When we talk about supporting young dancers, we often focus on what we can see.

The technique.
The training.
The costumes.
The performances.
The pointe shoes.
The scholarships.
The opportunities.

But another part of a dancer deserves just as much attention: the person behind the dance.

At Brown Girls Do Ballet, we have always believed that supporting dancers means supporting the whole child. That includes creating opportunities to dance, but it also means making sure young people have the tools, relationships, and resources they need to navigate everything that comes with being a young person in an often demanding environment.

And sometimes, that means talking about mental health.

Seeing a Need in 2020

In 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world changed almost overnight.

Dance studios closed. Performances disappeared. Classes moved online. Students lost routines, community, and in many cases, one of the places where they had found confidence and belonging.

For dancers, the disruption was about more than missing class.

Dance can be a significant part of a young person's identity. When that outlet suddenly disappears, so can a sense of normalcy. Add the isolation, uncertainty, fear, and stress so many families were experiencing, and it became clear that our dancers needed more than virtual classes and encouragement.

They needed space to talk.

They needed adults who understood what they were experiencing.

They needed tools for managing stress, disappointment, anxiety, and change.

And they needed to know that asking for help was not a sign that something was wrong with them.

That realization led Brown Girls Do Ballet to begin exploring how we could connect our community with mental-health resources. In 2020, we partnered with Center Stage Psychology to address this need and make mental-health support more visible in the conversation around dance.

That partnership reinforced something we already believed: mental health is part of dancer development.

The Pressure Behind the Performance

Young dancers often learn to navigate a lot at once.

They are developing their bodies and technique while also developing their identities. They learn to receive criticism, handle auditions and casting decisions, manage comparison, keep up with busy schedules, and cope with moments when their hard work doesn't produce the outcome they hoped for.

For dancers from historically underrepresented communities, there can be additional layers to navigate, including questions about belonging, representation, hair and appearance, access, and whether they have a place in the spaces they love.

None of this means dance is inherently harmful—quite the opposite. Dance can provide community, discipline, creativity, confidence, joy, and a powerful sense of belonging.

But a healthy dance environment must also make room for the dancer's emotional well-being.

We want our dancers to know that being strong doesn't mean handling everything alone.

That rest is not failure.

That perfection is not the goal.

That mistakes are part of learning.

And that there is no shame in asking for help.

Continuing the Work With Intentional Hearts

We are excited to continue expanding this work through a new partnership with Intentional Hearts Counseling and Consulting (IHCC).

Based in Fort Worth, IHCC provides counseling, coaching, education, and consulting services for individuals, families, schools, and organizations. Their work includes supporting children, teens, and adults in areas such as trauma, anxiety, and depression, stress management, self-empowerment, perfectionism, healthy relationships, resilience, and personal growth.

These areas matter deeply to us because our dancers are growing into themselves while learning to navigate the demands of their art.

IHCC's approach also includes school-based and community support, professional learning, and workshops focused on topics such as self-love, resilience, healthy coping skills, emotional regulation, and mental wellness.

For BGDB, this partnership continues to build a community where conversations about mental health are normal, accessible, and free from shame.

Creating Space to Be Human

One thing we love about dance is that it asks young people to express themselves.

But we also want our dancers to understand that they don't have to express everything through movement.

Sometimes you need to talk.

Sometimes you need to sit with someone who understands.

Sometimes you need professional support.

Sometimes you need an adult to remind you that one audition, one correction, one competition, or one difficult season does not define who you are.

Our responsibility as a community is not to make sure every dancer becomes a professional dancer.

It is to help young people become healthy, confident, resilient human beings who can carry what they learn through dance into every part of their lives.