dance science

Introducing: The Bridge Dance Project

October 20, 2020 by 4dancers

by Jan Dunn

I’m pleased to be able to tell you about The Bridge Dance Project (BDP), a newly launched cooperative endeavor between leaders in the dance medicine and science field, and the competition / commercial dance field.

The Project began as an outgrowth of conversations between myself, and Kaycee Cope Jones, MS (COO of Apolla Performance Footwear,) in the fall of 2019, following the release of the Apolla Mia Michaels video series on injury prevention in dance. Michaels is an Emmy-award winning choreographer based in Los Angeles, CA, USA.

There has been a growing concern about the increasing number of injuries to young dancers — about the body potentially being “pushed too hard / too far”. In Mia Michael’s video #3, she mentions as an example — a 16-year old dancer with a double hip replacement. The field of Dance Medicine and Science has been in existence for 40 years, and up to this point, has positively influenced primarily the professional ballet and the academic dance communities. Unfortunately, this has had very little crossover into the commercial and competition dance areas.

There have been some efforts to help integrate this work into this dance communities (such as the Artists and Athletes Initiative – AAI – which debuted at the June 2019 National Dance Honors convention in Las Vegas), and overall, there is a strong need for this type of effort to increase.

The goal of the Bridge Dance Project is to build a bridge between the current realm of dance medicine and science and the commercial / competition areas of dance — to bring more information, working collaboratively together, into the daily lives of dancers working in this area.

Although this project was started as an outgrowth of the Mia Michaels / Apolla videos, it is not about endorsing any particular product / project / or endeavor. The BDP is about leaders in both fields coming together to address a specific need in a specific segment of the dance community, independent of any organizations or companies we may otherwise be involved with. Here is what BDP is all about:

Vision Statement – The Bridge Dance Project is a grassroots network supporting the whole-person health and wellness of competition and commercial dancers and teachers by providing current dance medicine and science information.

Mission Statement – The Bridge Dance Project builds bridges between the competition and commercial dance community and the dance medicine and science community by providing easily accessible, readily applicable, and personally empowering information.

The Significance of Our Work – The knowledge we communicate and transfer can contribute to increasing the longevity of dancers’ careers and help them navigate the demands of dance with a 360-degree view of the dancer. We are passionate about our efforts because properly applied education is powerful and will lead to positive and healthy changes for the current and future generations of dancers.

A Board of dance and dance medicine professionals was created to begin the work which we are all envisioning:

Katie Schaar — Founder of Sugarfoot Therapy / co-founder of MOTI Physical Therapy in Los Angeles / commercial choreographer and convention teacher / AAI team
Gayanne Grossman, PT —Director of Dance Wellness, Muhlenberg College (PA) / PT for Lehigh Valley Network Performing Arts Wellness Program / BOD of IADMS / author of “Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, and Conditioning”
Selina Shah, MD — Sports and Dance Medicine, BASS Medical Group, / Team Physician – Axis Dance Company, Diablo Ballet Company, Oakland Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School / Healthy Dancers’ Clinic, Mills College / Treasurer and Board of Directors, IADMS / Dance USA Taskforce on Dancer Heath / 4dancers.org Dance Wellness Panel
Jeff Russell, PhD, ATC, FIADMS –Associate Professor, Athletic Training and Director, Science and Health in Artistic Performance – Ohio University / dance medicine and science researcher / Research Advisory Group – Cirque de Soleil
Bonnie Robson, MD — Psychiatry / dance medicine in Toronto, CA — formerly with National Ballet School / currently on Dance Wellness Team – Ballet Jorgen / Dance USA Taskforce on Dancer Health
Robin Kish, MS, MFA — Chapman University Dance Faculty, in Orange, CA / strong background and connections in competition dance / dance science researcher / co -author of recently published second edition of “Dancing Longer Dancing Stronger”
Teri Rowe, MS – Executive Director, National Dance Coaches Association, based in LeClerc, ID
Jasmine Challis, BSc – Freelance Registered Dietitian and Eating Disorder Specialist, One Dance UK (London, UK)
Caroline Lewis-Jones: Health Made Simple PRO, Certified Holistic Health Coach / Institute of Integrative Nutrition, Professional Dancer/Choreographer, Mom on a Mission, Adrenaline Dance Convention Senior Faculty, AAI Team – Columbia, SC
Heather Southwick, PT, MSPT – Director of Physical Therapy, Boston Ballet / Dance USA Taskforce on Dancer Health
Jennifer DePaola – Founder, Doctors for Dancers
Steve Karageanes, DO, FAOSM – Medical Director, St. Mary Mercy Hospital Elite Sports Medicine and Sports Performance / Advisory Board – YPAD
Jan Dunn, MS / Kaycee Cope Jones, MS – Co-Chairs

Since the BDP was formed, we have created partnerships with dance organizations with whom we share similar goals:

Acrobatic Arts – AcrobaticArts.com
Project BreakAlign – www.projectbreakalign.com
Dancers Network – www.dancersnetworkuk.com
Doctors for Dancers – www.DoctorsForDancers.com
I-Path: International Performing Arts and Theatre – www.i-path.biz
National Dance Coaches Association – www.nationaldancecoaches.org
Relative Motion – www.therelativemotionexperience.com
ScapeDanceScience – https://www.scape.sg/scapedance/scapedance-science/
Sugarfoot Therapy – sugarfoottherapy.com
YPAD: Youth Protection Advocates in Dance – ypadnow.com
International Asso.of Child Development Program – https://iacdp.org

BDP Research Projects, under the direction of Board member Dr. Jeff Russell, PHD, AT, FIDAMS are underway, on several topics related to competition / commercial dance.

There are now BDP chapters, both in the USA and EU, including:

Los Angeles, CA
Orange County, CA
San Francisco, CA
Portland, OR
Denver, CO
Detroit / Ann Arbor, MI
Chicago, IL
Central New Jersey
Cincinnati, OH
Tallahassee, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Washington, DC
UK
Barcelona, Spain

If you are interested in contacting one of these local chapters, contact the Team Leader (information available on the BDP website).

If you are interested in potentially forming a new group in the USA, contact Jan Dunn at jddanmed@aol.com.

If you are out of the USA, and interested in forming a new chapter, contact Nefeli Tsiouti, MSc, at projectbreakalign@gmail.com.

Current Projects:

The above-mentioned research, under the direction of Jeff Russell.
Helping NDCA (National Dance Coaches Asso.) develop national standards for dance team coaches.
A video on stress in competition dancers, being developed by the Cincinnati chapter.
Developing a Teachers Handbook in collaboration with I-Path (International Performing Arts and Theatre), for use in their training curriculum.
Partnering with YPAD (Youth Protection Advocates in Dance), to help increase awareness of sexual abuse issues in dance.
Developing a workshop in Los Angeles, in collaboration with IADMS (International Asso. for Dance Medicine and Science) and Ballet Beyond Borders, to be held in January (details TBA).

BDP Social Media Information:

Website: https://thebridgedanceproject.com/

Instagram: @thebridgedanceproject

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com / informationBDP/

Dance Spirit magazine article: https://www.dancespirit.com/bridge-dance-project-dance-injury-2641177786.html

https://forms.gle/wrBYdjZBjxLLQzES6

OR you can contact one of the chairs.: Jan Dunn, jddanmed@aol.com / Kaycee Cope Jones, kaycee@apollaperformance.com

What Makes A Dance? The Brain As Choreographer, Dancer And Spectator

July 5, 2016 by 4dancers

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Aloha to All –

We are very pleased to have as our next Dance Wellness guest contributor Judith Lynne Hanna, PhD. Dr. Hanna is a longtime dancer and anthropologist whose work spans many years. Reading reviews of her recently published book, “Learning to Dance: The Brain’s Cognition, Emotion, and Movement”, spurred me to contact her to see if she would write an article for us concerning the new research on dancers’ brains, and how growing up in dance really does change us. The new science of Neuroplasticity (also called brain plasticity, is the process in which your brain’s neural synapses and pathways are altered as an effect of environmental, behavioral, and neural changes) is fascinating – and there are now more than 400 studies related to interdisciplinary neuroscience that reveal the hidden value of dance.

Many of us in the dance world have grown up feeling / knowing that we were somehow “different” from non-dancers, but only recently has science been learning how and why. I found Dr. Hanna’s article to be a clear explanation of all this new research, and am so pleased to share it with you.
Enjoy! (and don’t stop dancing–ever!)

Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor

by Judith Lynne Hanna, PhD

At times during their careers, dancers may want to explain what dance is about to family, friends, students, schools, spectators, and the media. After all, knowledge about dance is new and limited compared to the other arts.

My journey toward understanding dance began as a child in 1946, and the odyssey hasn’t stopped. A pediatrician told my parents that ballet would make my feet strong. So I studied ballet. Dancing didn’t do much for my feet, but dancing has made me stronger physically and mentally. Alicia Markova’s experience with flat feet was different than mine. Critic Clement Crisp reports, “The sublime artist Alicia Markova was taken to ballet as a child because her flat little feet left sad imprints in the sand during a seaside holiday. Ballet, said a doctor, would cure that. And it did. She grew into an astounding artist whose ‘intelligent’ feet and legs were the envy of the ballet world.”

Fascination with dance led me beyond ballet to explore other dance genres (e.g., modern, Afro-Caribbean, Latin American, African, flamenco, Middle East, jazz, hip-hop, swing, ballroom, and folk). Curiosity led me to conduct dance research in villages and cities in Africa and then in theaters, school playgrounds and classrooms, and cabarets in the United States.

As an applied anthropologist I study human behavior, including many forms of dance and culture, past and present, and draw upon the work of different disciplines. I was surprised that at the 2008 annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, more than 6,800 attendees paid rapt attention to renowned choreographer Mark Morris as he answered questions about the relationship between creativity and dance. Neuroscientists interested in dance? I wanted to know why.

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The Attraction of Dance

Scientists are turning to dance because it is a multifaceted activity that can help them demystify how the brain coordinates the body to perform complex, precise movements that express emotion and convey meaning. Dancers possess an extraordinary skill set—coordination of limbs, posture, balance, gesture, facial expression, perception, and action in sequences that create meaning in time and space and with effort. Dancers deal with the relationship between experience and observation.

The brain hides from our sight the wondrously complex operations that underlie the feat of dance. Although there are many secrets to unravel about the power of the brain and dance, advances in technology—29 at my last count, such as brain scanning techniques and the experiments using dancers, dance makers, and dance viewers–reveal to us the unexpected.

Misconceptions that dancers shouldn’t think, just dance, or that dance is merely physical or emotional expression, are challenged by reality. Research shows that dance activity also strongly registers in regions of the brain responsible for cognition. Hidden processes reveal that the brain is choreographer, dancer, and spectator. Dance is what the brain does.

The Choreographing Brain

[Read more…]

Book: Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, Conditioning

November 10, 2015 by 4dancers

Aloha! I would like to share with you a new book in the Dance Wellness field, “Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, Conditioning” by Gayanne Grossman, PT. Specific Information on the book is below.

Gayanne has a long background in dance medicine and science, working with injured dancers and teaching anatomy / kinesiology at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA, as well as heading up the Performing Arts Wellness Program for Lehigh Valley Health Network. The book is aimed at high school / college-level dancers, and is a terrific resource for those looking to dig deep into the scientific arena, and to stretch their knowledge about the body and safe dance training / technique. It can also serve as an excellent scientific reference manual to keep on hand. Please pass it on! Take care – Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor

For students of human movement, kinesiology, dance science, and dancers, Dance Science takes a positive approach to what a dancer can do to dance better through an understanding of anatomy and an analysis of movement which, in turn, will decrease injury rates. It presents anatomy and motion in a dance-specific way that teaches readers to appreciate and take ownership of their bodies through hands-on experiential activities.The book concludes with an approach to exercise design for enhanced performance integrating the principles of dance science. Accompanied by 90 anatomical illustrations, 30 photographs, and 3 graphs.

320 pages, 7″ x 10″, Paperbound, ISBN 978-087127-388-8 $49.95
Hardbound ISBN 978–087127-387-1 $39.95

Order from: Princeton Book Company, Publishers

Here is an excerpt from the text:

Training Efficiently and Safely for Needed Stability

Start strength training using isometrics. Use varied positions and joint angles. They will facilitate motor learning in many positions.

For example, your hip joint hyperextends; the femoral head abuts the Y ligament well past normal hip extension. You do not gain stability from it soon enough. Your pelvis may be in posterior tilt before your femoral head stops moving forward. Compare with a dancer whose femoral head stops at the Y ligament with minimal hip hyperextension: this dancer feels stable because the lumbopelvic and hip alignment are closer to neutral at end range hip extension. The hypermobile dancer needs extra training to know how to feel where that position is located. Begin with isometric holds, focusing on femoral head placement. (See Stork Stand and Weight Shift exercises later in this chapter.)

Strength train hypermobile dancers with isotonics, too. Use in the inner ranges (smaller movements) at first then increase the range of motion. Here is an example:

Begin standing at the barre and resist the first few inches of hip flex–ion, then repeat for hip abduction, adduction, and extension. When improvement is noted, increase the range of motion another inch or two. Tie one end of a light-weight exercise band to the barre and the other end to your ankle. Because hypermobile people may gain strength at a slower rate, increase the resistance when you are able to.

Include proprioception training in standing, sitting, or pushing up on stable, then unstable, surfaces to increase the awareness of joint position. Include slower combinations to facilitate correct postural control. Should hypermobile dancers stretch? Not too much. Dancers love to stretch so this behavioral change can be a challenge. Hypermobile people have a lot of stretch and they have decreased proprioception. They have to stretch quite far to feel end-range motion, sometimes into an extreme range of motion that may not be safe. These dancers are looking for feedback from the joint receptors and an enormous ROM may be necessary to stimulate these receptors in a hypermobile person.

Dance Medicine: IADMS 25th Annual Meeting

October 24, 2015 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

The International Association for Dance Medicine and Science held their 25th annual meeting in October at the Marriott City Center in downtown Pittsburgh, PA. Starting off with a day for teachers, the gathering spanned a four-day period that offered networking opportunities, information-sharing, and an overall sense of purpose that was clear and heartfelt.

As a first-time attendee, I thought I’d share some thoughts on the meeting with those who may be interested, and those who might want to consider going in the future. After all, next year’s meeting is in Hong Kong, which would make a lovely trip!

I have to say that I really enjoyed my time with this unique group of professionals, and felt the experience was definitely worthwhile. As most of you are already aware, I’m very passionate about the topic of dance wellness, and I’d love nothing more than to see IADMS continue to grow and connect with dancers and dance teachers everywhere.

So…here are some thoughts on the experience from my perspective, along with a few photos that should give a little context to my narrative.

Networking

Without question the single largest benefit to attending this meeting is the networking. The IADMS gathering brings professionals together from all over the world, giving them a chance to compare notes, talk dance medicine, and, perhaps most importantly, get to know one another.

Even with the magic of connecting via the web, there is just no substitute for face-to-face interaction. To that end, I enjoyed having the chance to meet the members of our own Dance Wellness Panel in person for the first time, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the planning time we had to solidify topics we’ll share with readers throughout the year (stay tuned!).

Although IADMS is smaller gathering of professionals than conferences such as Dance USA and the Dance Teacher Summit, it actually works to the advantage of the organization in this case. It simply felt much easier to connect with people here. Faces became familiar after a day or two, and because of that, it made approaching people less intimidating–even for a somewhat introverted person, such as myself.

Several events were incorporated into the meeting’s overall framework that allowed participants the chance to just relax and mingle a bit. Among these were the welcome reception Friday evening, and the “dance party” on Saturday night.

Information

The information presented at the IADMS meeting fell into three primary formats: lectures, movement sessions, and poster presentations. There were also a number of tables on-hand from various supporters and exhibitors. To try and summarize everything offered is quite an impossibility, so an overview of the main categories is offered here instead…each with a few examples…

Lectures

Throughout the event there were numerous lectures available for attendees to take in — from “Nutritional concerns in vegetarian and vegan dancers“ to “The science of motor learning: creating a model for dance training” to “Anterior hip pain in a dancer – an alternative diagnosis.”

Injury prevention/treatment, teaching strategies, metabolism, and dancer fitness were just some of the topics addressed by professionals from the podium. Lecture sessions were typically brief and specific, with accompanying slides. Following each lecture there was an opportunity for questions/comments.

Poster Presentations

Poster presentations offered another approach in terms of information sharing and engagement. Posters were displayed in a room where attendees could peruse them and discuss ideas with one another at a leisurely pace. These sessions were lively, and many people took advantage of the opportunity to join in the conversation.

There were two poster presentation slots during the span of the meeting, and a wide range of topics were covered, such as, “Differences in sway area observed in ballerinas en demi pointe and en pointe,” “Can textured insoles improve ankle proprioception and performance in dancers?” and “Building a safe environment for private dance sectors: a business model to provide healthcare for dancers.”

Movement sessions

In addition to the posters and lectures, the IADMS meeting also provides numerous “movement sessions” where participants have the chance to explore thoughts and ideas in a more “hands-on,” active environment.

Some of the movement sessions included: “Using technology for movement analysis in the dance studio,” “Incorporating conditioning into a modern dance technique class,” and “Gaga, Ohad Naharin’s movement language,” among many others.

Unlike the lecture sessions which are generally rather short in length, the movement sessions typically run about 50 minutes, giving attendees the chance to dig in a bit and try some things out for themselves.

Camaraderie

In my time at the meeting I met a wide range of educators, students and dance medicine professionals — from seasoned, founding members of the field — to brand new faces just joining the ranks after graduation.

It was wonderful to see such a large span of ages and experience levels in attendance, and exciting to think about the possibilities that bringing this group of people together offers to the dance community throughout the world.

For more information on IADMS, please visit their website, and be sure to keep an eye on their blog. Those hoping to attend the 26th annual meeting in Hong Kong can keep an eye out for details on the site, and membership information is there as well.

Disclosure: 4dancers attended the 25th annual meeting on a press pass granted by IADMS, but no monetary compensation was received for coverage of the event. All transportation, lodging, and meals were paid for by 4dancers.