dance wellness

Thoughts On Starting A Dance Screening Program

May 27, 2014 by 4dancers

by Jan Dunn, MS

As summer starts, and many schools / companies take a break until fall (or have “summer intensives”), it made me realize that now is a good time for directors to think about possibly implementing a dance screening program, to begin as things gear up in August -i.e, there’s time to think and learn about it / gather your resources together…Hence this article….

I’ve had the good fortune to be able to start a dance screening protocol at two university dance programs where I was working–one at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles (LMU), in 2006, and the other at the University of Colorado-Boulder (UC-B), in 2010. I had known about screenings for many years, from conferences / articles /and listening to dance colleagues about how they worked at their school or company. But my LMU and UC-B initiatives gave me valuable knowledge and personal experience on how to implement such a tool for a dance program with limited resources. This article is written from my own experiences with those programs, and suggestions on how to move forward to implement something similar in your own school / company.

First, what IS a “dance screening”?

It is looking at the dancer in several ways: [Read more…]

Dancing In The Dark – Dancers Need Vitamin D

December 26, 2013 by 4dancers

Happy Holidays to all!

Today’s article is from Dr. Matt Wyon, Professor of Dance Science at the University of Wolverhampton, in Birmingham, England, who recently wrote an article on 4dancers.org on the importance of supplemental physical fitness training in dance. We are happy that Matt, who is also the Vice-President / President-Elect of IADMS (International Association for Dance Medicine and Science) has contributed a second article–this one on how important Vitamin D is for dancers. It’s something of interest to everyone, in terms of general good health, but recent research has shown that it may be especially important for dancers. Read on!

Hoping everyone has had a wonderful holiday season, with Nutcrackers abounding!

– Jan

_________________________________________________

Dancers spend so much time indoors, with classes / rehearsals / performances, that they get little exposure to sunlight. Even when they live in sunny climates they don’t get enough sun exposure on their skin, because we automatically cover-up with sunblock.

Direct sunlight is the main way we can increase vitamin D levels in our body. We can get the vitamin from our diet, through foods such as fortified cereals, oily fish and diary – but for the majority of us this is not enough to meet our needs. This has left vast numbers of people, including dancers, deficient in vitamin D.

Why is vitamin D important? It used to be known as the “bone hormone”, important for bone growth and development, but new research has shown that it is involved in lots of other important systems in the body, including the immune system. It also plays a part in diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis.

All of this is important for everyone, dancers included —but in addition, recent research points to an important link for athletes such as dancers. There is a connection between muscle strength and vitamin D: deficient levels of Vitamin D has been linked to decreased muscle strength. In our recent study at the University of Wolverhampton (Birmingham, UK), we gave vitamin D supplements to ballet dancers and saw that jump height and leg strength increased for those on the supplementation, compared with those who didn’t take any. The group who took the vitamin D tables (2000IU a day) also got fewer injuries over the 4 month period, probably because their legs were stronger.

In summary, as a dancer you should ask your doctor to check your vitamin D levels at least once a year. This is just a blood test and doesn’t take long but could have a major effect on your stayer healthy and dancing longer / dancing stronger.

Matthew Wyon, PhD

Professor in Dance Science,

Research Centre for Sport Exercise and Performance, University of Wolverhampton, UK

National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, UK

Photo courtesy of FreeDesignFile.com, under Creative Commons License 3.0

Healthy Dance Practice Certification Course

November 10, 2013 by 4dancers

Happy November (and Turkey Day) !

I’m happy to let you know that for the first time in the USA, a dance medicine and science course designed specifically for dance educators will be offered through the University of Colorado, Boulder, in January, 2014. The 4-day course prepares the participant totake the Safe in Dance International (SIDI) and IADMS (International Association for Dance Medicine and Science) Healthy Dance Practice Certification.

The course, and the Certification, is an evolution of a previous one pioneered by IADMS and offered for the last several years in the UK, through Trinity Laban College. The class covers such important information as:

–basic anatomy and physiology

-warm-up and cool-down

-nutrition

-safety in the dance environment

-basic injury prevention and management

It includes the latest scientific and practical information on healthy dance practice and teaching, performance enhancement, and most importantly – offers practical tips and information on how to integrate all this knowledge into classes, rehearsals, and performance. The course is designed for teachers, directors, managers, and choreographers in all genres of dance, and achieving the certification helps students, parents, and employers know that you have taken the extra steps to help dancers get the best possible education, in the safest environment – to keep them dancing longer and stronger!

We are so pleased that the Department of Theatre and Dance, at UC-Boulder, has stepped forward to host this first-in-the-US event.

Here are the specifics:

Dates: January 9-12, 2014

Location: Department of Theatre and Dance, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO

Cost: $400

This includes the fee for the certification exam, as well as the course, Once you have completed the course itself,you have one year to take the exam and complete the certification.

Registration: http://healthydancepractice.eventbrite.com

For more Info: Contact Erin Sanchez at erin (at) danceuk.org

For further information on Safe in Dance International: www.safeindance.com

Many of you have been faithful readers of our Dance Wellness column since we started it, nearly two years ago. This course is a wonderful opportunity to learn LOTS of wonderful information in one fell swoop! — and take it home to integrate into your dance environment immediately. I hope that you will take this opportunity. The vision is to eventually be able to offer these courses in different locations around the country, but that will take time, and there’s no way to know how far off in the future that might happen. But the Boulder course ishappening NOW, so take advantage of it! You–and your dancers–will be glad you did.

Aloha to all of you-

Jan

Dance: The Importance Of A Good Warm-Up

August 23, 2013 by 4dancers

by Jan Dunn, MS

Summer is drawing to a close, and I’m guessing at least some of you have already started back to school / dance class / rehearsals….and I would guess that you’re in good shape, because you’ve been reading the Dance Wellness column over the last year and a half, and you know to not let your dancing body de-condition over the summer, yes?

So now that a new season is starting – whether that means as a student or professional dancer – let’s talk about how important warm-up is–and what exactly is this anyway, and WHY is it important?

I remember a number of years ago, when my Denver Dance Medicine Medicine colleague, Sarah Graham, PT, and I were working backstage with a well-known international dance company, and were distressed to realize that 90% of the dancers went on-stage with virtually no warm-up before the show – and the company had many injuries that came as a result. It was a grim reminder of how important warm-up is for your dancing life.

Bottom line: We warm-up to prepare our bodies safely for the dance activity to follow, and to avoid injury.

Let’s just start with the basics:

The primary goal of a warm-up is to increase your core internal body temperature by 1-2 degrees. By doing this, you accomplish a number of good things:

-increase your respiration rate (breathing)

-increase the blood flow to your muscles (to fuel your dance movement!)

-increase your joint lubrication, for easier range of motion. Think of your joints as having oil (they do – it’s called “synovial fluid”), which, when cold, moves slowly and makes movement more difficult. Warming-up that fluid makes the joint move more easily and freely. (Like your car on a cold winter morning–you want to warm it up first!)

-increase the speed of neural signal transmission from your brain to your muscles.

-focus your attention

Misc. points to realize about the warm-up: [Read more…]

Conference: Healthy Approaches In The Training Of Performing Artists

July 8, 2013 by 4dancers

Aloha! It’s summer dance intensive time, and I hope everyone is having a rewarding (and safe!) summer experience, where ever you are:). Summer is also a time for conferences in the dance / arts world, and if you are reading this column, we know that you are interested in Dance Wellness topics. Whether you are a teacher / company director, or dancer, these conferences can provide invaluable information to take back home to your studio / rehearsal space.

If you are in the southern California area (SoCal), one such conference that should not be missed is the August event at Chapman University, located in Orange (Orange County). The meeting, co-sponsored for the third year in a row by the University and PAMA (Performing Arts Medicine Association) addresses dance, music, and theatre, and can provide information taught by experts in the field. Put it on your calendar!

Healthy Approaches in the Training of Performing Artists

Place: Partridge Dance Center, Chapman University, Orange CA USA

Date: August 17-18, 2013, 8:30am-4pm

Happy summer dancing:)

Jan

Let’s just start with the basics:

Misc. points to realize about the warm-up: [Read more…]

Healthy Approaches in the Training of Performing Artists

Disclosure – Affiliate & Ad Info

Copyright Notice