Honors thesis students tell health stories in a senior project

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Syracuse University drama student Kat Kelly was 13 years old when she realized that doing what she loved, dancing, was causing her pain. At age 14, she was diagnosed with a labral tear in her right hip, a common injury for dancers, and hip dysplasia.

“There’s that emotional and mental connection to knowing that you have an injury or knowing that you have limitations when you’re in pain, and you’re in a room full of people who can do these things without feeling pain,” Kelly said.

What started as a personal struggle for the dancer soon turned into a senior thesis project Dealing with painA show focused on reducing the stigma surrounding pain and injury in the performing arts.

Renee Crown drama students Elana Babbitt, Jessica Serreta, Gabriela Monchivas and Riley told their stories about visiting Health at Actor’s World with Kelly Sunday night at the Skybar on South Campus.

“This performance strives to put the issue at the forefront, and with the right support, injury and pain doesn’t have to be career-ending,” Kelly said at the event. web page. “Rather, it’s a normal part of this profession.”

When Kelly received her hip diagnosis, she realized the importance of taking care of her body.

“You have to take care of your body to do what you love,” Kelly told the audience. “Doing what you love doesn’t protect your body.”

A very similar epiphany occurred at 13 due to a gymnastics accident that resulted in spinal compression, which led to four bulging discs, one reduced disc and spondylolysis, a spinal injury when a vertebra slides into one. The latter cannot be cured without surgery, which he chooses not to do.

“The first thing[my coaches]said to me was: can you walk? I remember sitting there and can I move? “I was absolutely shocked. I was very sick. Since I’ve started dancing, the throbbing lessens, but the chronic pain doesn’t go away.

She believes that building a community of people facing health challenges in the arts industry can help others like her feel less alone.

“We deal with imposter syndrome in this industry…and there are so many times in the classroom that it’s a ‘keep going’ mentality, on my bad days, I’m not only feeling that imposter syndrome, I’m physically sick. “I feel lonely in a room full of people dancing with me,” she said.

When she was in high school, Monchivas underwent surgery to remove a polyp on her left vocal cord that kept her silent for two weeks. She said the need for surgery made her afraid to use her voice.

She told The Daily Orange: “There’s a fear that could happen again. “It made me realize that sometimes trying not to do things to keep your voice safe can hurt you more and you have to let it go and let it go.”

Kelly reminded the crowd that “performance psychology” is just as important as sports psychology, while simultaneously engaging and even drawing laughter from her audience.

Kelly said she feels she learned how to perform but not how to coach. She believes the solution is to teach dancers health and anatomy before they start trying complex moves.

“If we start by answering the question, what should this feel like … we can avoid abuse and harm,” Kelly said. “Working from the inside out puts you and your health at the center of the work, rather than from the outside in.”