by Kate | Nov 18, 2025 | Boundaries in Business, Dance Journey, Dance Psychology, Dance School Structure, Dance Studio Ecosystem, Dance Teaching, Healing
Four years ago, I found a small lump on the side of my neck. My GP rang after the ultrasound and said it showed a lesion with calcifications, and that I needed a biopsy. When the results came back, she told me it was cancer. The type she described was aggressive. For...
by Kate | Nov 7, 2025 | Dance Journey, Dance Psychology, Dance School Structure, Dance Studio Ecosystem, Dance Teaching, Dance Techniques, Dancer Leadership, Healing, Systems Thinking
Running a dance studio is not simply about teaching steps. It is about leading a community. Studio owners and teachers often carry the roles of mentor, mediator, counsellor, and protector. They hold the responsibility of shaping young people’s emotional and social...
by Kate | Oct 29, 2025 | Coercive culture, Cult Systems, Dance Journey, Dance Psychology, Dance Teaching, Dance Techniques, Healing
In Parts One to Three, I explored how coercive dance environments were sustained through glorification, silence, and internalised roles such as the scapegoat and golden child. Yet another layer of the system often goes unexamined: the role of the enabler. Enablers are...
by Kate | Sep 17, 2025 | Coercive culture, Cult Systems, Dance Journey, Dance Psychology, Dance Teaching, Healing, Mental Illness, Mind Power
Content note: This piece includes references to physical punishment and emotional abuse in dance training In Parts One and Two, I explored dynamics within coercive dance environments: institutions and teachers who caused harm, yet became idolised within the industry....
by Kate | Sep 7, 2025 | Dance Psychology, Dance Teaching
Content note: This piece includes references to physical punishment and emotional abuse in dance training. In my last piece, I explored the tension of revering the “greats” of dance while also naming the harm some of them caused. Not all revered teachers were abusive....
