You train extensively as a dancer, but what about mental training? Have you ever trained your mental skills like confidence, focus, or resilience? When you tune in to Passion for Dance, that mental training is precisely what you get. You can learn from a sport psychology expert who understands the dance industry and can teach you how to elevate your performance and truly thrive on and off stage.
Welcome to Passion for Dance, where your host, Dr. Chelsea, will bring the science of sport psychology into the dance studio. Each week, you will learn actionable strategies and new mindsets to build happier, more successful dancers.
Dance teaches us to push through the pain to reach our goals, and we are used to criticism, tears, bleeding toes, and sore muscles. But now, psychological research has taught us more about mental health and resilience than ever before, and it's time to change our industry for the better. Being a dancer teaches us critical life skills, but that doesn't mean we have to suffer before we can build ourselves back up. Dance can teach us self-discipline, teamwork, confidence, grit, and resilience without destroying our self-esteem.
The path to personal growth is full of joy, self-discovery, and challenging roadblocks, but we don't have to figure it out alone. This podcast is for all of us to connect, learn, and share our passion for dance with the world.
In this milestone episode, host Dr. Chelsea reflects on 200 episodes of the Passion for Dance podcast, sharing key insights and lessons from the four pillars of the show: mindset, motivation, resilie…
In this episode of Passion for Dance, host Dr. Chelsea is joined by professional dancer Nia Lonette. The two dive into Nia's journey from Maryland to becoming an acclaimed dancer in LA, featuring her…
Dr. Chelsea tackles the challenges dancers face during the intense competition season including losing and offers valuable insights into three aspects worse than losing: regret, blame, and lack of im…
In this episode of Passion for Dance, Dr. Chelsea speaks with Jared Redick, a third-generation professional ballet dancer and current Dean at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Mr R…
In the third installment of 'Emotional Intelligence for Dancers,' Dr. Chelsea delves into coping strategies for managing emotions over the long term, helping dancers recover from disappointment and f…
In this episode of Passion for Dance, Dr. Chelsea continues her series on emotional intelligence for dancers, focusing on strategies for managing negative emotions. She provides five proactive techni…
In this episode of 'Passion for Dance,' Dr. Chelsea, discusses how emotions impact a dancer’s ability to focus, move, and connect with the audience. With competition season in full swing, she delves …
In this episode, guest artist Galit Friedlander shares her personal dance journey from starting her professional career as a young teen to working as an assistant choreographer for Prince. She discus…
In this episode of Dr. Chelsea delves into the benefits of mindfulness for dancers. She clarifies the difference between mindfulness and meditation and discusses how mindfulness can improve both ment…
In this episode of Passion for Dance, Dr. Chelsea addresses the common struggle dancers face with comparison. From defining why we compare ourselves to others to exploring its psychological impacts, …
Dr. Chelsea announces updates for the Passion for Dance podcast in 2025, including a slight shift in focus towards more dancer-focused episodes while maintaining content for dance educators and coach…
Would you want to know that your last time onstage was the last time? Would that knowledge bring closure or would it be too difficult to perform if you knew it was your last time? My guest in today’s…
Today’s episode is all about making it as a professional dancer. My guest, Justine Menter, has over 15 years of experience in LA's entertainment industry as a choreographer, educator, and entrepreneu…
We are entering the thick of dance competition season where dancers start to feel more pressure and there are some big wins and some very hard days. Dancers who train their mental skills are not only…
It's Nutcracker season, and today I want to pull back the curtain on what life is really like as a professional ballet dancer. My guest today is Janine Kovac who was a professional dancer for 12 year…
I've talked to hundreds and hundreds of dancers all over the world, and I hear from each of them about the heavy load they experience as dancers. There's pressure to perform. We never feel like we h…
If you are a dance teacher who has ever struggled to get your students to go full out when they're learning, or if you've been saying the same cue, like, “Pull up,” and they don't get it, today's gue…
The best performers in the world didn't get to where they are through magic, nor did they get there overnight. The best path to your personal best is to focus on those small, daily habits that add up…
What kind of dancer will make it in New York City? Do passionate dancers get taken advantage of in the professional world? Today’s episode is a conversation with Dr. Ruth Horowitz, a sociologist who …
It takes a lot of positive mental skills to learn how to focus on small improvements every day and not give up when you don't feel like you're making the progress you want. Many dancers focus on gett…