The dance world is small, and the studio environment even smaller. I think that even as teenagers we knew that we needed each other. Because

Shelly Power is the executive director of the Pennsylvania Ballet. Previously she was the CEO and artistic director of the Prix de Lausanne and the administrative and artistic director of Houston Ballet Academy. While in Houston, Shelly instituted one of the most integral mental health programs in a ballet school with Minding the Gap senior advisor Dr. Brian Goonan. A few weeks ago, I walked into a meeting with my senior team and said, “I am depleted, I don’t think I can make

Chelsea Keefer is a soloist at Ballet West and a certified yoga teacher. She recently launched a podcast aimed to provide mental wellness support to dancers on her website. Responses below are as told to Minding the Gap founder Kathleen McGuire Gaines. What led you to mental wellness advocacy for dancers? I had just joined Tulsa Ballet II when I was 18 years old. I had moved out of my parent’s house and there was all this pressure because I was in college while taking this fi