A personality profile of professional and conservatory student dancers

The Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS), a 144-item personal ity inventory developed by sport psychologist Robert Nideffer, was used for the first time with dancers in this study to explore (1) what it would div ulge about the shared personality traits of elite-level dancers and (2) whe ther it might be useful as a teaching/counseling tool to enhance the perfor mance of underachieving dance students. Two sets of subjects were tested: g roup 1 (n = 42: 38 females, 4 males) were all dance majors at the Boston Co nservatory. A composite profile was developed for each group by averaging t he scores recorded on each of the 18 scales used in the TAIS analysis, and the two profiles were then compared in accordance with standard testing pro cedures. Both groups were found to be characterized by an internally focuse d attentional style, but the professionals were clearly ore skilled in adap ting this style to the elimination of internal and external distractions. T his finding was reinforced by a contrast in the personality traits relating to interpersonal style, which again portrayed the student dancers as relat ively vulnerable to distraction as a result of higher levels of extroversio n and impulsivity, and greater ambivalence in their response to external au thority. It is concluded that elite dancers do share certain traits in comm on, and that identifying personality characteristics that are important to success in dance may provide both students and their teachers with insight for enhancing performance.