Review of 'Fuel For Performance' by Nancy Wozny

The third piece of literature I am going to review is Fuel For Performance by Nancy Wozny. This piece was written for Pointe magazine, a magazine aimed at dance professionals. It was published by New York, N.Y.: Macfadden Performing Arts Media, LLC which is the same publishing company that published Dance Healthy, Dance Smart: A Healthy Outlook: How teachers can play an active role in helping students to develop a positive body image by Jennifer Brewer, the last piece I reviewed and was again only published in the USA. However, this article is designed to help dancers with their nutrition so could be useful to dancers of any nationality. It was published in the September – October 2010 edition of the magazine and therefore is extremely recent which is significant because it seems good nutrition is becoming more and more important to dancers.

 

I chose this article as it is designed to help dancers know what to put into their bodies in order for them to dance to the best of their ability. The author, Wozny, is an independent arts and health writer. Although she does not have a background in dance like the other two authors whose articles I have reviewed, she uses quotes from people in the arts to back up her argument.

 

“Carbohydrates are a dancer's secret weapon when schedules go into overdrive”

This is Wozny’s argument. I found this interesting immediately because when talking to my SIG earlier in the module I found that one dancer had been told while at college to “lay off carbs.” Wozney reinforces her claims that dancers need good nutrition to be able to dance to their fullest by quoting Pennsylvania Ballet corps dancer Lauren Fadeley,

"If I get lax with my nutrition, it's harder for me to stay on top of my game, I just don't have the stamina to get through the day- and it shows in my dancing."

It is good that Wozny managed to quote a ballet dancer about eating healthily. Ballet dancers stereotypically are very bad at eating healthily and putting good nutrition over thinness. However, this will mean that they could be sacrificing not only their health but their performance too.

Wozney also explains why scientifically there is such a need for carbohydrates in the diet of a busy dancer. In order to do this she quotes the registered dietitian at Houston Ballet, Roberta Anding.

“(Carbohydrates) are one of those seductive food groups that dancers think they should avoid. But…Carbohydrates break down into glucose, which fuels the body and the brain through a process called glycolysis and the Krebs cycle."

Anding’s statement works well in this article because it shows that eating carbohydrates in order to give you energy as a dancer is not just an opinion. It has been backed up with scientific facts which always make a source more reliable. Like Brewer in the last article I reviewed, Wozny uses quotes from professionals effectively to prove her point and give her article purpose and meaning.

Wozny then goes on to put straight the myth that dancers need more protein than carbohydrates, the advice she gives is,

“What you should be doing is combining protein with carbs for a long-lasting source of energy.”

Again, Wozny quotes Anding to back up her statement,

"Steel-cut oatmeal with scrambled egg whites helps you to feel full all morning."

This shows that the article is doing more than just giving dancers an idea of what food groups they should be consuming. It also gives them a specific meal they could eat to put their theory in to practice. Personally, I think that dancers could learn a lot from this article because it is so well supported with facts and ideas for good nutrition.

Next Wozny explains which carbohydrates will help the most and which will not be as beneficial,

“Complex carbohydrates, found in fruits, vegetables, oatmeal, nuts, seeds and grains are the powerhouse carbs that keep you going throughout the day. Simple carbohydrates, such as baked goods, candy, sodas and juice, are not ideal since they cause your blood sugar to spike and then drop.”

This sounds obvious to me but the reason that I like this article so much is that it helps dancers to understand simple nutrition that could help immensely. Perhaps they really do not know what constitutes good nutrition because nobody has ever told them. This is what I want to find out as part of my inquiry.

Another part of the article which I find insightful is about snacking. When we are busy in rehearsals for example there is often no time to eat meals. Wozny quotes Anding again who gives advice on what she thinks are the best possible snacks for dancers,

"Go for simple, clean and minimally processed. Think quick and portable, an apple or a banana and almonds, carrots with hummus, or whole wheat bread with peanut butter are all good options.”

Wozny claims that energy bars are a good snack while training heavily.However, she quotes Cincinnati Ballet registered dietitian Allison Wagner on how to pick the best kind,

"Try to stay clear of those high in sugar, and saturated and trans fats,"

Again, I find it good that for one thing Wozney is using other people in the know to back up her article and also that they are giving such straight forward advice. Moreover, the fact that the subject of snacking was brought up in this article shows that Wozny understands the life of a dancer. I think it is good that the article addresses this point because as a rule snacking is seen as bad where healthy eating is concerned.

Wozny also explains the outcome of bad nutrition and not taking in enough carbohydrates. She uses quotes from both Anding and Wagner.

“Chronic under-fueling chews up muscle. In an effort to save itself, your body actually starts shutting down. A dancer can’t just suck it up and power through with a show-must-go-on logic. It's not a problem you can conquer with sheer willpower."

This quote from Anding shows dancers that they cannot hide from the fact that bad nutrition is going to affect their bodies. There is certainly a powering through mentality in the dance industry that Anding touches on here but if we eat healthily we won’t even consider having to do this.

The quote Wozny uses of Wagner’s is more to do with injury,

 "Not consuming enough energy has negative effects on muscles, bones and the level of stress hormones produced by our bodies, which can lead to muscle cramps, stress fractures and breaks."

Again I think this is something dancers need to know in order for them to really listen to how to keep their bodies in good shape by eating a nutritious diet.

I think Wozny pieces this article together nicely with use of quotes. I think it would be an interesting read for a lot of dancers as nutrition often gets forgotten about on the quest to be thin. The point is that dancers can be thin and healthy if they choose a nutritious diet.