Minding the Gap

We are minding the gap between dance and mental health.

Minding the Gap was founded in 2018 by former dancer, writer, and nonprofit development professional Kathleen McGuire Gaines. After more than a decade of writing about mental health challenges for dancers in Dance Magazine, Pointe, and Dance Spirit magazines, Kathleen shared her own experience with depression in a Dance Magazine article titled “Why are we still so bad at addressing dancers’ mental health?” The article went viral online overnight, becoming one of the most read in the magazine’s history.

Stunned by the response, Kathleen left her position as the director of development at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy to become the founder of Minding the Gap LLC. The company is currently being incubated by Ascender; a Pittsburgh based entrepreneurial hub. Kathleen works under the expert consultation of Brian T. Goonan, Ph.D. and Leigh A. Skvarla, Ph.D. Minding the Gap seeks to lead dance culture to value the importance of mental health through advocacy, research, resources, and solutions.