28. Caring for the Adolescent Artist

What support does a hypermobile young artist need?

Hint: a lot.

Hypermobile dancers, gymnasts, skaters, circus artists: the same hypermobility that gives them extraordinary lines and range of motion, also makes them vulnerable to injury, mental health issues, and more. They have unique needs and susceptibilities - so how do we help them?

For this episode, several members of Team Bendy Bodies sit down to discuss a whole-body (and mind) approach to caring for adolescent artists. Specialist Linda Bluestein MD, trainer and ballet coach Jennifer Milner, nutritionist Kristin Koskinen, and EDS Wellness ambassador Aidan Leslie speak frankly about the requirements in working with adolescent bendy bodies, from their “superpowers” to their “kryptonite”.

We discuss how parents can find help for their adolescent artist, and when to start putting together a “pit crew” to have on hand. Aidan shares her own story and offers suggestions on how to advocate for yourself as a teen artist looking to stay healthy in classes that don’t allow for modifications for hypermobility dancers. Kristin describes signs of disordered eating, and how to get help with fueling. Dr. Bluestein looks at symptoms of hypermobility that go beyond “flexibility” and discusses how “hypermobile” doesn’t always equal “flexible”. Jennifer shares her experiences training hypermobile dancers and mentoring them down that narrow path of working hard to be strong while knowing when to pull back to avoid injury.

And finally, we discuss the importance of mental health in the adolescent artist and why it’s always better to address something when it’s “little” than wait until it’s “big”. As Kristin points out, “Emotional owies have a harder time healing.”

Are you a pre-professional artist? This episode can give you guidance on how and when to ask for help as well as how to advocate for yourself. If you’re a parent, teacher, coach, or mentor, this is a must-listen as we discuss how it really takes a village to raise a hypermobile artist.

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