The Mirror Has Two Faces: Dancers Have a Special Vulnerability to Eating Disorders, Particularly Anorexia. Schools and Companies Now Take a More Proactive Role in Helping Them Fight These Inner Demons, but Some Still Fall Prey to Self-Destructive Behavior. Here Is a Special Report on What the Dance World Is Doing to Help Them, How to Spot Early Warning Signs, and What It Takes to Overcome the Illness

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Anorexia. The word is charged with electricity in our culture and in the world of ballet. It is a feared and potentially life-threatening condition. Any dancer who slides down the slippery slope of anorexia is at risk of losing the physical mastery she has gained--not to mention her good health. However, major ballet companies across America are becoming more aware about eating disorders. Teachers and artistic directors are putting nutritionists on staff, organizing educational workshops, and watching closely for signs of the disorder. As a result, while the incidence of anorexia may be rising in the general population, it seems to be dropping in large ballet companies.

More prevalent in ballet, and almost entirely a female disease, anorexia is rarely seen in modern dance. Modern is more forgiving of, and even sometimes champions, diverse body types. Too, people often come to modern dance later, into their teens or even in college, when their bodies--and their perceptions of themselves--are more settled.

What exactly is anorexia? According to Dr. Charles L. Bardes, professor of clinical medicine at New York's Weill Cornell Medical College, it has less to do with one's degree of thinness and more to do with "the role that thinness plays in a person's life." Medical clues include compulsive behaviors like intentional vomiting and using of laxatives to lose weight. These actions stem from what Dr. Bardes calls "severe body image …