DIS-TANZ DIARY #1

A CUMULATIVE READING LIST

Jan 02, 2021 in DIS-TANZ-SOLO

It’s a new year and I’m jumping straight into my DIS-TANZEN research project “Sports science as a tool for movement optimisation, injury prevention & performance enhancement in the work practice of contemporary dancers”.

One of the first things I’m going to do is read, read, read, read, read. I collected a heap of books and texts covering anatomy, physiology, neuroscience, physics, imagery, and more. Some of these I will re-read to get a deeper understanding, others I will read for the first time. Some are designed to pretty straight forward provide facts and figures, like STRENGTH TRAINING ANATOMY by Frédéric Delavier or the German publication SPORTPHYSIOLOGIE by Horst de Marées. Others are meant to help me integrate my findings into my work practice as a dancer and teacher, like FREE PLAY – IMPROVISATION IN LIFE AND ART by Stephen Nachmanovitch.

I might update this reading list or feature some of the publications in more detail at a later point but I’m already sharing my selection with you now in case you are curious about the topic and you wanna study with me. Let’s go:

A SELECTION OF MY RESEARCH BOOKS

Cover ANATOMY OF MOVEMENT by Blandine Calais-Germain

ANATOMY OF MOVEMENT

by Blandine Calais-Germain
(Eastland Press Inc.)

Anatomy of Movement presents a dynamic, integrated approach to the study of the physical structures of the musculoskeletal system and their functional relationship to the movements of the human body. In clear and concise text illustrated with more than a thousand graphic drawings, the author guides the reader on a lively tour of the muscles, bones, ligaments and joints of the arms, legs and trunk. The focus throughout the book is on anatomy not for its own sake, but in its functional relationship to the actual movements of the body in dance, exercise, and other physical disciplines.

Anatomy of Movement Exercises by Blandine Calais-Germain Cover

ANATOMY OF MOVEMENT: Exercises

by Blandine Calais-Germain & André Lamotte
(Eastland Press Inc.)

Anatomy of Movement: Exercises, the companion volume to Anatomy of Movement, describes and illustrates, through hundreds of drawings, a comprehensive series of exercises involving the most common movements of the body. The exercises were chosen on the basis of their effectiveness and with concern for their safety. Some are designed to focus on strengthening a particular region or muscle group, others the entire body. Each exercise prepares the body to respond well to the demands of particular movements. Together they serve as a basis for the more specialized movements associated with various physical disciplines and therapies.

Dance Anatomy by Jacqui Greene Haas Cover

Dance Anatomy

by Jacqui Greene Haas
(Human Kinetics)

Dance Anatomy presents more than 100 of the most effective dance, movement, and performance exercises, each designed to promote correct alignment, improved placement, proper breathing, and prevention of common injuries. The exercises are drawn in stunning detail, capturing the dancer in motion and highlighting the active muscles associated with each movement so you can develop and strengthen different areas of the body. You will clearly see how muscular development translates into greater poise and elegance on the stage.

Dance Medicine in Practice by Liane Simmel Cover

Dance Medicine in Practice: Anatomy, Injury Prevention, Training

by Liane Simmel
(Routledge)

Dance Medicine in Practice is the complete physical textbook for dance, written specifically to help dancers understand the anatomy, function and care of their bodies. The best dancers know that looking after their bodies is the key to their success, and Dance Medicine in Practice also covers how to ensure the best possible nutrition, plan and manage training schedules, and ensure that injuries are kept to a minimum both in frequency and impact.

Cover DYNAMIC ALIGNMENT THROUGH IMAGERY by Eric Franklin

DYNAMIC ALIGNMENT THROUGH IMAGERY

by Eric Franklin
(Human Kinetics)

Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery will help you experience the biomechanical and anatomical principles that are crucial to dancers, other performing artists, yoga and Pilates teachers and practitioners, and athletes. The techniques and exercises presented in the book will guide you in improving your posture—and they will positively affect your thoughts and attitude about yourself and others and help you feel and move better both mentally and physically.

Cover FREE PLAY – IMPROVISATION IN LIFE AND ART by Stephen Nachmanovitch

FREE PLAY - IMPROVISATION IN LIFE AND ART

by Stephen Nachmanovitch
(TarcherPerigee)

Free Play is about the inner sources of spontaneous creation. It is about where art in the widest sense comes from. It is about why we create and what we learn when we do. It is about the flow of unhindered creative energy: the joy of making art in all its varied forms. Free Play is directed toward people in any field who want to contact, honor, and strengthen their own creative powers. It integrates material from a wide variety of sources among the arts, sciences, and spiritual traditions of humanity.

Cover PHYSICS AND DANCE by Emily Coates & Sarah Demers

PHYSICS & DANCE

by Emily Coates & Sarah Demers
(Yale University Press)

From stepping out of our beds each morning to admiring the stars at night, we live in a world of motion, energy, space, and time. How do we understand the phenomena that shape our experience? How do we make sense of our physical realities? Two guides – a former member of New York City Ballet, Emily Coates, and a CERN particle physicist, Sarah Demers – show us how their respective disciplines can help us to understand both the quotidian and the deepest questions about the universe.

Cover PHYSICS AND THE ART OF DANCE by Kenneth Laws

PHYSICS AND THE ART OF DANCE

by Kenneth Laws
(Oxford University Press)

Physics and the Art of Dance gives all who enjoy dance an opportunity to understand what happens when human bodies move in the remarkable ways we call dance. Dancers and dance instructors will find in this book an efficient means of improving technical proficiency and growing professional and aesthetic development. For physics and science teachers, the book provides a new and compelling way to draw people into the world of science. And observers and fans of dance will marvel over the beautiful time-stop photography by renowned dance photographers Martha Swope and Gene Schiavone.

Cover PREVENTING DANCE INJURIES: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE by Ruth Solomon, John Solomon, Sandra Cerny Minton

PREVENTING DANCE INJURIES: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE

by Ruth Solomon, John Solomon, Sandra Cerny Minton
(Princeton Book Company / Human Kinetics)

Preventing Dance Injuries contains comprehensive coverage of dance injuries, including screening, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation. Preventing Dance Injuries will help dancers avoid injury and increase their chances for reaching their full potential.

Cover SCIENCE OF DANCE TRAINING by Priscilla M. Clarkson & Margaret Skrinar

SCIENCE OF DANCE TRAINING

by Priscilla M. Clarkson & Margaret Skrinar
(Human Kinetics)

This text thoroughly reviews and integrates the published research on dance training into practical guidelines for dancers and their teachers. Based on the latest findings and current theories, the text will help teachers provide safer, more efficient, and more effective training for dancers.

Cover SPORTANATOMIE von Jürgen Weineck

SPORTANATOMIE

only available in german

von Jürgen Weineck
(Spitta GmbH)

Der in zahlreiche Sprachen übersetzte Klassiker Sportanatomie von Jürgen Weineck ist das Standardwerk zur funktionellen Anatomie für die Sportlehrer- und Trainerausbildung. Das Buch ermöglicht durch seine systematische Darstellungsweise und eine für den anatomischen Laien verständliche Sprache auch jenen den Zugang zu dieser Thematik, die bisher an den Schwierigkeiten der Fachsprache scheiterten. Der klar strukturierte Aufbau des Buches erleichtert das Erfassen der komplexen, funktionell-anatomischen Abläufe bei der Sportausübung.

Cover SPORTPHYSIOLOGIE von Horst de Marées

SPORTPHYSIOLOGIE

only available in german

von Horst de Marées
(Sportverlag Strauß)

Der Lehrbuch-Klassiker seit 1974 für Sport- und Medizinstudenten, Sportlehrer, Trainer, Übungsleiter, Sporttreibende und Schüler der Sekundarstufe II. Das Buch wurde 2003 vollständig überarbeitet, erweitert und auf den aktuellen Stand gebracht. Dabei blieb die ursprüngliche Intention von Horst de Marées gewahrt, die komplexe sportphysiologische Thematik in verständlicher, aber zugleich anspruchsvoller Form zu vermitteln.

Cover STRENGTH TRAINING ANATOMY by Frédéric Delavier

STRENGTH TRAINING ANATOMY

by Frédéric Delavier
(Human Kinetics)

Many books explain what muscles are used during exercise, but no other resource brings the anatomy to life like Strength Training Anatomy. Like having an X-ray for each exercise, the anatomical depictions show both superficial and deep layers and detail how various setup positions affect muscle recruitment and emphasize underlying structures.

Cover TANZMEDIZIN: ANATOMISCHE GRUNDLAGEN UND GESUNDE BEWEGUNG von Josef Huwyler

TANZMEDIZIN: ANATOMISCHE GRUNDLAGEN UND GESUNDE BEWEGUNG

only available in german

von Josef Huwyler
(Verlag Hans Huber)

Dieses grundlegende Lehrbuch der Anatomie und Sportmedizin ist aus der jahrzehntelangen Arbeit des Autors mit Tänzern hervorgegangen. Es vermittelt Tanzpädagogen, professionellen Tänzern und Tanzschülern praktisch nutzbare Kenntnisse über ihren Körper, die direkten Bezug zu ihrer Arbeit haben. Der verständliche und ausführliche Text wird durch zahlreiche Abbildungen veranschaulicht. Das Buch dient auch dem Arzt als Leitfaden für seine Lehrtätigkeit an Ballettschulen. Ein umfangreiches Literaturverzeichnis bietet die Möglichkeit zu weiteren Informationen.

Cover THE NEUROCOGNITION OF DANCE – MIND, MOVEMENT AND MOTOR SKILLS by Bettina Bläsing, Martin Puttke, Thomas Schack

THE NEUROCOGNITION OF DANCE – MIND, MOVEMENT AND MOTOR SKILLS

by Bettina Bläsing, Martin Puttke, Thomas Schack
(Routledge)

Dance has always been an important aspect of all human cultures, and the study of human movement and action has become a topic of increasing relevance over the last decade, bringing dance into the focus of the cognitive sciences. This book discusses the wide range of interrelations between body postures and body movements as conceptualised in dance with perception, mental processing and action planning.

RELEVANT SCIENTIFIC PAPERS & ARTICLES

Cover Cerebral Cortex

ACTION OBSERVATION AND ACQUIRED MOTOR SKILLS: AN FMRI STUDY WITH EXPERT DANCERS

by Beatriz Calvo-Merino, Daniel E. Glaser, Julie Grèzes, Richard E. Passingham & Patrick Haggard
(Cerebral Cortex 15/8, 2005, Oxford University Press)

When we observe someone performing an action, do our brains simulate making that action? Acquired motor skills offer a unique way to test this question, since people differ widely in the actions they have learned to perform. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to study differences in brain activity between watching an action that one has learned to do and an action that one has not, in order to assess whether the brain processes of action observation are modulated by the expertise and motor repertoire of the observer.

View PDF

European Journal of Integrative Medicine Cover

APPLICATION AND EXAMINATION OF THE EFFICIENCY OF A CORE STABILITY TRAINING PROGRAM AMONG DANCERS

by Viktória Kovácsné Bobály, Brigitta Szilágyi, Gabriella Kiss, Eleonóra Leidecker, Pongrác Ács, András Oláh, Melinda Járomi
(European Journal of Integrative Medicine 8, November 2016, Elsevier)

One of the most common complaints in Hungary is low back pain, which typically occurs in adulthood, but affects professional dancers as early as during their dance studies. In most cases this is caused by the degenerative deformities of intervertebral discs, decreasing of the intervertebral gap, and dislocations in smaller joints. These issues could also mean the end of a dancer’s career. The aim of the study was to examine the intensity of low back pain in case of dancers, the habitual posture and whether the posture was deemed correct, the lumbar motor control ability and the strength of core muscles. In addition, our aims included the creation of a core prevention training programme and the examination of its efficiency.

View PDF

Journal of Dance Medicine and Science Cover

Association Between Selected Physical Fitness Parameters and Aesthetic Competence in Contemporary Dancers

by Manuela Angioi, Giorgios S. Metsios, Emily Twitchett, Yiannis Koutedakis & Matthew Wyon
(Journal of Dance Medicine & Science 13/4, December 2009, International Association for Dance Medicine & Science)

The physical demands imposed on con- temporary dancers by choreographers and performance schedules make their physical fitness just as important to them as skill development. Nevertheless, it remains to be confirmed which physical fitness components are associated with aesthetic competence. The aim of this study was to: 1. replicate and test a novel aesthetic competence tool for reliability, and 2. investigate the association between selected physical fitness components and aesthetic competence by using this new tool.

View PDF

Journal of Dance Medicine and Science Cover

CARDIORESPIRATORY CONSIDERATIONS IN DANCE: FROM CLASSES TO PERFORMANCES

by Josianne Rodrigues-Krause, Mauricio Krause & Álvaro Reischak-Oliveira
(Journal of Dance Medicine & Science 19/3, September 2015, International Association for Dance Medicine & Science)

Traditional aerobic and strength training have been proposed to cover dancers’ lack of conditioning; however, it seems likely that high-intensity interval training would more properly meet the requirements of today’s choreography. Therefore, with an approach that applies basic exercise physiology to dance characteristics, this review covers the following topics: 1. dance as physical exercise; 2. dancers’ aerobic capacity; 3. cardiore- spiratory demands of dance classes and performances; 4. supplementary fitness training for dancers, and 5. fitness testing and assessment for dancers.

View PDF

Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Contemporary Dance PDF Cover

Cardiorespiratory fitness in contemporary dance training and performance

by Sarah Caroline Needham-Beck
(Unpublished Doctoral thesis, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, June 2017)

This PhD thesis presents a thorough investigation of the relevance and importance of cardiorespiratory fitness in contemporary dance training and performance. Through an initial introduction and literature review, gaps in the current understanding of, and challenges presented by, dance training and performance practices are highlighted, as are five commonly presented conclusions of previous research.

View PDF

Cover sportEx Medicine

DANCE MEDICINE: ARTIST OR ATHLETE?

by Nick Allen & Matthew Wyon
(sportEx Medicine Issue 35)

Sports medicine is a continually expanding discipline. Buckner & Khan, in defining sports medicine, move away from it relating solely to the management of sporting injuries, to a broader definition of „the medicine of exercise‟ or „the total core of the exercising individual‟. Dance is often described as the embodiment of both artist and athlete, and yet a disparity exists between sport and dance, which can lead to resistance of the implementation of sports medicine principals within the dance world as the dancer often see themselves as primarily an artist.

View PDF

Cover Impulse

DANCE SCIENCE AND THE DANCE TECHNIQUE CLASS

by Donna Krasnow & Steven J. Chatfield
(Impulse: The International Journal of Dance Science, Medicine and Education 4/2, 1996, Human Kinetics Publishers)

This article examines methods of improving the dance technique class by applying principles from the dance sciences. A brief history of the development of dance science as a field separate from sport science is included. The text focuses on the areas of exercise physiology, dance psychology, and motor control and motor learning. The paper explores practical applications for the dance educator. The main purpose of these suggestions is to enhance the dance technique class without essentially altering the primary structure and artistic goals of the class.

View PDF

DANCE SCIENCE: SCIENTIFIC INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE EFFECT OF DANCE SPECIFIC FITNESS TRAINING AND ITS IMPACT UPON PEDAGOGIC PRACTICES AND DANCE PERFORMANCE

by Emma Redding, Sarah Irvine, Edel Quin & Sonia Rafferty
(International Symposium on Performance Science 2009 / European Association of Conservatoires)

Dance training has developed eclectically to serve the different approaches to dance performance and making; however, there is a discrepancy between the physiological demands of training and dance performance. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a one-year dance specific fitness program on undergraduate contempo- rary dance students undertaking full-time vocational training and to ob- serve any impact the findings may make upon dance pedagogic practices.

View PDF

Cover Medical Problems of Performing Artists

EFFECTS OF SUPPLEMENTAL TRAINING ON FITNESS AND AESTHETIC COMPETENCE PARAMETERS IN CONTEMPORARY DANCE

by Manuela Angioi, Giorgios Metsios, Emily A. Twitchett, Yiannis Koutedakis & Matthew Wyon
(Medical Problems of Performing Artists 27/1, March 2012, Science & Medicine Inc.)

The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a supplementary 6-week circuit training and whole-body vibration training programme on selected fitness-related parameters, such as lower body muscular power, upper body muscular endurance, aerobic fitness, and aesthetic competence in female contemporary dancers.

View PDF

International Journal of Sports Medicine Cover

FITNESS IN CONTEMPORARY DANCE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

by Manuela Angioli, Giorgios Metsios, Yannis Koutedakis & Matthew Wyon
(International Journal of Sports Medicine 30/7, July 2009, Georg Thieme Verlag)

It has been suggested that dancers are less fit compared to other athletes. However, the majority of studies make their arguments based on data deriving mainly from ballet. Therefore, the aim of the current review was to investigate: a) aero- bic and anaerobic fitness, muscular strength and body composition characteristics in contemporary dancers of different levels, and b) whether supplementary exercise interventions, in addition to normal dance training, further improves contemporary dance performance.

View PDF

Cover THE IADMS BULLETIN FOR DANCERS AND TEACHERS

THE IADMS BULLETIN FOR DANCERS AND TEACHERS

(International Association for Dance Medicine & Science)

The IADMS Bulletin for Dancers and Teachers is a peer-reviewed resource that seeks to solve problems and formulate informed practices in dance education, training, and performance through the practical application and use of dance medicine and science theory and research. The Bulletin addresses issues of concern to educators of amateur, pre-professional or professional dancers across all age groups.

View PDFs

COVER Dance Research Journal 29/1 Spring 1997

IMAGERY AND CONDITIONING PRACTICES FOR DANCERS

by Donna H. Krasnow, Steven J. Chatfield, Sherrie Barr, Jody L. Jensen & Janet S. Dufek
(Dance Research Journal 29/1, Spring 1997, Cambridge University Press)

There is considerable support for the hypothesis that imagery and mental practice can enhance motor performance. The relatively few dance research studies examining the role of imagery in improving dance performance provide results that are generally less conclusive. The purposes of this study were threefold: (1) to develop and test measurement tools that could be used to evaluate the effects of conditioning-with-imaging on dance performance and body alignment; (2) to evaluate the influence of conditioning-with-imaging on dance performance; (3) to evaluate the influence of conditioning-with-imaging on body alignment for dance.

View PDF

Cover Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices

INTEGRATING SOMATICS AND SCIENCE

by Glenna Batson, Edel Quinn & Margaret Wilson
(Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices 3/1&2, Intellect Books)

After four decades of exploring various avenues of exchange, dance science and somatic education (somatics) face new challenges in integrating theory with prac- tice. In earlier decades of interchange, these challenges largely revolved around finding compatibility between the somatic personal narrative and the positivist models prevalent in science. Today human movement science embraces phenomenology, neurophysiology and cognitive science, providing models for embodied learning. These fields of study have forged new pathways for dialogue and have offered new paradigms through which we can revisit and reimage long- held beliefs bearing on somatics and science in dance training.

View PDF

Cover Medical Problems of Performing Artists

MUSCULAR STRENGTH: APPLICATIONS FOR DANCERS

by Yiannis Koutedakis, Frances Clarke, Matt Wyon, Danielle Aways & Emmanuel O. Owolabi
(Medical Problems of Performing Artists 24/4, December 2009, Science & Medicine Inc.)

Strength is defined as the maximum force that a muscle group can generate at a specified velocity; its levels can be affected by several factors. which include age, gender, type of muscle fiber, nutrition, and body temperature. There is no scientific evidence suggesting that different strength training regimens should be employed for the different styles of dance. However, reduced muscular strength has been associated with greater severity of injury in dancers.

View PDF

Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences Cover

NEUROAESTHETICS AND BEYOND: NEW HORIZONS IN APPLYING THE SCIENCE OF THE BRAIN TO THE ART OF DANCE

by Emily S. Cross & Luca F. Ticini
(Phenomenology and the cognitive sciences 11/1, March 2012, Springer)

In the present paper, we discuss how recent advances in neuroscientific methods provide the tools to advance our understanding of not only the cerebral phenomena associated with dance learning and observation but also the neural underpinnings of aesthetic appreciation associated with watching dance. We suggest that future work within the fields of dance neuroscience and neuroaesthetics have the potential to provide mutual benefits to both the scientific and artistic communities.

View PDF

Cover Medical Problems of Performing Artists

PHYSICAL FITNESS AND SEVERITY OF INJURIES IN CONTEMPORARY DANCE

by Manuela Angioi, Giorgos S. Metsios, Yiannis Koutedakis, Emily Twitchett, Matthew Wyon
(Medical Problems of Performing Artists 24/1, March 2009, Science & Medicine Inc.)

Limited data are available on whether different physical fitness levels are associated with injury severity in contemporary dancers. The aim of this study was to investigate this association in female dancers. Five professional contemporary dancers and 11 dance students in pre-professional training volunteered (n = 16).

View PDF

Preventing Dance Injuries: Current Perspectives Cover

Preventing dance injuries: current perspectives

by Jeffrey A. Russell
(Open Access Journal of Sports Medicine, September 3013, Dove Press)

Dancers are clearly athletes in the degree to which sophisticated physical capacities are required to perform at a high level. The standard complement of athletic attributes – muscular strength and endurance, anaerobic and aerobic energy utilization, speed, agility, coordination, motor control, and psychological readiness – all are essential to dance performance. In dance, as in any athletic activity, injuries are prevalent. This paper presents the research background of dance injuries, characteristics that distinguish dance and dancers from traditional sports and athletes, and research-based perspectives into how dance injuries can be reduced or prevented, including the factors of physical training, nutrition and rest, flooring, dancing en pointe, and specialized health care access for dancers.

View PDF

COVER Dance Research Journal 31/2 Fall 1999

SOMATIC AUTHORITY AND THE MYTH OF THE IDEAL BODY IN DANCE EDUCATION

by Jill Green
(Dance Research Journal 31/2, Fall 1999, Cambridge University Press)

The purpose of this project was to investigate how the bodies of participant student teachers in dance are socially inscribed in relationship to gender. In this study, somatic practice was used as a tool to investigate body perceptions and experiences of undergraduate dance education majors. The five participants took part in a somatics/creativity project within a university-level instruc- tional setting at a state university in the south. This teaching and research project explored how these body perceptions have been influenced by society and the dance world.

View PDF

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America Cover

SUPPLEMENTAL TRAINING IN DANCE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

by Jatin P. Ambegaonkar, Lillian Chong & Pranjal Joshi
(Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America, February 2021, Elsevier)

Previous investigators have suggested that dance training alone may not be able to provide adequate physical fitness, and have recommended additional training programs to enhance performance and/or reduce injury risk in dancers. Overall, despite the high physical rigors and injury rates in dance, and health care providers often caring for dancers, what types of supplemental training have been used in dancers is uncertain. How these training methods affect their performance or injury risk also remains unclear. Therefore, this article examines (1) types of supple- mental training used by dancers, and (2) effects of supplemental training on performance and injury risk in dancers.

View PDF

Sports Medicine Cover

THE DANCER AS A PERFORMING ATHLETE: PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

by Yiannis Koutedakis & Athanasios Jamurtas
(Sports Medicine 34/10, August 2004, Springer)

The physical demands placed on dancers from current choreography and performance schedules make their physiology and fitness just as important as skill development. However, even at the height of their professional careers, dancers’ aerobic power, muscular strength, muscular balance, bone and joint integrity are the ‘Achilles heels’ of the dance-only selection and training system. This partly reflects the unfounded view, shared by sections of the dance world, that any exercise training that is not directly related to dance would diminish dancers’ aesthetic appearances.

View PDF

COVER Dance Research Journal 27/2 Fall 1995

THE INTERPLAY OF KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE IN DANCE TRAINING: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM A NON-TRADITIONAL DANCE TEACHER

by Sylvie Fortini & Daryl Siedentop
(Dance Research Journal 27/2, Fall 1995, Cambridge University Press)

Teachers need to transform their knowledge of subject matter into teaching that fosters students’ learning. In the knowledge base paradigm, teacher competency is tied not so much to what the teacher knows per se, but to how the teacher uses this knowledge in class instruction. The purpose of this study was to examine, through a single case study, not only the way a dance teacher thinks about the teaching of modern dance, but also that teacher’s actual teaching practice.

View PDF

Journal of Dance Medicine and Science Cover

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSCULAR STRENGTH IN DANCE

by Yiannis Koutedakis, Antonis Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou & Giorgios Metsios
(Journal of Dance Medicine & Science 9/1, 2005, International Association for Dance Medicine & Science)

The physical demands placed on dancers make their physiology and fitness just as important as skill development. However, dancers' muscular strength and bone and joint integrity seem to suffer as a result of the dance-only selection and training system. This partly reflects the unfounded view that exercise training that is not directly related to dance would diminish dancers' aesthetic appearances and destroy muscle flexibility. Nevertheless, data on male and female dancers have demonstrated that supplemental strength training can lead to better dancing and reduced incidents of dance injuries without interfering with key artistic aesthetic requirements.

View PDF

Header photo by Glen Noble on Unsplash
DIS-TANZ-SOLO

Overview

DIS-TANZ-SOLO Research Bibliography

Bibliography

DIS-TANZ-SOLO Research Links

Links

Gefördert durch die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Programm NEUSTART KULTUR, Hilfsprogramm DIS-TANZEN des Dachverband Tanz Deutschland.

Logo Die Beauftragte der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien
Logo Neustart Kultur
Logo Dachverband Tanz Deutschland
Logo Dis-Tanzen