Today we have a different type of student spotlight–a dancer who has crossed over into another area of dance…meet Lucy Panou…
1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?
I started dancing quite a bit later in comparison to the rest of my peers, at the age of 12. My interest began in school PE classes when dance was being introduced as an alternative method of fitness and I took to it straight away. I was confident with it, had dexterity and co-ordination, it came naturally so to speak. I then joined an after school dance club and the rest is history. From there I joined a contemporary youth dance company led by one of the founders of UK dance company Phoenix Dance Theatre, Donald Edwards, and worked my way up to vocational training at Middlesex University.
2. What do you find you like best about dance class?
Dance and the act of dancing itself allow me to express myself. I find that whatever the emotive background of a specific movement, phrase or piece, I am still able to find my own personal and emotional connection. Finding this connection became very prominent whilst training for 3 years. I was able to relate to what I was doing on a much more complex level and had justification for each and every detail.
However, having shifted my focus from physically dancing to the academic side of Dance Science at Trinity Laban, my interests in dance have taken an 180 degree turn and have progressed to another area of the art form. Academic study at Trinity Laban has allowed me to truly discover what I am passionate about. I enjoy having access to the knowledge and the means to pushing physical boundaries in dancers. I truly believe that dancers should be classed as athletes as well as artists. An area of particular interest to me is how periodization and varying training protocols can improve the performance and physicality of professional dancers.
3. What is the hardest part about dance for you?
Having experienced it briefly at vocational level as well as being constantly exposed to it at Masters level, I am very confident in saying that the lack of knowledge about how the human body works is the hardest and least enjoyable part of the profession for me. This lack of knowledge, in my opinion, is inhibiting optimal performance in dancers. Over and over, studies have found that dancers are unfit in comparison to other athletes, and that they can be associated with malnourishment, eating disorders and high injury rates, as well as psychological-based issues such as low self-efficacy that can be linked to the lack of psychological training methods (Twitchett et al, 2010; Wyon et al, 2007; Nordin-Bates et al, 2011). The above may sound stereotypical and while it cannot be generalised for the entire dance population, the research suggests that it is very common. This is where my generation of dance scientists and physiologists comes in – bringing to light such problems and working closely with the dance community to provide a backbone of support.
4. What advice would you give to other dancers?If I were to advise dancers on a particular area, I would say: look after your body! Your body is your temple. To a dancer, their body is what a canvas and paintbrush are to an artist – a little box of tools. You have to feed it, water it and nourish it! Don’t fill it with rubbish or abuse it.
Without being obsessive, pay attention to your physicality. Ask yourself: ‘Am I fit enough for this? Am I able to dance a 35-40 minute piece? Do I feel confident, strong and powerful? Am I able to lift my fellow dancers and make it look effortless?’ If the answer is no, then you know what you need to do. There is no use panicking about your fitness and conditioning levels 2 weeks before a show, because there is simply no time to make any sort of improvement. Start your training and conditioning for a show when the choreographing starts, and gradually tail it off – this is known as periodization.
Professor Matt Wyon PhD, is a Dance Science lecturer and physiologist at both Wolverhampton University and Trinity Laban. He is also Exercise Physiologist to Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, and is one of the leading professors in Dance Science in regards to training protocols and performance enhancement strategies such as periodization, as well as identifying the energy systems that are most prominent during a dance class in comparison to a show. He has conducted various studies on dancers with some very insightful results (Wyon, 2010; Wyon, 2005, Wyon and Redding, 2005). Wyon’s journal articles on this area are definitely worth a read if you are interested in reading about his research and finding out how this can improve your dance career as well as your overall health.
5. How has dance changed your life?
Dance has changed my life by giving me specific goals and ambitions. It has also given me endless moments of joy and happiness, as well as a few moments of tears, frustration and pain! I cannot imagine being passionate about anything other that dance and would not take away a single moment because I have learned from it and grown and developed as both a person and a dancer. Various developments have happened at various moments in my dancing experience. For example, whist in training for 3 years, dance enabled me to fully appreciate the art form and look at it from many angles. During my training years, dance taught me that there is no right or wrong way in expressing yourself or creating something, you simply have to go with it and enjoy the journey.
On the contrary, dance over the last 12 months at Trinity Laban has taught me very different things: distinguishing art from science, being very methodical and having justification for everything, as well as questioning all that I know or perceive that I know as a trained dancer. This development in what dance has offered me and taught me over the years has provided me with an emotional balance between dance as an art form and dance as a sport or piece of scientific study. In order for dance to be at its best, I believe that the dancer has to strike a balance and find equilibrium between being an artist and being an athlete. The collaboration of choreographers and dance scientists/physicians is not something that is common, but embracing one another and sharing knowledge and experience is something I am very much looking forward to being part of in the near future!
References
Twitchett, E., Angioi, M., Koutedakis, Y., & Wyon, M. (2010). The demands of a working day among female professional ballet dancers, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 14(4), 127-132.
Wyon, M., Deighan, M.A., Nevill, A.M., Doherty, M., Morrison, S.L., Allen, N., Jobson, S., & George, S. (2007). The cardiorespiratory, anthropometric and performance characteristics of an international/national touring company, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(2), 389-393.
Nordin-Bates, S.M., Cumming, J., Aways, D., Sharp, L. (2011). Imagining yourself dancing to perfection? Correlates of perfectionism among ballet and contemporary dancers, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 5(1), 58-76.
Wyon, M. (2010). Preparing to perform, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 14(2), 67-72.
Wyon, M. (2005). Cardiorespiratory training for dancers, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 9(1), 7-12.
Wyon, M., & Redding, E. (2005). Physiological monitoring of cardiorespiratory adaptations during rehearsals and performance of contemporary dance, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(3), 611-615.
BIO: Lucy is a fully trained contemporary dancer, pushing the boundaries of perceived dance knowledge and helping to raise the profile of the next generation of dance scientists and physiologists. With a personal interest in health, performance and body composition, Lucy is studying MSc Dance Science at Trinity Laban, which was an obvious and natural educational pathway. A career as a Dance Science Senior Lecturer/Professor whilst also pursuing the fitness industry as a fitness model and bikini bodybuilding competitor, would be a dream come true!
1. Can you tell readers how you became involved with dance?
I started dancing quite a bit later in comparison to the rest of my peers, at the age of 12. My interest began in school PE classes when dance was being introduced as an alternative method of fitness and I took to it straight away. I was confident with it, had dexterity and co-ordination, it came naturally so to speak. I then joined an after school dance club and the rest is history. From there I joined a contemporary youth dance company led by one of the founders of UK dance company Phoenix Dance Theatre, Donald Edwards, and worked my way up to vocational training at Middlesex University.
2. What do you find you like best about dance class?
Dance and the act of dancing itself allow me to express myself. I find that whatever the emotive background of a specific movement, phrase or piece, I am still able to find my own personal and emotional connection. Finding this connection became very prominent whilst training for 3 years. I was able to relate to what I was doing on a much more complex level and had justification for each and every detail.
However, having shifted my focus from physically dancing to the academic side of Dance Science at Trinity Laban, my interests in dance have taken an 180 degree turn and have progressed to another area of the art form. Academic study at Trinity Laban has allowed me to truly discover what I am passionate about. I enjoy having access to the knowledge and the means to pushing physical boundaries in dancers. I truly believe that dancers should be classed as athletes as well as artists. An area of particular interest to me is how periodization and varying training protocols can improve the performance and physicality of professional dancers.
3. What is the hardest part about dance for you?
Having experienced it briefly at vocational level as well as being constantly exposed to it at Masters level, I am very confident in saying that the lack of knowledge about how the human body works is the hardest and least enjoyable part of the profession for me. This lack of knowledge, in my opinion, is inhibiting optimal performance in dancers. Over and over, studies have found that dancers are unfit in comparison to other athletes, and that they can be associated with malnourishment, eating disorders and high injury rates, as well as psychological-based issues such as low self-efficacy that can be linked to the lack of psychological training methods (Twitchett et al, 2010; Wyon et al, 2007; Nordin-Bates et al, 2011). The above may sound stereotypical and while it cannot be generalised for the entire dance population, the research suggests that it is very common. This is where my generation of dance scientists and physiologists comes in – bringing to light such problems and working closely with the dance community to provide a backbone of support.
4. What advice would you give to other dancers?
If I were to advise dancers on a particular area, I would say: look after your body! Your body is your temple. To a dancer, their body is what a canvas and paintbrush are to an artist – a little box of tools. You have to feed it, water it and nourish it! Don’t fill it with rubbish or abuse it.
Without being obsessive, pay attention to your physicality. Ask yourself: ‘Am I fit enough for this? Am I able to dance a 35-40 minute piece? Do I feel confident, strong and powerful? Am I able to lift my fellow dancers and make it look effortless?’ If the answer is no, then you know what you need to do. There is no use panicking about your fitness and conditioning levels 2 weeks before a show, because there is simply no time to make any sort of improvement. Start your training and conditioning for a show when the choreographing starts, and gradually tail it off – this is known as periodization.
Professor Matt Wyon PhD, is a Dance Science lecturer and physiologist at both Wolverhampton University and Trinity Laban. He is also Exercise Physiologist to Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, and is one of the leading professors in Dance Science in regards to training protocols and performance enhancement strategies such as periodization, as well as identifying the energy systems that are most prominent during a dance class in comparison to a show. He has conducted various studies on dancers with some very insightful results (Wyon, 2010; Wyon, 2005, Wyon and Redding, 2005). Wyon’s journal articles on this area are definitely worth a read if you are interested in reading about his research and finding out how this can improve your dance career as well as your overall health.
5. How has dance changed your life?
Dance has changed my life by giving me specific goals and ambitions. It has also given me endless moments of joy and happiness, as well as a few moments of tears, frustration and pain! I cannot imagine being passionate about anything other that dance and would not take away a single moment because I have learned from it and grown and developed as both a person and a dancer. Various developments have happened at various moments in my dancing experience. For example, whist in training for 3 years, dance enabled me to fully appreciate the art form and look at it from many angles. During my training years, dance taught me that there is no right or wrong way in expressing yourself or creating something, you simply have to go with it and enjoy the journey.
On the contrary, dance over the last 12 months at Trinity Laban has taught me very different things: distinguishing art from science, being very methodical and having justification for everything, as well as questioning all that I know or perceive that I know as a trained dancer. This development in what dance has offered me and taught me over the years has provided me with an emotional balance between dance as an art form and dance as a sport or piece of scientific study. In order for dance to be at its best, I believe that the dancer has to strike a balance and find equilibrium between being an artist and being an athlete. The collaboration of choreographers and dance scientists/physicians is not something that is common, but embracing one another and sharing knowledge and experience is something I am very much looking forward to being part of in the near future!
References
Twitchett, E., Angioi, M., Koutedakis, Y., & Wyon, M. (2010). The demands of a working day among female professional ballet dancers, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 14(4), 127-132.
Wyon, M., Deighan, M.A., Nevill, A.M., Doherty, M., Morrison, S.L., Allen, N., Jobson, S., & George, S. (2007). The cardiorespiratory, anthropometric and performance characteristics of an international/national touring company, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 21(2), 389-393.
Nordin-Bates, S.M., Cumming, J., Aways, D., Sharp, L. (2011). Imagining yourself dancing to perfection? Correlates of perfectionism among ballet and contemporary dancers, Journal of Clinical Sport Psychology, 5(1), 58-76.
Wyon, M. (2010). Preparing to perform, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 14(2), 67-72.
Wyon, M. (2005). Cardiorespiratory training for dancers, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 9(1), 7-12.
Wyon, M., & Redding, E. (2005). Physiological monitoring of cardiorespiratory adaptations during rehearsals and performance of contemporary dance, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19(3), 611-615.
