‘In every job I’ve ever done, Fruit-tella has played a big part,’ West End dancer Natalie Chua told me when we spoke last year, while listing her stack of backstage snacks. ‘People would think what we eat is absolutely hilarious.’ That got me interested. What do dancers really eat before a show? How do they fuel their bodies to get through a three-act ballet or an ultra-energetic musical? And is a handful of sweets an acceptable pick-me-up?
Could be! So says nutritionist Dr Meghan Brown from Leeds Beckett University. ‘Some sugary food is what we call high glycemic index food,’ she says. ‘It basically means the energy is available to us quickly. As a dancer that might be an example of giving your body what it needs.’
Every show is different, and every body certainly is, so there’s no one-size-fits-all routine. For hectic show days, Brown says the main thing is planning, to fit in enough food around rehearsal schedules and avoid panic-buying junk food or worse still, not eating at all. Research shows that dancers tend to underestimate how much energy they expend during a busy working week, and a poor diet can leave a dancer more prone to illness and injury.
‘I won’t lie: when I was 22 my breakfast was a cigarette and a cup of coffee’
Simone Damberg-Würtz
Whatever else is going on, it all starts with breakfast. For all the dancers I speak to, oats, muesli, greek yoghurt, seeds and fresh fruit all figure highly. Royal Ballet first artist Aiden O’Brien, 26, likes sourdough toast with nut butter, banana, marmalade and sesame seeds on top. Nut butter and marmalade? ‘Surprisingly, it’s very nice!’ he says.
Don’t forget hydration. ‘Pre-hydration especially,’ says Lara McCabe, 35, who dances with hip hop company Boy Blue. ‘You wake in a rush and haven’t filled up the water intake your body needs and then you get into rehearsal and you’re sweating…’ and it’s hard to catch up. Her tip is fruit with a high water content – watermelon and papaya are her faves.
When I speak to Rambert dancer Simone Damberg-Würtz, she’s 15 shows into a three-week run of Peaky Blinders in Paris. A late finish and all that adrenaline mean she won’t sleep till 2am. At midday, she’s about to have breakfast (two boiled eggs, avocado, spinach, olive oil – she’s eating a lot of protein and healthy fats). At 37 she’s learned what works for her body and pays a lot of attention to diet. ’But I’m not going to lie, when I was 22 my breakfast was a cigarette and a cup of coffee,’ she says.
It’s not just what you eat, but when, which can be tricky to navigate. For O’Brien, there’ll be a snack after class around midday, and a decent lunch a couple of hours later following rehearsals (chicken and rice, or curry or dal, maybe a muffin: ‘I like a sweet treat after lunch’). Then an early dinner at 5pm, before the evening’s performance. Other dancers can’t stomach a full meal, ‘especially if you are about to start jumping around’ as Northern Ballet junior soloist Heather Lehan, 26, puts it. She prefers ‘prolonged grazing’ and admits planning isn’t her strong suit. ‘I’d love to be the kind of person who says, “I meal prep all the time” – but I’m not.’
Lehan still makes sure she gets what her body needs, even if it’s a chocolate protein shake poured over bran flakes (‘quick and nutrient dense’). Her favourite fuel is peanut butter. ‘It’s super high in protein and healthy fat and has loads of energy, and I don’t find it too heavy.’ So notorious is her peanut butter obsession that her friends made a bet on how much she would get through last season. The result? Almost 14kg. ‘It works for me, and I don’t get bored of it, ever,’ she laughs.
Certain shows demand a lot of fuel. Jaydon Vijn, 25, is currently roller skating through eight shows a week of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Starlight Express. ‘It’s constant go, go, go,’ he says. ‘Other shows have other challenges but with Starlight it’s stamina.’ He fills up on carbs and protein. ‘I try to never feel hungry,’ he says. ‘Rice, pasta, bread, as much as I can eat.’ If he’s peckish in the interval, he’ll have a sausage roll. Brown would approve: ‘when dancers are performing, they use a lot of energy and rely on carbohydrates to meet the demands of that performance. Carbohydrate is king,’ she says. ‘Or queen!’
‘Demonising a whole food group is totally the wrong message’
Dr Meghan Brown
In modern diet culture, carbs can be seen as the enemy, which is a myth Brown wants to dispel. ‘It’s probably the biggest challenge we have as nutritionists working with dancers. Demonising a whole food group is totally the wrong message to be sending out. Each of those macronutrients plays a role in our bodies, and everyone needs them in their diet.’ She suggests crumpets and jam for an energy-filled snack, beans on toast, a sandwich or wrap.
Brown also warns against getting all your nutritional information from social media. ‘They’re listening to whoever talks loudest online,’ she says, ‘and very few are credible sources and not what we’d recommend as performance nutritionists who understand the demands on dancers’ bodies. We’re aware of expectations around how dancers “should” look, but the basic physiology is that your body needs carbohydrates to make energy. You’ll feel less tired, you’ll be a better dancer.’
Brown recommends eating a meal one to four hours before curtain-up (two to three hours seems most common). Damberg-Würtz brings leftovers from the previous night’s post-show dinner (salmon, broccoli, spinach, feta, olives, rocket); O’Brien chooses soup and a bread roll. ‘Or, if I’m really nervous, I usually have a banana with a yoghurt and an isotonic drink and some sort of protein bar or nuts.’
There’s such a strong relationship between the gut and the brain that nerves can quash your appetite. It can be easier to tolerate fluids, so a smoothie or a protein shake could work, says Brown. When Damberg-Würtz is nervous she’ll go for a favourite food – it’s easier to eat something you find delicious than something worthy.
Lehan keeps grazing. ‘There’s nothing worse than running out of snacks at the theatre. I keep my shelf quite full,’ she says. ‘And I usually have chocolate in my locker.’ For McCabe, sugar’s a no. ‘If you’re spiking with sugar, then it’s just crashville,’ she says. Most dancers don’t want to eat during a show, but O’Brien says isotonic gels – the sachets used by runners and cyclists – have become popular, as they’re not heavy on your stomach.
‘There’s nothing worse than running out of snacks at the theatre’
Heather Lehan
After the show is when hunger is more likely to kick in. ‘The goals after a show are to replace what you’ve just used,’ says Brown. ‘So again make sure you’re having carbohydrates.’ Then there’s protein. The muscle soreness we feel after exercise is actually because of muscle damage, and protein is essential for repair. As a vegan, McCabe makes sure she gets her protein from nuts and grains (or a protein shake) – ‘and there are lots of great alternatives now, rich in soya or pea protein.’
Plus, rehydrate with lots of fluids, and not necessarily water. ‘When you taste sweat on your lips, it’s salty for a reason,’ says Brown. ‘There are electrolytes in there: sodium, potassium, magnesium and others.’ To replace those, you can buy sports drinks with electrolytes, but orange juice or milk can be just as good. ‘Milk has carbohydrates, protein and electrolytes, so it addresses everything. And it can be chocolate milk or any other flavour,’ she adds with a smile. Just avoid caffeine, and alcohol too.
Lehan will eat at about 11pm (typical dish: chicken or chickpeas, roast veg, couscous and a tahini, lemon and honey dressing. ‘It’s delicious’). When she’s sharing a flat with other dancers on tour they’ll take turns cooking. ‘If somebody’s not in the last act of a ballet they’ll make dinner that night, so when the rest of us get back it’s ready.’ O’Brien craves a big bowl of pasta, and is partial to oatcakes with blue cheese and bit of honey, or something less rarefied: ‘A guilty pleasure after a show is a Scotch egg!’
Lyndsey Winship is the Guardian dance critic and author of Being A Dancer.
Sing Yun Lee is an artist and illustrator based in Essex specialising in painting, drawing and collage.
