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Aerobic Fitness for Dancers

June 10, 2020 by 4dancers

Aerobic conditioning for dancers

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!


Emma Redding, PhD
Emma Redding, PhD

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.

Filed Under: conditioning Tagged With: Aerobic Fitness for Dancers, dance aerobic, dance training, Emma Redding, iadms, National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science, Trinity Laban Conservatorie of Music and Dance

Introducing Our Dance Wellness Panel

May 13, 2015 by 4dancers

Jan Dunn
Jan Dunn

Aloha to all!

This is a very special post regarding the Dance Wellness segment of 4dancers.org:

In the fall of 2011, Catherine Tully (whom I had never met) contacted me and asked me if I would like to write an article about Dance Medicine and Science – aka Dance Wellness – for her online site, just to introduce readers to that aspect of information in the dance world. I was pleased to do so, and so in January of 2012, we posted that first article. Your response, as readers, was so overwhelmingly positive that Catherine asked me to start a new on-going segment of 4dancers, entitled “Dance Wellness”.  I did, and the rest is history. Over the last 3+ years we have posted, 36 articles, written not only by myself but by guest contributors whom I have brought in.

Your eagerness to learn more about this important field has prompted us to take the next step, to continue “spreading the word” online about the many aspects of Dance Wellness, and how all of this information can help dancers to “dance longer, dance stronger”.  We are so pleased to announce the 4dancers.org Dance Wellness Panel–a distinguished group of people from the Dance Medicine and Science field, who have agreed to join us in this new endeavor.   

Below you will find each of our panel members, along with information about their backgrounds, associations and areas of specialty. We are thrilled to have them on board, and we look forward to sharing more dance wellness information with you in the coming months!

My best to everyone-
Jan

Jan Dunn, MS
Dance Wellness Editor – 4dancers.org


 

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James Garrick, MD

James Garrick, MD., is an orthopedic surgeon and the founder and Medical Director of the Center for Sports Medicine, at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco, California. When founded 35 years ago, the Center had the first Dance Medicine department on the West Coast, and had one of only two West Coast Pilates facilities. For forty years he has been one of the leading figures in the dance medicine field, with particular research interests in the epidemiology of dance and sports injuries. His research includes a cost analysis of dancers’ workman’s comp injuries, insurance coverage of independent dance companies in San Francisco Bay area, and injury patterns in young dancers.

Dr. Garrick was physician for San Francisco Ballet Company, founded the clinic for dancers at San Francisco School for the Arts, and is currently on  the physician panel for the San Francisco Ballet School. He also founded the Sports Medicine Division at the University of Washington, and is a founding and former board member of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine. He is a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and serves on the editorial board of several journals. He has authored / co-authored five books, including Ski Conditioning (1978), Peak Condition (1986), and Sports Injuries – Diagnosis and Management (1990), as well as numerous articles for medical journals and book chapters.

Dr. Garrick is a member of American College of Sport Medicine, American Orthopedic Surgeons, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA), and International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).

Gigi Berardi, PhD
Gigi Berardi, PhD

Gigi Berardi, PhD has an academic background and performing experience that allow her to combine her interests in the natural and social sciences with her passion for dance, as both critic and writer. Over 300 articles and reviews by Dr. Berardi have appeared in broadcast and print media, including Dance Magazine, Dance International, the Los Angeles Times, the Anchorage Daily News, The Olympian, The Bellingham Herald, LA Style, IDEA Today, LA Reader, LA Weekly, and scientific journals such as Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Kinesiology and Medicine for Dance, Dance Research Journal, Your Patient and Fitness, and Impulse: The International Journal of Dance Science, Education, and Medicine. She has written as a national advocacy columnist for the Dance Critics Association Newsletter and has served on performing arts panels for the Alaska State Council on the Arts. She currently serves as a contributing editor and writer for and a correspondent for Dance Magazine. She is a founding co-editor of Kinesiology and Medicine for Dance and currently serves as Book Review Editor for Journal of Dance Medicine & Science. Her public radio features (for KSKA, Anchorage) have been recognized by the Society of Professional Journalists. She has served on the Board of Directors of the Dance Critics Association, and is a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

A professor at Western Washington University, she received the university’s Diversity Achievement Award in 2004. Finding Balance: Fitness and Training for a Lifetime in Dance is her fifth book. The completely revised edition appeared in 2005, a seminar on the earlier edition was noted in The New Yorker; both editions had second printings. Her technical training, residencies, and seminars are listed in her resume. In winter, 2000, she was a Fairhaven College Distinguished Teaching Colleague for dance.

Robin Kish, Dance Wellness
Robin Kish, MS, MFA

Robin Kish, MS, MFA, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Dance at Chapman University. Robin blends her background in dance and science to creative innovative educational programs supporting the development of safe and effective dance training programs.

She has presented research and developed education lectures for the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) and the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). In 2013 she developed the first online dance kinesiology class for the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO). As a product of the private studio / competition environment she is passionate about bringing dancer wellness and safe teaching practices to the industry.

Moira McCormack
Moira McCormack, MS

Moira McCormack, MS, is Head of Physiotherapy at The Royal Ballet Company in London, UK.

After a professional dance career in classical ballet she trained as a dance teacher and then as a Physical Therapist and has worked with dancers for the last 20 years. She teaches anatomy, dance technique and injury prevention internationally, with a main interest in the management of the hypermobile dancer.

Janice Plastino, Dance Wellness
Janice G. Plastino, PhD

Janice G. Plastino, PhD is Emerita Professor from the University of California Irvine (USA) in the Department of Dance. Her book with James Penrod, The Dancer Prepares: Modern Dance for Beginners has been in continual print with revisions since 1970. She has published extensively with papers, journal articles, and several book chapters. She has danced professionally on television, stage, and in dance companies for national and international venues.

Dr. Plastino’s choreography of over 50 works includes 15 years as co-director of Penrod Plastino Movement Theatre, directing opera at Lincoln Center, New York, and creating works at NBC and the BBC television. She is regarded as the founder of the field of Dance Science, and established the first dancer screening / wellness program in an educational setting at UCI in 1982. She introduced the Pilates Method in the UCI Dept. Of Dance in 1983, the first such program in higher education.

She was instrumental in the formation of the National Dance Education Association (NDEO), and a leader during the organization’s early years. She has been a member of Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) since 1989, served on the BOD for four years, and in 2013 was awarded the Dawson Service Award. In 2015, she became the first recipient of the International Association for Dance Medicine’s (IADMS) Dance Educator Award.

Dr. Plastino has reported her findings in dance science to scientific societies and medical associations throughout the United States and abroad. She was an invited guest of the USSR government in 1988 (before détente), observing the Bolshoi and Kirov ballet companies while consulting and lecturing about dance injuries. The Olympic Committee invited her to lecture on dance injuries at the 1984 Olympic Scientific Congress held in Eugene, Oregon and in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. Her pioneering and continuing work in the pre-participation screening of dancers has been lauded by the medical, research and dance communities. Many of her students have established wellness programs at their colleges, universities, private studios, and private practices.

Dr. Plastino is currently adapting her movement theories for use in for the private dance studio. She is most passionate about the private studios having easy access to new research in training methods of the young dancer. Currently she consults on dancer wellness, evaluation of public and private dance programs, gives dancer wellness workshops, and continues to present papers at conferences.

Emma Redding
Emma Redding, PhD

Emma Redding, PhD is Head of Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Emma originally trained as a dancer and performed with the company Tranz Danz, Hungary and for Rosalind Newman, Hong Kong. She teaches contemporary dance technique at Trinity Laban and lectures in physiology alongside her management and research work. She has been Principal Investigator for several large-scale research projects including a 3-year government funded study into dance talent identification and development as well as studies into the physical and mental demands of music playing and the role of mental imagery within creative practice.

She has published her work in academic journals and is a member of the Board of Directors and a Past President of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). She is also founding Partner of the UK National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS).

Erin Sanchez
Erin Sanchez, MS

Erin Sanchez, MS is the Healthier Dancer Programme Manager (job share) at Dance UK in London, administrates the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation’s Medical Website for healthcare professionals and dancers and manages the Dance Psychology Network.

Erin pursued vocational dance training with American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet School and the Alvin Ailey School. She also holds a BA (Hons) in Dance and Sociology from the University of New Mexico and an MSc in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.

Erin is a registered provider for Safe in Dance International, a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science and holds the qualification in Safe and Effective Dance Practice. She has lectured in dance science and taught dance technique in the United States, UK, Egypt and Malta.

Selina Shah, MD, FACP
Selina Shah, MD, FACP

Selina Shah, MD, FACP is a board certified sports medicine and internal medicine physician and the Director of Dance Medicine at the Center for Sports Medicine in San Francisco, CA and Walnut Creek, CA. She has lectured nationally and internationally on various dance medicine topics and has published papers in medical journals and books including her original research on dance injuries in contemporary professional dancers. She is the dance company physician for the San Francisco Ballet School, Liss Fain Dance Company and Diablo Ballet. She is a physician for Berkeley Repertory Theater, Mill’s College, St. Mary’s College, and Northgate High School. She takes care of the performers for Cirque du Soleil and various Broadway productions when they come to the San Francisco Bay Area. She has taken care of several Broadway performers (i.e. American Idiot, South Pacific, Lion King, Book of Mormon, MoTown, and Billy Elliot). She is a team physician for USA Synchronized Swimming, USA Weightlifting, USA Figure Skating and travels with the athletes internationally and nationally. She is also a member of the USA Gymnastics Referral Network. As a former professional Bollywood and salsa dancer, Dr. Shah is passionate about caring for dancers. She continues taking ballet classes weekly and also enjoys running, yoga, Pilates, weightlifting, and plyometric exercise.

Nany Wozny
Nancy Wozny

Nancy Wozny is editor in chief of Arts + Culture Texas, reviews editor at Dance Source Houston and a contributor to Pointe Magazine, Dance Teacher and Dance Magazine, where she is also a contributing editor. She has taught and written about Feldenkrais and somatics in dance for two decades.

 

Dance Wellness Contributor Matt Wyon
Matt Wyon, PhD

 

Matthew Wyon, PhD, is a Professor in Dance Science at the University of Wolverhampton, UK and a Visiting Professor at the ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts, The Netherlands.

At Wolverhampton he is the course leader for the MSc in Dance Science and Director of Studies for a number of dance science and medicine doctoral candidates. He is a founding partner of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, UK.

Prof. Wyon is Vice President of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science and a past chair of the Research Committee. He has worked with numerous dancers and companies within the UK and Europe as an applied physiologist and strength and conditioning coach.

Filed Under: Dance Wellness Tagged With: dance medicine, dance wellness, dance wellness panel, Emma Redding, Erin Sanchez, gigi berardi, iadms, James Garrick, jan dunn, Janice G. Plastino, matthew wyon, moira mccormack, nancy wozny, NIDMS, pama, robin kish, selina shah

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