We recently connected with Elizabeth Delancy and have shared our conversation below.

Elizabeth , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry.

As a former professional dancer (Urban Bush Women) and as a current dance educator, consultant and coach, I have a deep appreciation for the dance industry in its many forms. Dance is ever-evolving. It is interesting to see how choreographers, trained dancers and vernacular movers find new ways to express themselves. Dancers are certainly more virtuosic today; when this high level of skill is coupled with artistry, it is a pleasure to behold. However, the industry trend of hyper-flexibility is not only dangerous, but it also unsettling and aesthetically displeasing.

In my prime, I enjoyed great flexibility. While my capacity is now limited, I still love to see the lines that strong and flexible dancers are able to create with impressive extension (dancers’ ability to kick, lift, extend and hold their legs high above their heads, and with great ease). But I cannot seem to escape social media reels showing dance coaches pulling on their young students’ legs to the point that they look like levers on a classic corkscrew. Why is it necessary to be so flexible that beautiful lines become distorted? Artistry and aesthetics are being supplanted by contortion. I worry about the dancers’ health. Will they need hip replacement surgeries at 20 years of age? Will this excessiveness lead to other incidences like what happened in Henan, China when a girl of six years was pushed into a split by her dance teacher and subsequently suffered spinal cord damage and paralysis?

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a university dance program director and faculty member. In addition to running the dance program, I head the community dance education program. I thoroughly enjoy offering classes to adults. Some want to try dance because they were not able to as a child; others are seeking to rekindle the childhood joy for dance. I believe it is a vital service because children have a plethora of places where they can go to study dance or participate in dance activities. Dance education for adults is not a priority for studios in my city. Therefore, it is my pleasure to provide this service.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of working in the field of dance, most specifically as a dance teacher, is the ability to provide students a therapeutic outlet. It is dedicated time when students are given permission to…. No, they are required to set aside life’s burdens for an hour and a half in order to sweat, commune with their higher power, laugh, reconnect or simply breathe. It is exercise for the body and the brain, and it time a to exorcise negativity and stress.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I think that producing quality dance performances for the community helped build my reputation. Dance performances certainly showcase the dancers’ hard work. However, performances highlight my sound andragogy. Students must study and learn before they can perform well.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @delancy_8503

Image Credits
Elizabeth Delancy, Bummi Anderson, Matt Hanner