Dance is an embodied practice – the dancer can’t be separated from the dance. Dance is also communal. For instance, the cipher structure of hip hop where dancers move in and out of the cipher (circle) surrounded by onlookers in a call-and-response practice. This structural interdependence tethers dancers to their community of practice. If exposure to hypersexualized music, costumes, or choreography occurs within the cipher of a dancer’s ecosystem, that can lead to negative outcomes1. For example, dysregulation or disassociation due to age-inappropriate material. Unfortunately, if the cipher is unsafe, dancers either remain trapped in that experience or find themselves alone, outside the cipher of their creative economy.
Choreographer, dancer, and educator Leslie Scott Zanovitch experienced the negative impacts of unhealthy, harmful dance within her professional cipher. Conversely, her journey to find healing for herself resulted in creating a blueprint for safe, healthy dance. Her efforts inspired DA:NCE’s Trailblazer Award. And now, educators and studios have resources on best practices in dance pedagogy for healthy, safe dance. Leslie founded several organizations aimed at providing curriculum, tools, and guidelines for educators seeking to direct healthy dance studios. Her bravery gives dancers confidence to leave behind unhealthy practices to create healthy dance spaces instead.
In an August 2025 interview with DA:NCE, Leslie stated that, “Working with kids gave me my dignity back as an educator,” when talking about the power of healthy, safe dance for emotional wellbeing. The sense of interplay found in the cipher resonates in the studio – where teachers are attuned to dancers’ response and act accordingly. Leslie spoke about making choices in the best interest of the child, not the company, performance, or choreography. This is how a cipher changes a dance community for the better.
Why this Award?
DA:NCE named the award in honor of Leslie for her tremendous advocacy efforts through education and leadership. DA:NCE established this annual award to encourage those within the cipher of healthy, safe dance to courageously continue their work.
By creating the Leslie Scott Zanovitch Trailblazer Award, DA:NCE seeks to recognize artists, educators, and dancers dedicated to:
- creating healthy, safe dance communities for children
- empowering dancers, parents, and educators with knowledge and awareness of unhealthy, harmful dance practices
- dismantling embedded hypersexualization and grooming practices in children’s dance driven by the media, entertainment, and porn industries
What Next?
The call has been made – children in dance need and deserve healthy, safe training. You can respond by:
- Sharing the call for nominations
- Nominating a deserving recipient of the Leslie Scott Zanovitch Trailblazer Award
- Becoming a Trailblazer in your dance community by educating yourself (and others) on healthy vs. unhealthy dance utilizing DA:NCE’s resources
This award is the first of its kind in the dance industry to recognize individuals exposing the harms of hypersexualization in children’s dance. DA:NCE seeks to amplify the benefits of healthy, safe dance and expose the dangers of exploitation through hypersexualization present in unhealthy, harmful dance.
A Development Associate with DA:NCE, Melissa Croushorn is also a fully certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor specializing in dynamic joint function for clients ranging from those recovering from surgery or injury to high level athletes. She provides dance education and career planning resources as The Ballerinatist™ for pre-professional dancers and their parents.
Her work in dance education and arts management includes Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Miami City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Joyce Theater, Freed of London, & Penn State.
She received her B.A. in Communication & Theatre Arts from Virginia Tech and her M.A. in American Dance Studies from Florida State where she also performed in the Tightwire Act with The Flying High Circus.
