"It's a little bit frightening," he said. "My other concern is the level of these younger kids is so high... can they keep that when they're 18 to then to have a career?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9aSwU_fiXg

Meismer is worried about the kids who are dancing every weekend, not having a life outside of dance and continuously putting their bodies through a high-level of technique when their bodies are still developing. Besides the physical aspect of dance, the mental aspect is just as important.

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"I think it's a huge parent responsibility, and now that I'm a parent... dance is so personal and you're being judged on something that you love and something you think is worthy of a win. I do think it's up to the parents to guide and listen to their kids," Meismer advised.

Meismer is considered "The Dance Whisperer" to dancers who are 8-13 years old. He understands how to communicate with them through the language of dance.

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"That age group... they are not involved in high school and boys or even puberty yet," he said. "They are just starving young artists hanging on to your every word... these young ones are the future."

Mark Meismer will be teaching throughout the U.S. until mid-May with Nuvo Dance Convention.

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