Sometimes saying “no” and walking away is more powerful than would seem possible.

It is also incredibly hard and scary.

The power of that moment is not always immediately clear.

It requires a belief in oneself, that who you are and what you do matters.

Especially in an industry and environment grooming (primarily) girls and young women (but also boys and young men) that saying “no” is not in their best interests. Sexual exploitation and objectification turns the world upside down for young dancers. Any hint of self-preserving intuition becomes an impediment to landing a part. Success is more likely to be found by losing oneself to the directives of authority figures. Even when those figures seek their own profits – not the wellbeing of the artists they lead, teach, or train.

Saying No to Harm, Yes to Safety

In 1984, Dr. Tomi-Ann Roberts said “no” to a film producer brokering roles through sexual favors. Her summer job waiting tables in New York City between semesters at Smith College was not uncommon. She completed her undergraduate studies in Psychology at Smith and doctoral research at Stanford University. However, Dr. Roberts recognized that her experience with the film producer was also not uncommon. Actually, the sexual exploitation and objectification of women was seemingly an accepted, common norm, not just in the film and theater industries, but ingrained culturally. 

By saying “no”, Dr. Tomi-Ann Roberts began building a pivotal field of research leading from the clarity of her lived experience. She is one of the trailblazers of her field. Through her research, she provided evidence, education, and language to communicate effectively about the harm caused to girls and women when they become commodified objects, rather than seen as human beings. Her work has been foundational to the message of Dance Awareness: No Child Exploited (DA:NCE).

Every Hero has a Hero

Leslie Scott Zanovitch, inaugural recipient and namesake for DA:NCE’s Trailblazer Award, said “no” to harmful, hypersexualized dance. As she spoke out, she found in Dr. Roberts a colleague and advocate. Together, they’ve publicly educated and researched how objectification manifests in young female dancers. To successfully advocate in this area, baseline empirical research – such as Dr. Roberts’ – meaningfully substantiates the mission. 

DA:NCE’s founder Mary Bawden had her own experience of saying “no” to the self-objectification she was seeing in young dancers. Ten years ago, as Mary began to shape what would eventually become DA:NCE, Dr. Roberts’ tremendous work with the 2007 American Psychological Association Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls became a vital resource. The Task Force Report undergirded the “why” of DA:NCE’s mission: providing education and resources to end exploitation through hypersexualization of children in adult costumes, choreography, and music. This research convincingly explained why saying “no” to hypersexualization and exploitation – in dance or any arena – is critical to the health of children in dance.

As a Professor of Psychology at Colorado College, Dr. Roberts’ research focuses on emotion, gender, and the body, and the psychological consequences of the sexual objectification of women and girls. Dr. Roberts recently spoke with DA:NCE Staff members, saying, “We have begun to think of dance as something that is to be performed and to be spotlighted on social media. It’s becoming more about what it looks like, and not what it feels like. What matters more is helping children understand the beauty of dance and the way in which dance can connect them to their best selves.”

Exponential Impact of a Trailblazer

You, too, can be a Trailblazer in your community. Say “no” to harmful, hypersexualized dance. Say “yes” to healthy, safe dance.

Children deserve the opportunity to be children; to experience the physical and cognitive benefits of healthy, safe dance training; and, to establish self-confidence in their value as a human being, not an object for profit. Dr. Roberts commented: “Harmful dance can be normalized because we don’t think that we’re participating in this culture. We don’t think we are personally viewing girls and women in a bad way. What we need to stop and pause and think about is, if we don’t speak up, we allow the harms to continue.”

DA:NCE applauds Dr. Roberts’ accomplished leadership to say “no” to the exploitation and sexualization of children in dance while forging a powerful “yes” to protect the dignity of young dancers. For Dr. Roberts’ indelible contributions in this area, we are pleased to announce her as the 2026 DA:NCE Leslie Scott Zanovitch Trailblazer Award Winner!

Learn more about the award: https://www.danceawareness.com/trailblazer/

Learn more about Dr. Roberts’ extensive research portfolio and practice: https://www.tomi-annroberts.com/.

Subscribe to the DA:NCE Newsletter to be notified when nominations for the 2027 Award open.