Dancers: Fit bodies?

Transcription

1 International Symposium on Performance Science ISBN The Author 2013, Published by the AEC All rights reserved Dancers: Fit bodies? Emma Redding Department of Dance Science, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, UK Dancers view themselves as artists not athletes, and for this reason, the physiological development of the dancer s body is addressed to a lesser extent than the dancer s creative and artistic abilities. Dance training can no longer be as reflective of the physiological demands of the dance profession as it was decades ago because the norm for today s dancer is to work within more than one style for more than one choreographer. Although there has been a shift in recent years toward the physiological aspects of the dancer s body through the development of Somatics and Release-based techniques, research shows that dance training (e.g. class and rehearsal) is carried out at a lower intensity than performance dance is highly skill oriented and requires much time in training for learning and reflection. Lastly, dance is an art form and certain body types appear to be more preferable than others from an aesthetic point of view, even though they may not be as durable from a physiological perspective. For these reasons, the question as to whether dancers are fit for purpose is both important and challenging. This article discusses the discrepancies between the changing physiological demands of dance and the current training and education of dancers. The historical developments of the body in dance training and performance are explored, as well as the research around dancers fitness. Keywords: dance; fitness; injury prevention; physiology; training The demands placed on today s dancers are becoming greater and more diverse than ever before, and in order to respond to the diverse range of choreographic styles of dance, the twenty-first century dance artist is required to be a self-referencing, independent, versatile, collaborative, and creative individual (Bales and Nettl-Fiol 2008). The historic location (in statutory education in England) of dance as a curriculum subject has been within Physical Education. However, dance

2 6 teachers in schools, and the National Dance Teachers Association have developed arguments for dance in the curriculum as artistic and creative engagement, rather than as physical activity per se. Since the 1990s, the reduction in hours dedicated to dance in the curriculum and other general curriculumrelated issues have led to a strengthening of the arguments for curriculum dance experience to focus on the creative and imaginative development of the child. Gill Clarke supported this view at the Dance UK conference in 2008: They are not machines, nor athletes although extraordinary virtuosity might be one of their means of expression. They are imaginative artists. What we see in performance is not their physical bodies, but their selves their imaginations and intentions and wills and desires in disciplined motion (Clarke 2008). Historically, dancers trained in a technique to prepare for choreography that utilized that particular technique (e.g. Graham technique prepared dancers for Martha Graham choreography). Indeed, Foster (1997) claims that not only was the dancer trained exclusively for that technique but each choreographic work was designed exclusive of others. The cardiovascular requirements of choreographic work were met during the technical training and subsequent rehearsals of that work: the technique itself and the subsequent rehearsals prepared the dancer for the physiological energy demands of the performance. Today s dancer cannot be so confident of the relationship between training and performance because dancers of today are required to work with a diverse variety of choreographic styles. The range of choreographic demands made upon contemporary dance artists (and indeed classical ballet dancers) makes it necessary to address dancers fitness for purpose. No longer does one dance technique serve one choreographer or choreographic genre. Therefore, there is a need to consider the general physiological development of the dancer who is likely to operate within a portfolio career profile, where s/he will work with many choreographers. Foster (1997) reflects this in her concept of the The hired body, arguing that dancers hone their technical skills not for one particular choreographer but rather for any dance maker who chooses to work with them. In other words, the body available for hire, must have a range of technical skills and a capacity to respond to differing choreographic demands. Dancers spend between two to six hours per day, six to seven days per week for eight to ten years creating the dancing body (Foster 1997). Possible negative connotations of Foster s concept of the body for hire are far outweighed by the enhancing qualities embraced within the interrogation

3 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 7 of the physiological body that became the focus of the somatic approaches to dance training that emerged through the 1990s and onwards. Ownership and understanding of one s dancing body from within is what characterizes many of the artistic and technical developments in contemporary dance during this period. From the 1990s onwards, then, the focus on the kinesthetic takes another direction in the development of release based-techniques which adopt a somatic approach to learning: these have emerged out of a concern for understanding the physiology of the body and its sensorimotor integration system, and the desire to learn how to learn from within the self. Dance is a high skill based activity where tremendous demands are placed upon the dancer s body in terms of joint range of motion, coordination, and balance. Dancers bodies are exposed to prolonged, complex, and cognitivelydemanding movement tasks and required to jump, perform fast explosive movements, balance, and turn, at the same time giving due attention to flow, suspension, and many other qualities. Dancers are expected to be expressive through their bodies and, above all, communicate with an audience. In preparation for performance, dancers must be able to recall series of intricate, complicated, and coordinated movement vocabulary and phrases. It is to be expected, then, that a significant part of dance training will be devoted to technical training. However, the specific focus within technical training is on skill acquisition rather than general physiological development even though an exercise physiologist commented in 1990 that: Dancers are, in fact, among the supreme all-round athletes in our society, and as such are well worth a look at physiologically (Sharp 1990). As the exercise intensity of dance increases, one s ability to perform highly skill-based complex movement tasks decreases, and for this reason, a good level of fitness seems vital for dance advocating a greater emphasis on the physiological. While the argument for dance as an art form appears to have been won, there is no denying the research over the last two decades which has examined the dancers physiological body and the subsequent development of dance practice created out of that focus. The physical fitness status of professional and student dancers has been explored over the last two decades, for example with findings suggesting that dancers are not as fit as they should be (Chatfield et al. 1990, Cohen et al. 1982, Dahlstrom et al. 1996, Rimmer et al. 1994). In order to consider whether dancers bodies are really fit for purpose, however, it is obligatory to define the component of fitness. If by the term fitness, we mean flexibility, dancers bodies are indeed fit (Kadel et al. 2005).

4 8 However, if we take the view that dance calls upon the other components of physical fitness such as muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, the outlook is possibly less bright. Dancers appear to be similar to non-endurance athletes at least in terms of their cardiorespiratory fitness (Chatfield et al. 1990; Cohen et al. 1982, Dahlstrom et al. 1996, Rimmer et al. 1994). Furthermore, there appears to be a discrepancy in the intensity level of class, rehearsal and performance, at least in classical ballet and modern dance, which partly explains dancers lack of fitness the training cannot meet the demands of the choreography (Wyon and Redding 2005). Muscular strength is another component of fitness which warrants consideration. While the demands of classical ballet involve the lower extremities, other dance genres such as contemporary and modern dance require good levels of upper body strength to perform floor work and complicated partner lifts (Ambegaonkar et al. 2012). It appears that dancers upper body strength training is only now catching up with the new demands of modern dance choreography. This is a shift from the dance training of years ago which was developed out of the choreography itself. The prevalence of injury is high compared with many other athletic populations (Laws 2005), and one of the biggest perceived causes of injury is fatigue followed by difficult choreography. Dancers should not only build rest into their training regimens but also undertake supplementary training as recommended by a number of studies (e.g. Brown et al. 2007, Angioi et al. 2012); however, it is often the case that new methods of training take a while to become the accepted norm. While it is unclear whether fitter dancers are better dancers, several strong attempts have been made to substantiate this link (Twitchett et al. 2011, Angioi et al. 2012). Evidence of such a link would certainly support grounds for supplementary fitness training for dancers. Regardless of whether a link exists, however, the onset of fatigue and subsequent detriments to performance are likely to be delayed among fitter dancers. Dance is an art form and therefore certain body types appear to be more preferable than others from an aesthetic point of view even though they may not be as durable from a physiological perspective. Preliminary research has indicated that body types could be predictors of dance talent. In a survey conducted around teachers perceptions of their students career potential, students with longer legs measured through anthropometric tests were considered more likely to succeed (Redding et al. 2011). This generates debate around form versus function, particularly given that long legs are considered to be less dexterous for certain physical activities.

5 INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON PERFORMANCE SCIENCE 9 While one s skeletal structure such as limb length is mostly predetermined, one s fitness is influenced not only by genetics and gender but experience and training. Fitness is, therefore, a dynamic and trainable entity and dance educators face the challenge of providing an environment for training that facilitates optimal fitness development. Dancers view themselves as artists, not athletes, even though the highly trained physical skills and movement vocabulary through which they communicate their ideas in choreographic work share much in common with those of athletes. There is a mismatch between what dance science knows and what dance does and the question as to whether dancers bodies will ever be fully fit for purpose for the demands of a constantly changing profession is one which remains an unanswered and exciting enquiry. Address for correspondence Emma Redding, Department of Dance Science, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, Creekside, London SE8 3DZ, UK; e.redding@trinitylaban.ac.uk References Ambegaonkar J. P., Caswell S. V., Winchester J. B., Caswell A. A., and Andre M. J. (2012). Upper-body muscular endurance in female university-level modern dancers: A pilot study. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 16, pp Angioi M., Metsios G., Twitchett E. A., Koutedakis Y., and Wyon M. (2012). Effects of supplemental training on fitness and aesthetic competence parameters in contemporary dance: A randomised controlled trial. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 27, pp.3-8. Bales N. and Nettl-Fiol R. (2008). The Body Eclectic: Evolving Practices in Dance Training. Champaign, Illinois, USA: University of Illinois Press. Brown A., Wells T., Schade M., et al. (2007). The effects of plyometric training versus traditional weight training on strength, power and aesthetic jumping ability in female collegiate dancers. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 11, pp Chatfield S. J., Byrnes W. C., Lally D. A., and Rowe S. E. (1990). Cross-sectional physiologic profiling of modern dancers. Dance Research Journal, 22, pp Clarke G. (2008). Paper presented at the Dance UK Healthier Dancer Conference, London: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Cohen J. L., Segal K. R., and McArdle W. D. (1982). Heart rate response to ballet stage performance. The Physician and Sports Medicine, 10, pp Dahlstrom M., Inasio J., Jansson E., and Kaijer L. (1996). Physical fitness and physical effort in dancers: A comparison of four major dance styles. Impulse, 4, pp

6 10 Foster S. L. (1997). Dancing bodies. In J. Desmond (ed.), Meaning and Motion: New Cultural Studies of Dance (pp ). Durham, North Carolina, USA: Duke University Press. Kadel N. J., Donaldson-Fletcher E. A., Gerberg L. F., and Micheli L. (2005). Anthropometric measurements of young ballet dancers examining body composition, puberty, flexibility, and joint range of motion in comparison with non-dancer controls. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 9, pp Laws, H. (2005). Fit to Dance 2: The Report of the Second National Inquiry into UK Dancers Health and Injury. London: Dance UK. Redding E., Nordin-Bates S. M., and Walker I. (2011). Passion, Pathways and Potential in Dance. Trinity Laban research report, accessed at dance/dance-science/dance-science-research/the-cat-research-project/cat-projectresources. Rimmer J. H., Jay D., and Plowman S. A. (1994). Physiological characteristics of trained dancers and intensity level of ballet class and rehearsal. Impulse, 2, pp Sharp C. (1990). Paper presented at the Dance UK Healthier Dancer Conference, London: Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Twitchett E., Angioi M., Koutedakis Y., and Wyon M. (2011). Do increases in selected fitness parameters affect the aesthetic aspects of classical ballet performance. Medical Problems of Performing Artists, 26, pp Wyon M. A. and Redding E. (2005). The physiological monitoring of cardiorespiratory adaptations during rehearsal and performance of contemporary dance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 19, pp