Let's start with a question, Why do we stereotype?
Stereotyping is not always negative or harsh, but rather is a natural and cognitive way for a human to categorize everything around and acquire a sense of recognition. Stereotyping cannot be controlled and its development depends on the person's upbringing and ethics. The social issue arises, when this stereotype turns into a stigma and one does not entertain change in thoughts and views but rather compels others to follow their ways. Ideals and perspectives keep expanding with time and cannot be boxed with constraints. Stereotypes should only be taken as first instincts and not as limits that others can't grow beyond.
The first thing that comes to your mind when you think of a dancer is probably skinny, toned muscles and quite flexible, their life revolves around dance, they don't major in anything else, don't eat properly, and the list goes on and on.
To be frank, this is what we all imagine a dancer to be like, isn't it?
The thing is, we can't really help it. These thoughts come across our minds because this is exactly how we've always perceived them but little do we know these 'we can't help it' thoughts turn into stereotypical threats. A stereotypical threat is like a double-edged sword if you are someone who fits perfectly in these conditions, you might be prioritized over others who deserve it more but are tangled within the stigma. This situation becomes even worse when these factors are made mandatory.
We casually speculate that dancers eventually become skinny and develop toned bodies because of the amount of work and physical activity they put in, which is absolutely not the case, being skinny is not recommended at all as the results of training highly depend on the body structure of the person. As long as the person is healthy and fit, he or she is good to go. Being a dancer doesn't mean that all of them have to be extensively flexiblec. In fact mostl dancers have different styles and different ways to strengthen their bodies, which does not only include being able to do flips, splits, and other extraordinary stunts. Being a dancer for years, I personally still can't touch my toes while bending. It is kind of an extreme but it is what it is. It is very obvious that dancers come in all shapes, sizes, and colours and should be accepted in their natural and best states itself. They should be confident with their bodies as that is what allows them to showcase their art in the first place.
Now moving forward, talking about age limits and retirements for dancers. Dance being a physical sport requires the body to be at its best at all times which is not possible when it comes to aging. With age, the body starts compromising on its crisps. Yet, aging should not be considered as an unfavorable quality, for it is this age, and the time passed which is a tradeoff for experience. Experience makes a dancer, a performer, a choreographer, and more than anything else, an artist. It is what places them quite ahead of the time than any newcomers. As a matter of fact, it should be totally up to the dancer to decide their age of retirement and should not be formulated as a stigma. For instance,19 dancers are members of the dance troupe of the Sadler’s Wells Theatre of London, whose name says it all: the Company of Elders. They are all over 60, the oldest is 87 years old and joined the company when it was founded in 1989. They meet up once a week and more often when they’re about to perform in a (traveling) show. Numbers don't mean much, especially when it comes to the terms where it is exchanged with experience and lessons. Dancers shouldn't be stereotyped as young people, it's up to them how much they can maintain their strength, quality, and most importantly, their style of delivering.
Finally, merely being aware of the damaging effects that stereotypes can have can help us reinterpret the anxiety and makes us more likely to perform better. We may not be able to avoid stereotypes completely and immediately, but we can definitely try to clear the air.
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