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Need A Dance Healthcare Specialist? There’s An App For That!

August 30, 2017 by 4dancers

Aloha! I hope everyone is getting back “intro the swing of things” as the new dance / academic year starts up!

Today we are pleased to offer you another piece of exciting information from the UK — we last posted Erin Sanchez’s article on One Dance UK / NIDMS (National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science), and all the good work going on in that country.

This post is from Claire Farmer, another one of the younger generation of dance medicine & science leaders in the UK. Claire is a dancer / Associate Lecturer at Roehampton University, and is also affiliated with One Dance UK. She initiated the website Dance Longer Dance Stronger, and in 2016 launched the Performers Health Hub mobile app, to allow those in the UK dance community to connect more easily with dance medicine healthcare and resources. She now working on eventually launching a USA version of the app.

Enjoy reading about all her good work, and pass it on!

Aloha,
Jan

Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor


by Claire Farmer, MSc

Have you ever felt a twinge, or something that didn’t feel quite right but you’ve also got a class in 10 minutes, followed by a rehearsal and then a million other things to do, so you’ll work out what to do later?

BUT WAIT – STOP!! Shouldn’t our body be our first priority, as our main tool for our work? We know that dancers are busy, but that they also need to be able to quickly access specialist healthcare and to find reliable information on how to care for their body. Luckily, there is a wealth of information available from experts in dancers’ health – but unfortunately this information often doesn’t always make its way to the dancer.

That’s where the Performers Health Hub App comes in. Launched in the UK in November 2016, the app is now expanding to the US. The aim of the app is to quickly connect dancers with reliable, evidence based information on a range of topics including warming up and cooling down, fitness, stretching, hypermobility and nutrition. The app has been developed in response to the high injury rate among dancers and the lack of time available due to the nature of their work, to conduct thorough research in locating top quality healthcare.

If you do experience an injury, the app will also help you to search for a dance medicine specialist near you – either private treatment, practitioners who accept your insurance, or one of the few specialized dance medicine centres scattered across the US – or if you’re in the UK, one of the few free ones. Making sure you receive the best care to ensure you reach your optimal potential as a dancer, and receive the best rehabilitation as a performer, is our top priority.

A study into injury rates in professional modern dancers concluded that a total of 82% of dancers experienced between 1 and 7 injuries within the previous 12 months(1). Of those that sought medical attention 47% were to physicians, 41% to physical therapists and 34% to chiropractors(1). Similar research in the UK reported that 80% of all dancers (professional and student) will suffer an injury each year through training, rehearsal of performance(2) or as a result of fatigue and overwork, insufficient warming-up or cooling-down, recurring injury or not being able to respond to the early warning signs of injury(3).

This highlights the need for dancers to quickly, and easily find the specialist care that will enable them to return to dance training and performance as soon as possible. Resources on the Performers Health Hub are drawn from a consortium of UK organisations at the forefront of dance medicine and science research and advocacy – including: National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS), One Dance UK, Safe in Dance International, British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM), and also the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). It will now expand to include resources and clinics in the United States and Canada.

Experiencing an injury can be a very lonely and challenging time for a dancer, and it is hoped that the app will not only help the dancer seek specialist care and information, but to also reduce that feeling of isolation. There are many things we can do to support each other as a dance community internationally and the Performers Health Hub app aims to draw these connections closer, providing support for dancers wherever they are in the world and connecting them with others who have gone through similar experiences.

The app will continue to grow as resources expand and through feedback from dancers, with regular updates taking place to ensure the most up to date information is in the palm of your hand.

The Performers Health Hub is available to download for iOS and Android. For more information visit Dance Longer Dance Stronger, or download from the Google and Apple stores.


Dance Longer Dance Stronger

Dance Longer Dance Stronger was established in 2014, growing out of a need to encourage dancers to be more open about injuries and training, the struggles they face and the training methods they use. Dance Longer Dance Stronger aims to open communication between dancers, and between health professionals so there is a two-way dialogue and so that should a dancer face an injury, they don’t feel alone in dealing with it.

Dance Longer Dance Stronger aims to connect dancers with other dancers who have faced similar health related issues and help dancers find specialist healthcare and easy-to-digest, reliable resources as quickly and easily as possible.


(1)Shah, S,. Weiss, D,. & Burchette, R. (2012) Injuries in professional modern dancers: incidence, risk factors, and management

(2)Laws, H (2005) Fit to Dance 2, Dance UK, Newgate Press, UK: London

(3)Brinson, P & Dick, F (1996) Fit to Dance, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK: London

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: BAPAM, Canadian Centre of Performance Psychology, Claire Farmer, Dance Healthcare Specialist, Dance Longer Dance Stronger, dance medicine, dance wellness, dancer injury, iadms, NIDMS, Once Dance UK, Performers Health Hub App, quality healthcare, Safe In Dance International

Dance Psychology: An Introduction

September 12, 2016 by 4dancers

Dance Psychology

Aloha – Happy back to school / class / rehearsal month!

This month I’m so pleased to bring you a new guest contributor, Dr. Lynda Mainwaring, with an introductory post about the field of dance psychology. This is a topic I’ve wanted to introduce for a long time, and I’m so pleased to have Lynda offer to do it for us–she is on the faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto (Canada), and a registered Psychologist. She has been a longtime colleague of mine in IADMS, and I have enjoyed her many presentations on dance psychology over the years. I’m so glad to now be able to bring this important topic to 4dancers.org.

Pass it on!
Aloha,
Jan Dunn, MS


by Lynda Mainwaring, Ph.D., C. Psych.

Alexandra and Micah were skilled soloists who trained at prestigious schools. Their technique was flawless, and their artistry mesmerizing. They were loved around the world, yet, both suffered from intense anxiety that created muscle tension, stomach upset, elevated heart rate and a barrage of doubts about their performance. At times they were paralyzed with the fear of not living up to their usual perfect performance. Before major events they would psych themselves into a state that made them feel ill.

This is performance anxiety.

stress-391657_640 Feeling a heightened sense of arousal and anxiety before a performance is common. A certain level of energy sparks a good performance. However, on occasion our thoughts and feelings can be out of control, and they can negatively impact performance. They can create a situation in which we think we are not good enough, or we fear that we may not be the right body shape. Before stepping on stage we may worry that we will miss the jump in the opening sequence.

What do you think about when you dance? What do you think about just before or after dancing? Do you experience performance jitters? Do you worry about what you look like, what others look like, or what others think about your dancing? These are the kinds of questions that often arise in performance. Knowing how to handle intrusive and sometimes negative thoughts, or how to manage performance anxiety, are some of the topics addressed by dance, sport and performance psychology. Today’s blog is about dance psychology in general. The next will be about managing your performance jitters.

What is Dance Psychology?

Dance psychology is a field that entertains the following questions, among others:

  • how the mind can facilitate performance?
  • how can performance anxiety can be managed?
  • how do you recover from injury?
  • how do you cope with the stressors of working in highly demanding situations?

It is an area of study and practice that uses research, theory and practitioner’s wisdom to address psychological issues related to dance and dancers. The field of dance psychology has evolved from sport psychology, which is some 50 years old. Dance psychology is about using the mind to enhance dance, improve well-being, and offset negative aspects of life in the unique and challenging world of dance. It is about using psychology and the mind to help us be the best that we can be.

Using The Mind In Dance

Often we overlook the importance of the mind despite knowing that the mind and body are intimately tied. The interaction between the two can have profound effects on our performance, health, motivation, and sense of who we are. Dance psychology can provide us with insights, skills, strategies and techniques to enhance dancing, create stronger selves and to improve our ability to navigate through the creative, challenging, and complex culture of dance. board-752051_640 There are numerous benefits of including psychological skills into the artistry, and athleticism of dancing. Here are some of the benefits of training your mind as well as your body:

  • Improved management of performance jitters.
  • Improved coping with the stressors in daily living.
  • Increased confidence.
  • Improved attention and focus.
  • Identification of short and long-term goals to improve performance.
  • Emotional regulation to move through performance highs and lows with greater ease, and reduced anxiety.
  • Performance enhancement.
  • Enhanced well-being and the ability to feel in control of your career and your life.
  • Better energy management to help you with your resources.
  • Enhanced injury management and coping.

Stay tuned: next time, I will provide some pointers on how to overcome and manage pre-performance nerves. Until then, dance with the joy and contentment of knowing that you are extraordinary.


Lynda Mainwaring
Lynda Mainwaring, Ph.D.

BIO: Lynda Mainwaring is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, and a Registered Psychologist in Ontario. Her background in human kinetics, performance and rehabilitation psychology focuses her research and professional practice on emotional sequelae of mild traumatic brain injury in sport, psychological impact of injuries in sport, dance and work; perfectionism, and performance enhancement. She is a member of the Research Committee for the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, and is co-founder of the Canadian Centre of Performance Psychology. Dr. Mainwaring has presented and published over 200 works to international audiences.       Save

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Filed Under: Dance Wellness Tagged With: Canadian Centre of Performance Psychology, dance psychology, International Association for Dance Medicing and Science, Lynda Mainwaring, performance anxiety, performance jitters, performance psychology, sports psychology

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