Understanding Self-Harm in Dance: What UK Dance Teachers Are Seeing

In recent years, dance teachers across the UK have noticed that more and more young dancers are engaging in self-harm and requesting more guidance around supporting their students at risk. But what does self-harm look like in the world of dance? A new study published in the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology and led by Maria Kolitsida, under the supervision of Professor Jennifer Cumming, Dr Anna Lavis and Dr Erin Sanchez, explores this question by asking dance teachers themselves.

What Is Self-Harm in Dance?

Traditionally, self-harm is thought of as physical self-injury. It includes behaviours like cutting or burning oneself. But dance teachers in this study had a much broader view. They described self-harm as hurting oneself or acting in a way that physically or psychologically harmful.

This included:

• Physical self-injury (e.g., cutting, bruising, substance misuse)

• Mental self-harm (e.g., negative self-talk, obsessive thoughts)

• Disordered eating

Why Do Dance Students Self-Harm?

Dance teachers viewed self-harm as a coping mechanism in response to stress.

More specifically, according to teachers, dance students would use self-harm to deal with:

• Infernal stress: low self-esteem, anxiety, depression

• Relational stress: family issues, peer pressure, bullying

• External pressures: academic stress, social media, unrealistic beauty standards

Equally, some students may use self-harm to communicate that they are in distress to ask for help.

Dance: A Double-Edged Sword

Interestingly, dance itself was seen as both a protective and a risk factor for self-harm:

• On the one hand, dance offers students a “happy place”—a way to express themselves and escape stress offering social support.

• On the flip side, dance-related stress such as the competitive nature of dance or pressure to maintain a certain body type—especially in pre-professional and professional settings—could worsen mental health and increase the risk of self-harm for already vulnerable students.

Implications of the Research

The study highlights a clear need for dance-specific guidance on self-harm. Teachers want to help, but they need:

• Training that reflects the broad ways self-harm can show up in dance

• Resources that address eating disorders, mental self-harm, and indirect self-harming behaviours

• Support systems to help them feel supported in responding to self-harm.

What’s Next?

This study is just the beginning of larger project between the University of Birmingham's The SPRINT Project and One Dance UK that focuses on understanding more about self-harm in dance to produce resources for those working in dance education. Since conducting this work, the research team has focused on:

Qualitative research

Exploring current gaps and opportunities for supporting people at risk of self-harm in dance education.

Survey research

Surveying dance students to understand more about the experiences of dance students.

Workshops for dance education

Used this research to develop and evaluate a workshop aimed at providing education and practical support to dance educators for responding to self-harm.

Watch this space for future updates and publication of this work!

Final Thoughts

This research is a powerful reminder that self-harm isn’t always visible—and that in dance, it can take many forms. By listening to teachers and dancers alike, we can create a more compassionate, informed, and supportive dance culture for individuals at risk for self-harm.

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Written by Maria Kolitsida

Reference: Kolitsida, M., Lavis, A., Sanchez, E., & Cumming, J. (2025). What is self-harm in dance? A conceptualisation of UK dance teachers’ perceptions of self-harm. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/1612197X.2025.2522404