Session 6 | Invisible Crisis in the dance field – mental health and the interconnected pressures on dancers and leadership
Probenraum West EG

The dance field faces a largely unspoken crisis: mental health challenges that affect dancers across ensembles and the free scene alike, shaped not only by individual circumstances but by the organisational cultures and leadership structures surrounding them. This discussion brings together specialists from dance science, dance education, psychology, and leadership to examine these pressures with analytical rigour and human-centred care.

How do working conditions, communication practices, and management styles contribute to, or protect against, psychological distress among dancers? What does thoughtful leadership look like in practice, and how can transparency and trust become tools of prevention rather than an afterthought? Speakers will address the interdependencies between individual wellbeing, institutional responsibility, and systemic change. The aim is not only to name the mental health challenges but also to collectively imagine a more sustainable, humane future for the dance field.

Guest speakers: Paula Archangelo-Cakir (Psychologist, BSc; Manager, MBA; Board Director – International Association for Dance Medicine & Science IADMS), Stephanie Mattiussi (Head of dance science and health, London Contemporary Dance School), Iván Perez (Artistic director, Dance Theatre Heidelberg), Prof. Andreas Starr (Univ.Prof. Andreas Starr (Director Institute of Dance Arts (IDA), Professor für Tanztechnik in Verbindung mit Dance Science, Bruckner University in Linz, Austria)

Moderator: Dr. Anja Hauschild (Dance medicine physician and consultant, BG Klinikum Hamburg / BG Rehazentrum HafenCity)

In Cooperation with the 2. Hamburger Tanzmedizin-Symposium, organized and hosted by the BG Klinikum Hamburg.