Author(s): HOFMANN, H., CONSTIEN, L., MIDDERHOFF, F. , Institution: GERMAN SPORT UNIVERSITY COLOGNE, Country: GERMANY, Abstract-ID: 777

Introduction Artistic athletes in professional ballet navigate a demanding lifeworld where elite athletic performance intersects with aesthetic excellence. This environment creates conditions for mental health vulnerabilities. Research reports elevated anxiety prevalence among professional dancers, yet most studies examine isolated career phases. A comprehensive understanding of how anxiety develops and persists from vocational training through professional employment remains absent. The aim of this study is the identification of factors that influence anxiety experience throughout a professional dance career, providing evidence-based insights for targeted mental health interventions in artistic sport settings.
Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 professional ballet dancers (6 female, 6 male) with a mean age of 25.3 years (SD=1.8) trained at state ballet training institutions in German speaking countries and are currently employed in professional companies. The interview guide contained questions about anxiety experiences across key career phases: vocational training, transition phase, and ongoing professional employment. Transcripts were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. A combined deductive-inductive category development process enabled systematic data condensation.
Results Structural, interpersonal, and intrapersonal dimensions emerge as both sources and manifestations of anxiety that is systematically embedded in organizational structures across the career trajectory. Authoritarian structures, precarious contracts, outdated pedagogy, and absent mental health support generate anxiety. These mechanisms established during vocational training become organizationally normalized in professional settings.
Discussion Anxiety manifests as embedded across career phases, necessitating multi-level prevention. Vocational training represents the most critical intervention point. Resilience-building and pedagogical reform can enable systemic transformation as trained pre-professional dancers enter professional contexts. Early intervention could disrupt generational cycles of anxiety-inducing practices. Future research should engage educators, artistic directors, and healthcare providers to integrate evidence-based mental health promotion for populations balancing athletic and artistic demands.