dance training

Aerobic Fitness for Dancers

June 10, 2020 by 4dancers

Dr. Emma Redding, PhD is a longtime colleague in the dance medicine world. She is a dancer, educator, and currently Head of Dance Science at Trinity-Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, in London. A former president of IADMS, and on our 4dancers.org Advisory Board, Emma is also one of the foremost researchers in the field. One of the many areas she has looked into over the years is the need for aerobic conditioning for dancers, and how dancers who are well conditioned in that particular area can lower their injury risk. Here is an excellent article on that topic — please pass it on!
Take care, Jan Dunn, Editor, Dance Wellness

by Emma Redding, PhD

As a dancer, I often wondered why technique classes were not sufficiently providing me with all the conditioning and skills needed to meet the demands of my dance performances. I knew intuitively, that I couldn’t rely solely on technique – however I wasn’t exactly sure what I needed to do to train better. It’s because of these answered questions, that I decided to pursue a career that allows me to understand the science of dance.

I’m now Professor of Performance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London, England where I lead the department of Dance Science. My colleagues and I wrote the first ever Masters degree in Dance Science in 2001 and since then, we have witnessed an exponential growth in the number of opportunities to study Dance Science at University level, in the UK / USA / and many other countries. Through my research into the physiological demands of dance and as a founding partner of the National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science and Past-President of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, I have become an advocate for increasing awareness among dancers and dance educators of the importance of fitness conditioning for dancers.

Dance is an intermittent ‘stop/start’ form of activity. In a performance, a dancer may go from performing an explosive lift, or series of jumps, to a more sustained, continuous – or smaller movement phrase, and this repeats over the course of a dance piece. As such, dancing demands the kind of energy that is derived from both the slow aerobic and fast anaerobic pathways.

Unfortunately, dancers cannot rely solely on technique classes to provide them with all the training they need to meet the demands of performance. This is because a technique class typically includes highly skilled exercises that are often quite short, teacher feedback, corrections and discussion – and often, a good deal of standing around. The technique class is invariably taught at a lower intensity than a performance, and focuses on technical skill and artistry over fundamental physiological development.

Research shows that dancers can train more effectively by supplementing their technical training with fitness conditioning. Aerobic conditioning enhances stamina and endurance improving your ability to dance at moderate intensities for longer periods of time without experiencing early fatigue. Interval, circuit-type conditioning enhancing your ability to work at high intensities, and this sort of training more closely mimics the work-to-rest ratios and intensities seen in dance.

Aerobic Conditioning

To improve your aerobic capacity, you should engage in continuous and repeated exercise for at least 10 minutes (preferably 10-20 min). Swimming, jogging and cycling at a steady pace for are examples of aerobic exercise. However, any form of physical activity which engages the larger muscle groups and can be repeated over a period of time is likely to be training the aerobic energy system. You may want to keep in mind that running is impactful like dance, while swimming is non-impact, but particularly useful if you have a lower limb injury.

Interval-Circuit Training

To improve your anaerobic fitness and ability to work at high intensities, you should engage in interval-circuit training which involves a series of exercise lasting between 30 sec and 2 min. The exercises vary in intensity as well as duration and can involve short rest periods. Examples of exercises include sprints on the spot for 30 seconds, moving in and off of the floor very quickly for say 45 seconds, jumping and burpee-type movements whereby the body weight is shifted from hands to feet repeatedly.

These exercises are short in duration and can be near-maximal intensity. It would be beneficial to experiment with the length of rest periods in-between the high intensity bouts as this would help prepare for the varied length of recovery periods on stage. Sometimes, substitute the rest periods with moderate intensity work, then go back to high intensity again to mimic the changing nature of dance.

Summary

Dancers are not given much opportunity to train for the physiological demands of performance. While they may well be technically skilled enough, they are less likely to be fit to perform.

Ideally, the making of a new performance piece should be set several weeks before the first performance. This is so that dancers can run the piece over and over to become ‘match-fit’ to perform. With funding restrictions as they are, however, this is unlikely – particularly for project-based companies and freelance dancers with short rehearsal periods.

To prepare themselves physiologically to meet the demands of performance, dancers should do supplementary training outside of their class and rehearsals – and if possible, consider the specific physiological requirements of the piece, as a way of preparing themselves physically. (EDITOR’S NOTE: Emma Faulkner, DPT with Atlanta Ballet, recently devised a choreographic-specific pre-performance training program, to better prepare the dancers for that particular piece. This resulted in fewer injuries overall. Dance Magazine highlighted this in the article “Why You Should Tailor Your Cross-Training to Your Rep“)

This could mean acknowledging any unusual lifting required, body-part usage, work-to-rest ratios, jumping and so on, and from there, design a supplementary conditioning program, which incorporates progressive training in those areas of fitness.

Meanwhile, the debate around dancer fitness will continue. It is not certain whether the recommendations arising from the findings thus far apply to dancers of all genres, and much more research is needed. What is clear is that dancers are now working in eclectic styles of choreographic work, and facing increasing physiological demand. These dancers need fitness conditioning more than ever before.

Research findings do at least show that for now, dancers should not rely solely on technique classes to provide them with everything they need to meet the demands of performing. Happy training!

BIO: Professor Emma Redding, PhD Head of Dance Science, Trinity Laban originally trained as a contemporary dancer performing for Tranz Dance Company in Hungary and for Rosalind Newman in Hong Kong. She is now Head of Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London, England. Emma has played a major role in developing dance science as a recognised field of study at university level, through her research, and through teaching internationally, as a founding partner of the National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science and a past-member of the Board of Directors and Past-President of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Emma teaches Exercise Physiology and Contemporary Dance Technique at Trinity Laban alongside her management and research work. She supervises undergraduate and graduate student projects as well as PhDs in areas such as dancer health, physiology, talent development, dance training and creativity. She has led and co-led several large cross-institutional projects including most recently, a Conservatoires UK study into musician health funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council and a creativity and mental imagery study, in collaboration with Plymouth University and Coventry University, UK.

Remember To Breathe: Stepping Up Your Stamina

July 22, 2015 by 4dancers

You can practice breathing techniques anywhere! Doing this has helped me in other pursuits like hiking mountains!

by Alessa Rogers

Effortless grace.

That is what people think of when they think of ballet. And that is what we strive to be, with our tutus and tiaras and sweat and…wait what? Yes, dancers sweat, and we also curse sometimes too. Ballet is hard work after all!

But–back to effortless grace.

Yes, that is what we are. At least- that is–until halfway through Tharp’s In the Upper Room or maybe David Parson’s Caught or the Don Quixote third act pas de deux, when we are gasping for air like a fish out of water, with a variation and a coda left to go (and don’t forget those pesky bows that are next to impossible after a three hour long ballet).

No one wants to be that dancer that is visibly out of breath and increasingly out of control, making the audience worry if they need to call a doctor. But dancers for the most part tend to forget about stamina, focusing instead on technique and shape and choreography and musicality–and even injury prevention. These are all very important to consider, of course, but if a dancer is too exhausted to get through a piece then technique just isn’t going to be useful. Actually, as a dancer gets more tired, technique gets sloppy, choreography becomes harder to learn, and it’s definitely the time when injuries happen.

So a few years ago I set out to consciously improve my stamina. It was mostly out of necessity; a high-profile world premiere was looming where I would be onstage for all but four minutes of the entire full-length, no intermissions, ballet (and those off-stage minutes were for stressful costume changes!). A lot of the work was running and jumping. The first time I ran through the full ballet in the studio I went home and passed out at about 7 o’clock. I knew I had to get myself in shape.

Wouldn’t it be nice if dancers had trainers the way professional sports stars and Olympics athletes do–with scientists, analysts, nutritionists and trainers at our disposal? But we don’t. We only have ourselves, and our acute sensitivity to our bodies, to decide what works for us individually and what doesn’t. We have only ourselves to maintain accountability, to customize a plan that works for us and turn our bodies into fine-tuned machines.

Fast forward a few years and I’d say my stamina is now one of my strengths as a dancer. Other dancers often note how when they are bent over and panting I am still standing up and smiling. None of what I do now is scientifically proven–but they are the practices I’ve discovered that work for me.

See for yourself if some of these work for you: [Read more…]

Turnout And The Dancer: A Closer Look

November 19, 2014 by 4dancers

This month I’m offering you some thoughts on turn-out, that often-debated subject in dance (especially ballet) that we all worry over / strive for / get obsessed with. I am especially indebted to long-time dance medicine colleague and researcher, Dr. James Garrick, MD, for his insightful comments on this article–and a special “thank you” also to Dr. Matthew Wyon, PhD – Research Centre for Sport Exercise and Performance @ University of Wolverhampton (UK) / Vice President of IADMS, for his input as well.

Enjoy–and Pass It On!

– Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor

OK, so let’s talk about turn-out…that elusive external rotation of the legs in the hip socket that dancers (especially ballet dancers) all strive for.

This post is going to be just a brief foray into that (often thorny) discussion. I’m not going to give you detailed anatomical information–there are various online resources (as well as books) especially written for dancers that can give you excellent, very specific anatomical detail (I’ve provided a partial resource list at the end).

What I do want is to share with you what I feel is important for every dancer / teacher (and parent) to know–gleaned from 40 years of teaching dance / 35 years in the dance medicine field / 32 years of teaching Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Injury Prevention to dancers in university dance departments.

Just the Basic Facts, Ma’am

Turn–out, as every dancer and teacher knows, involves rotating the legs outward from the hip socket. It enables us to be able to have full range of movement in dance, especially in sideways directions.

A Brief History of Turnout

Turn-out has historical beginnings going back to the French and Italian courts, evolving from a combination of different things–such as fencing / having to move sideways or back your way out of the king’s presence (so that you wouldn’t ever turn your back on him) / and (my particular favorite) – in court, turning one’s leg out to show the intricate designs on the heels of one’s shoes (France’s King Louis XIV – “The Sun King”, who founded the Royal Academy of Dance in 1661 – was actually one of the first to do this, to show off his elaborately decorated shoes to the court!).

For many years, the desired “perfect” turn-out meant (especially in ballet) that you had your feet completely turned out, straight side to side, in a 180 degree straight line. But unfortunately…

Very few people have a hip socket that is capable of rotating the femur (thigh bone) completely out to the side–so the extra slack instead gets transferred to the knee joint and foot (for a full detailed analysis of how this all works, see some of the resource articles mentioned at the end). This is called, as you probably know, “forcing” your turn-out–which means that you are using compensatory movements at the knee, foot (rotation / twisting), or lumbar spine (hyperextension, or “swayback”) to increase the apparent range of your turn-out.

The problem is–if dancers “force” their turn-out from the knees / ankles / lumbar spine, not-nice things can result, especially over time.

More Basics

The structure of our hip joint is something we are born with—different factors determine how much / how little turn-out we have at the actual joint. For example:

The shape of the bones
How deeply set into the hip socket the femur (thigh bone) is
How tight or loose the ligaments are

“Hueftgelenk-gesund”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

You will find some online sites that say you can possibly change your structural, inherited turn-out with early training (between ages 8-12), but this is still very much debated in the dance medicine and science field, and some of the people who are most knowledgeable about this, from a research perspective, do not think it is really possible.

What can be changed, however, is muscle imbalance–both strength and flexibility–around the hip joint, which can limit hip external rotation.

Interested? Read on!

The average person on the street usually has turn-out in the range of 40-45 degrees. We know that dancers usually average around 55 degrees, and occasionally slightly more–but very few people have that 90 degree turn-out in the hip socket that equals 180, when the heels are together in 1^st position.

So when you see dancers standing at the barre in 180-degree first position, the chances are pretty good that they are “forcing” it, and taking the extra stress in the knees and feet.

Why Forcing Turnout Is Not Good

Première pointes.PNG — Example of forced turnout, resulting in “rolling” of the feet. Photo: “Première pointes”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Over time, forcing turn-out puts undesirable force and pressure on joints / body parts that were not designed to do that–in particular, the feet / knees / lower back.

Be aware that there are some dance blogs that will tell you that’s it OK to do this (force at the knee / foot / lumbar spine), but those sites are ignoring the majority of the dance medicine research–which tells us that it is potentially detrimental and injurious to those body parts, over time. To quote well-known dance science researcher / author, Karen Clippinger, MS, in her textbook “Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology” (Human Kinetics, 2007):

“Failure to maintain turnout at the hip and excessive twisting from the knee down are believed to be a contributing factor to many injuries of the knee, shin, ankle, and foot”.

Other prominent researchers in this area will all tell you the same thing–and add injuries of the lower back to the list as well.

Interesting Things To Know About Turnout

The front of the pelvis/hips need to be kept flat on the floor-rolling the hip up (of the tested leg) will distort the results. This can be done without a goniometer (the instrument the PT is using in the photo), to give an a fairly accurate “eyeball” ROM (range of motion) estimate of both external and internal rotation at the hip. Photo: Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology – Karen Clippinger (Human Kinetics, 2007)

Turn-out Tests

Testing how much turn-out you actually have at the hip socket should ideally be done by a dance-familiar physical therapist or trainer (or physician).

There is one prone (lying on your stomach) “eyeball” test that I like to use, which can give you / your teacher a fair idea of where your range falls–and while physical therapists would use a goniometer (the instrument used to measure joint angles) to give an exact reading, it is possible to use this same test to give an approximate estimate of the dancer’s hip external rotation.

Muscular Imbalance Issues

I mentioned above how muscle imbalance can affect your turn-out (remember our article on Causes of Injuries? – the importance of muscle balance….?). If the muscles on one side of the joint are stronger (or less flexible) than the other, it will limit full range-of-motion for that leg, in all directions–including turn-out.

It’s important to note that the hip internal rotator muscles are weak and tight in many dancers (especially ballet)—and that this will limit the amount of external rotation that can happen. Dancers can sometimes increase their measured degree of turn-out by as much as 20 degrees when they do have this imbalance situation and are put on a program for stretching and strengthening the internal rotators.

And sometimes, you aren’t actually using all the natural turn-out that you do have, simply because the external rotator muscles aren’t strong enough to hold it. So that principle of equal muscle strength and stretch is really important here…and remember that weak muscles = tight muscles.

We usually have one leg that naturally has more turn-out than the other–but be aware that muscle imbalance can also make that happen as well (here is where you need a PT to do some analysis / muscle testing). Assuming that there actually is a structural difference between R and L (there is with me, as with many dancers), you should never try to force the lesser-turned out leg to match the greater one. That will only lead to more problems down the road. Determine which of your legs is less–for example, R is 55 degrees, and L is 50–and then always match your legs to that lesser angle, to avoid stress and potential long-term injury.

Turnout In Performance?

Research in dance medicine has shown that in performance, we don’t use the same amount of turn-out as we do in class–we use less. This begs the question: If this is indeed the case, why do we insist on emphasizing extreme turn-out in class, when it does not transfer to performance?

Tibial Torsion Issues

We are often told that in a well-aligned turn-out position (i.e not forcing), we should aim our “knees over toes” – specifically, the 2^nd toe (or the joint space between the 2^nd/3^rd toe, which is the center of the forefoot).

This is indeed correct for a leg that has a straight tibia (shinbone) – but if you are among the dancers who have tibial torsion (where the tibia rotates inward slightly, with a slight curve to the outside of the leg), that knee / 2^nd toe alignment doesn’t quite match up.

There is nothing wrong with tibial torsion–it is just a different structure than a straight-line tibia–but it is important to know about, as both a teacher and dancer. (In dance screenings that I’ve participated in, as many as 40-50% of students had this type of leg structure).

Dancers with this type of anatomy often need to line the knee up with the great toe, as opposed to the 2^nd,or between 1^st / 2^nd toe joint–as opposed to 2^nd/ 3^rd. Forcing the knee over to the 2^nd toe can cause supination (rolling outwards) in the foot, and additional problems at the knee joint.

It’s best to work with a knowledgeable dance teacher / trainer / physical therapist, if you have this type of leg alignment so that you can find the optimum position for your own individual structure.

**Last, But Not Least, Turn-In!**

Having a lifetime in dance and preventing injury is what it’s all about, and in that light, listen up, folks:

Turning in is equally important for dancers–maybe more so than turning out. It’s the imbalance around the joint that leads to injury, remember? So if you’re only always turning out (as many ballet dancers do) and never doing exercises in parallel, or more importantly, turn-in, you aren’t really using some of the important muscles around both the hip and knee joints…and that pre-sets us up for injuries down the road.

Plus, an important thing to realize is that those turn-in movements are keeping our actual hip joint healthy, over long years of use. It is full range of motion in any joint that keeps it healthy, and works to avoid arthritis. By only doing turn-out movements, and never / rarely doing parallel / turn-in, we are ignoring a good segment of the joint capsule…and joints that don’t move fully develop arthritis way faster than joints that move all through their natural range of motion!

So if your dance environment doesn’t provide good opportunities to use turn-in, find outside activities like Pilates, that will help keep your body in good overall balanced strength and flexibility.

A better example of first position, with no "rolling" - not 180 degrees. — A better example of first position, with no “rolling” – notice that it isn’t 180 degrees!

And Remember–Turn-Out Doesn’t Make or Break You As A Dancer

There are so many things that all come together to make a good dancer. It’s not only the body we are born with, but the training, the artistry, the personality, the musicality…the list could go on and on.

Dr. James Garrick, MD, one of the pioneers of dance medicine, long-time physician for the San Francisco Ballet (among other companies), and researcher on turn-out, always counsels dancers to not get hung up on how much turn-out they do or don’t have. He reminds them that some of the world’s greatest dancers do not have that magical 180 degrees, and that working within your own natural turn-out, and focusing instead on all the many things that make us beautiful dancers–is what’s really important.

So – dance on – and don’t force your turn-out!

Resources for further reading

There are many sites that discuss turn-out online–here are some that I like:

The Truth About Turnout | Dance Spirit

www.dancespirit.com/2010/10/the_truth_about_turnout/

Understanding True Turnout In Dance | Dance Advantage

Centerwork: Understanding Turnout – Dance Magazine – If …

Turnout for Dancers: Hip Anatomy and Factors Affecting …

(Editors Note: this is an extremely detailed anatomical description)

Books:

“Dance Anatomy and Kinesiology” – Karen Clippinger –Human Kinetics, 2007

“Dance Medicine Head to Toe: A Dancer’s Guide to Health” – Judith R. Peterson, MD – Princeton Book Company, 2011

“Finding Balance” Fitness, Training, and Health for a Lifetime in Dance” (2^nd Edition) – Gigi Berardi – Routledge, 2005

Editor Jan Dunn is a dance medicine specialist currently based on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where she is owner of Pilates Plus Kauai Wellness Center and co-founder of Kauai Dance Medicine. She is also a Pilates rehabilitation specialist and Franklin Educator. A lifelong dancer / choreographer, she spent many years as university dance faculty, most recently as Adjunct Faculty, University of Colorado Dept. of Theatre and Dance. Her 28 year background in dance medicine includes 23 years with the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) – as Board member / President / Executive Director – founding Denver Dance Medicine Associates, and establishing two university Dance Wellness Programs

Jan served as organizer and Co-Chair, International Dance Medicine Conference, Taiwan 2004, and was founding chair of the National Dance Association’s (USA) Committee on Dance Science and Medicine, 1989-1993. She originated The Dance Medicine/Science Resource Guide; and was co-founder of the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science. She has taught dance medicine, Pilates, and Franklin workshops for medical / dance and academic institutions in the USA / Europe / Middle East / and Asia, authored numerous articles in the field, and presented at many national and international conferences.

Ms. Dunn writes about dance wellness for 4dancers and also brings in voices from the dance wellness/dance medicine field to share their expertise with readers.

A Somatic Update For Dancers

August 7, 2014 by 4dancers

Ami Shulman with participants from the 2011 Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow; photo Cherylynn Tsushima, courtesy Jacob's Pillow Dance — Ami Shulman with participants from the 2011 Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow; photo Cherylynn Tsushima, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow Dance

Our guest author for this Dance Wellness posting is introducing a topic I have been wanting to bring to our readers–integrating somatic work into dance. Nancy Wozny has long been associated with somatics and dance, and is currently Editor-in-Chief of Arts + Culture Texas, in Houston. She is a Feldenkrais teacher and has taught at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Women’s University, the Jung Center, and other institutions, and has been a guest lecturer at Rice University since 2005.

Somatics (the term is derived from the Greek word for the living body ‘ Soma”) many years ago was called “The Body Therapies”, and has long been a topic close to my heart. In the 1980’s / early 1990’s, I was Director of the Workshops for Professionals at The American Dance Festival, which included The Body Therapy Workshop–and in that capacity, I had the privilege to learn about and experience many forms of somatic work, and could see their benefits for dancers.

Nancy’s article will be the first in a series of articles I hope to have for you, our readers. This one is meant as a general introduction to the subject, and down the road we will have separate articles on some of the major somatic systems that are being used in dance. We have already talked about some of them – Pilates, for example, and Franklin Method, could be considered to be in this category.

I’m very pleased that Nancy has agreed to write this initial article on a very important topic —Enjoy !

Jan Dunn, MS, Dance Wellness Editor

______________________________________

by Nancy Wozny

“How do you allow the movement to be reversible at any moment?” asks Ami Shulman, while teaching in the contemporary program at the school of Jacob’s Pillow. Shulman, formerly of Compagnie Marie Chouinard and now a Feldenkrais teacher, is part of a new generation of movement educators shaping the dance field one plie at a time.

Somatics has come a long way since I was once introduced by accident as an expert in “somnambulism,” which technically is a sleeping disorder. We do, in fact, become a little sleepy when doing a somatic practice, but that’s not the point.

Much of what makes up the field of somatics was in motion way before the term was coined in 1976 by philosopher Thomas Hanna. Somatics derives from the Greek word for the living body, “soma,” and is the study of the body experienced from within. More simply put, it’s the skill of being able to sense one’s state of being. You would think we wouldn’t need help with that, but due to the habitual nature of our modern lives, we do.

Today, if you mention you attended a Feldenkrais Method or Alexander Technique session, many of your peers will have some idea of what you mean. The years of “Feldenwhat?” and “Alexander who?” are fading. The Alexander Technique even got a mention in Lena Dunham’s popular HBO hit show GIRLS. There’s also a much greater chance that you might run into somatic principles and concepts in your daily life.

Listening to Shulman pepper in instructions with words like “soften,” “feel,” “explore” and “sense,” reminds me of just how fluid the boundary can be between somatics and a dance class. There are a multitude of ways the work surfaces in a movement class. If your dance or yoga teacher starts with a body scan on the floor, that’s somatics. If you have worked with a foam roller with your physical therapist, yep, somatics. (Moshe Feldenkrais was first to use those handy cylinders. Back in the day, they were made from wood.) If you have tried any wobbly balance challenging gadget, yes, that too has its origins in the somatics goal of enlisting a non-habitual environment to elicit new movement. If anyone has asked you to stop and pay attention to what you are actually doing in that moment, boom, somatics.

The idea that we can better pay attention to our actions to control our movement can be traced back to the late 19th-century European Gymnastik movement, which used breath, movement, and touch to direct awareness. François Delsarte, Emile Jaques-Dalcroze and Bess Mensendieck encouraged a kind of inside-out expression that questioned the traditional nature of movement training. They seemed to be saying “the body is the person,” thus joining mind and body in a celebration of the human form.

The American contribution to somatics also deserves mention. Mabel Ellsworth Todd’s classic text, The Thinking Body, introduced dancers to the role of the mind in dance training back in 1937. Her student, Lulu Sweigard (who later taught at Juilliard), developed a process of activating the imagination to affect movement called “ideokinesis.” (from the Greek words for “idea” and “movement”) Irene Dowd, who won the American Dance Festival’s 2014 Balasaraswati/Joy Ann Dewey Beinecke Endowed Chair for Distinguished Teaching award, carried the work even further. Eric Franklin, with the Franklin Method, continues to explore and develop new ways to incorporate imagery and neuroplasticity concepts into dance training.

The American Dance Festival, in Durham, NC, under the leadership of Dean Martha Myers, introduced somatic work to thousands of dancers in the 1980’s and ‘90’s, with The Body Therapy Workshops and by having specific classes and faculty as part of the regular Festival schedule. Myers, while not a somatic practitioner herself, early on recognized the value of this work for dancers, and through her, ADF became one of the seminal places where somatics integrated into dance training. Her 6-part Dance Magazine series “The Body Therapies” (1983) is considered one of the best early sources for learning about the field.

Soon, it seemed people from all over the world, from a variety of disciplines, were exploring the same territory from different entry points. Because dance is a body-centered art from, it has always been ahead of the body/mind game.

In fact, so many of the American somatic pioneers harked from the dance world. Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen (Body-Mind Centering) was first to consider how our developmental structures are mirrored in our movement. The late Emily Conrad (Continuum) considered the primacy of the fluid system. Joan Skinner (Skinner Releasing Technique), Elaine Summers (Kinetic Awareness), Susan Klein (Klein Technique), and Judith Aston (Aston-Patterning) each added their own approaches as well.

Ami Shulman with participants from the 2013 Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow; photo Christopher Duggan — Ami Shulman with participants from the 2013 Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow; photo Christopher Duggan

And then we need to consider all the somatic smoothies going in dance, yoga, Pilates and fitness classes. The material is out there and people are using it, whether they know where its origins are from or not.

So what defines an activity as somatic? Here are some basic guidelines. Know that there are differences between each somatic discipline that may stress one of these principles more than another. While the modalities differ, the goal of living a more complete and embodied life remains central to the somatic domain.

Starting in a neutral place:

Somatics is a subtle process, if we don’t know where we are in the first place, it might be hard to tell that anything is different at the end. We need a baseline to know that change occurred. Most somatic classes begin with some kind of inventory of how a person is operating. It may be as simple as lying on the ground and sensing which parts are heavier.

Slower than slow:

If you have ever listened to someone playing a familiar song on the piano so slowly that you forget what song it is, you will know exactly why we move so slowly in a somatic class. When we move slowly, it gives us the time to pay attention, and our habits are less likely to commandeer the train of our body and take over. We get a fresh start and a better chance for improvement. Keep in mind, things aren’t always slow; that would be too habitual.

Using images:

When Shulman asks her students to use their feet like a tongue, suddenly the quality in the room shifts as they consider the contact of their body against the floor. Many somatic practitioners have used visual images to evoke certain ideas, direction or quality of movement. The mind/body card has been since backed up with mirror neuron theory concerning the power of thinking yourself through a movement.

Reflection:

Whether its Emily Conrad’s open attention, or Alexander’s inhibition, or Feldenkrais’ many rests, there is always the pause that matters. Somewhere in the process, you will stop what you are doing. Somatics enlist a discontinuous process, and the pauses are built into the lessons. In Feldenkrais, the pause is when the work does its work.

Habit:

Somatics practitioners talk a lot about habit. The first thing to know is that we need habits. Life would be a huge bore and a chore without them. We would spend all day trying to figure out how to tie our shoes. Habit is not the bad guy. But not having enough habits, or using the wrong habit to accomplish a certain action, can lead us into trouble.

Non-habitual movement:

If you find yourself doing the same thing week after week, it’s not somatics. We like to change it up on planet soma, so there is very little repetition. Most often you are doing movements that you have never done before, which will feel awkward and sometimes, even annoying. Dancers don’t like to be beginners, but they should give it a try more often. When you do a movement that is new to you, it’s hard to bring old habits to the floor, because you don’t have any.

Exploration rather than accomplishment:

This is a tough one for dancers, who are used to getting somewhere, and generally speaking, the faster the better. The “there” of somatics is not one place, but many places. Lessons are designed for you to explore through. You navigate a constrained playground set up by the lesson or practitioner.

Feel rather than see:

When I was a young dancer, moving away from the mirror meant I basically disappeared. I had no idea where I was in space without my BFF, the mirror. I was constantly getting lost on stage because of this over reliance on my reflection. In a somatic experience, the mirror should and will be covered. You will be sensing yourself from the inside. This is a skill, and a rather handy one at that. As mirrors do not follow us around in our lives, I suggest you learn it well. (Editors’ note: Do you remember from the Sally Radell articles on mirrors? – I gave you Master Limon Teacher Betty Jones’ favorite quote: “mirrors put you outside of your body, not in it”!)

Ami Shulman with participants from the Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob's Pillow; photo Em Watson, courtesy Jacob's Pillow Dance — Ami Shulman with participants from the Contemporary Program of The School at Jacob’s Pillow; photo Em Watson, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow Dance

How does somatics fit in with a dancer’s overall training regime?

In my day, some dancers went off the deep end of the somatic pool and forgot that they needed daily training to keep up their technique. This is the contradiction we need to embrace in any kind of elite training. It takes hard work to make a dancer, with tons of repetition and time in the classroom. Somatics doesn’t replace training, it augments it, preventing the strict training regimes necessary in dance from becoming injurious. It helps spread the neurological load, so we move with more of ourselves in terms of effort. We don’t build strength in a somatics activity, we gain easier access to our strength. Just like a diet, we need and crave variety, and a chance to reboot our system so that we are operating in the most optimal way. That’s what somatics offers.

Do I have to go to a dedicated somatics class?

These days, a somatic experience can be slipped into just about any kind of movement class. There are ballet teachers who have been known to bring in a little somatics between tendus and grande battements. As I said earlier, the material is out there and being used in all kinds of innovative ways. You would be hard pressed to find a physical therapist not using some somatic principles in their work. A dedicated class is terrific for injury prevention and deep learning, but know there are many ways to access this wealth of knowledge.

What will seem downright weird to newbies?

Honestly, just about everything. You will think you are wasting your time on the ground sensing yourself when you could be stretching. Your teacher may not be a dancer or even look remotely like a dancer. I remember thinking during one of my early Feldenkrais classes that the movement was ugly. You will wonder how these simple movements will help you. You might doubt everything. All of this or some of this will probably happen. Carry on anyway. It will be worth it in the long run.

So why add this to your already jammed back training regime?

A few reasons: you will have a longer career, you will gain skills that will stay with you way beyond your dance career, and finally, you will simply be more graceful to watch, whether you are fetching water or doing a 32 fouettes.

Nancy Wozny, photo by Christopher Duggan

Nancy Wozny picked up the somatics cause when she was 22 and never put it down. She has taught Feldenkrais classes to a broad range of individuals and has taught at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Women’s University, Rice University, the Jung Center and other institutions. Her stories on dance and somatics can be found in Dance Magazine, Dance Teacher and Pointe. Currently, she is editor in chief of Arts + Culture Texas, based in Houston, TX.

Mirror Use In The Dance Classroom: How Much Is Too Much?

January 27, 2014 by 4dancers

“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall……..”

I’m happy to introduce you to our guest author, Sally Radell, a faculty member at Dance at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. Sally has been researching the use of mirrors in the dance classroom –how they can help us, and how they can hinder us. I first saw her present her work in this area in 2004, at the Taiwan International Dance Medicine Conference in Taipei. It is fascinating research, and well worth knowing about, both as a dancer and a teacher. Her article this month is geared towards what dancers need to know –coming in March: what teachers need to know, to promote the healthy use of mirrors in their students!

A personal note here — like most dancers, I grew up with mirrors in the studio, and never thought anything about it….it was a part of the dance world. But at American Dance Festival, in the 1980’s, I encountered Betty Jones, the world-famous Jose Limon dancer and teacher, who literally changed my dance life in many ways — including the use of mirrors in teaching. Betty was firmly against using them constantly — she had a small one in the studio, to use if necessary to point out something to a student. But her mantra was “Mirrors put you outside your body, not in it” –
knowing what I know now about the science of movement, and neurology, I completely understand what she meant.

I studied 10 years with Betty, and started integrating many of her classroom techniques into my own teaching, including the use (or not) of mirrors. I would make the dancers face away from the mirrors (we did not have drapes to cover them) for much of the class. It was fascinating to see the gradual change in their bodies, facial expressions, and movement.

Something to think about…..!

Aloha –
Jan__________________________________________________________

Sally Radell, photo by Jon Rou

by Sally A. Radell, MFA, MA

When I reflect on my own time as a student training in dance I see myself staring at my image in the ever-present classroom mirrors. I recall a nagging voice in my head telling me that I was never thin enough, that I was not sufficiently strong, or that I was not as fluid as the other dancers. The mirror is indeed a potent tool in the dance classroom. Each dancer develops a personal relationship with the mirror, a relationship that is influenced by various factors including the technical level of the material taught, years of training, previous experiences in the art form, and comparison to others in the classroom. Often this relationship is combative, and it becomes a common part of a dance classroom culture.

Advantages of Mirror Use

There are positive reasons to use a mirror in dance training. The mirror provides dancers with immediate visual feedback and is helpful in self-correction. It allows them to evaluate the height, shape, and line of their movement, and to adjust their placement. It enables them to easily see the performance of the movement from several perspectives, which can help dancers learn a new movement phrase more quickly.

Disadvantages of Mirror Use

When dancers spend too much time looking at themselves in the mirror, however, they can become overly self-conscious and self-critical. This presents several problems in a dancer’s training.

High levels of self-consciousness and self-criticism can cause a dancer to develop poor body image, which can lead a dancer to have negative thoughts and feelings about her body. This can easily happen when a dancer ends up comparing her physical image to other dancers or to the teacher in the room. Research has shown that negative body image in the dance classroom can slow down a student’s technical development.

Spending too much time looking at oneself in the mirror can cause a dancer to focus excessively on her visual image rather than the muscular sensations of a movement. The sensation of one’s body in movement and the instinctive awareness of exactly where one’s body is in space is called proprioception, a critical ingredient for becoming a skilled and expressive dancer. Limited access to our proprioceptive self can slow down technical growth in the classroom.

Overuse of the mirror can negatively affect the development of a dancer’s performance skills. Consistently staring at one’s body in the mirror can cause a dancer to be overly focused on body parts and specific positions rather than on movement and flow, which are essential qualities for a smooth and dynamic performance. After all, dancers in performance do not dance for the mirror, they dance for the audience. It makes sense they would practice this way.

dancer and mirror — Dancer Ivy Kilpatrick, photo by Lori Teague

Remind yourself that the mirror is an optional tool in the technique class and train yourself to limit your use of it. Most dancers prefer to use the mirror in class and view it as an essential tool in the dance classroom. However, research has shown that if the mirror is not present in the dance classroom only about half of the students will miss it, and some students are actually relieved if it is not there.

Focus on learning to trust the muscular feedback (proprioception) a movement provides; spend less time looking at your image in the mirror. This will accelerate your technical growth.

Look for the full range of cues a teacher may give you when learning movement (i.e. imagery, rhythmic patterns). Work to expand all the ways you learn in technique class other than focusing on your image in the mirror.

Observe yourself and note how you feel after using the mirror extensively in class. If you notice yourself having negative feelings about your body, this is a cue that you may need to further limit your use of the mirror in technique class.

When you have the option, stand in a part of the room where mirror visibility is limited or choose a facing where you cannot see yourself in the mirror. Use the mirror strategically and selectively in class. Only use it when you have a specific purpose in mind.

Set a goal of developing a personal, healthy relationship with the mirror, one that will fully support your own learning style. Listen to the cues your body gives you as you dance and act upon them. Take responsibility for creating your optimal learning environment in the dance classroom.

Sally Radell is professor of dance at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She holds a BA in dance from Scripps College in Claremont, California, an MA in dance from The Ohio State University, and an MFA in dance from Arizona State University.

She came to Emory in 1987 to start a degree program in dance. The substantial growth of the program and success of this endeavor is one of her proudest professional accomplishments. Ms. Radell has been active as a choreographer, teacher, performer, administrator, dance critic, and somatic educator. Over the past twenty years she has conducted research on dancers, body image, and the mirror and has published in professional journals including Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Research in Dance Education, and Perceptual and Motor Skills. Professor Radell has also presented nationally and internationally on this topic with different organizations including the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. She is committed to the promotion of psychological wellness for dancers.