Do We Need To Change The Way We Depict Mental Illness In Dance? (Perhaps Not)

Kathleen McGuire: “The portrayals of distress can feel clichéd — Lady Capulet writhing on the floor, or, in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre, the animalistic woman in the attic or the corps of men in Jane’s path to illustrate her mental demons. But as someone who has a lived experience of major depression, anxiety and grief, these representations do not offend me. … If we become too precious about these depictions in dance, it will work against a meaningful movement to destigmatize mental health issues.” – Dance Magazine