Injury Prevention for Contemporary Dancers

Unfortunately, injuries are often considered a part of life for the contemporary dancer, but this doesn't necessarily have to be the case. We all know that the cold hard facts of injury for a dancer can range from a short period of time off for recovery, long periods of rehabilitation, demotion within a company, loss of a contract altogether, or worse still, the end of a career.

As a physiotherapist who works with dancers from all walks of life, I see the injuries that plague dancers, such as inflammation in the hips, ligament ruptures, tendon injuries, foot injuries, hip and back problems. I also see just how many of these injuries could be prevented by a little education about correct technique early in a dancers training, and so have dedicated my life to getting this information out where it is needed.

Fortunately, as the boundaries of the physical art of contemporary dance are being pushed to the limits, the frontiers of Dance Medicine are also being pushed. An ever expanding knowledge base is being created to allow dancers to help them take care of themselves, prevent injury, recover from injury and accelerate their dancing performance.

The best way of doing this is by increasing awareness of anatomy and how it works in a dancer. Anatomical knowledge is the ultimate tool to injury prevention and this can manifest in several ways:

1. Deeper understanding of movement patterns
2. Knowledge of Personal Idiosyncrasies
3. Empowerment in body transformation
4. Personal Responsibility
5. Development of Conditioning Programs
6. Full Rehabilitation from injury when it does occur.

A basic understanding of human anatomy allows the dancer a different perspective in understanding movement patterns and where they come from. While ultimately in performance the dancers focus is on energetic flow, transfer of weight and expression of emotion (depending on the style of performance), understanding the static components (bones), dynamic components (soft tissues) and how these work together (functional patterning, muscular slings, fascial tension lines etc) can allow a much deeper experience of the required movement. This depth of experience is them transferred to the audience in a much more convincing and accurate representation.

Dancers need to have an in depth knowledge of their own body and how it responds to certain types of training. While in anatomy books it appears that we are all created equal, it is important to realize that we are not. Different people have different body types that will require different training to elicit the same response. While some dances struggle to build the strength and coordination needed for dynamic powerful jumps, others find this effortless. Given the same training 4 different dancers will retain their differences, however with tailored programs, they can work on their weaknesses to accelerate their performance.

Anatomical knowledge also allows the empowerment of an individual to change their natural responses and create a new reality. For example, many dancers complain about pain in their feet and ankles or that they do not have enough range of motion in their feet. The truth is that 90% of all foot and ankle injuries I see are the result of a few basic weaknesses that can all be prevented. Furthermore, blockages in range may not be as permanent as you think they are! Simple exercises and massage techniques that wake up the small muscles of the foot can alleviate issues in the foot and ankle that may have been present for years.

Understanding all of this, and working out the curiosities of her own anatomy also allows a dancer to take personal responsibility for the roles she takes on, and how she builds up her training within any role. Feeling a weakness going into any movement and knowing how to work on this allows her to build the appropriate strength before injury occurs.

In classical ballet, an open class will usually cover strengthening and limbering exercises for almost all movements that will be required in a performance. In contemporary dance, this is not always the case, and phrases will not always follow the movement patterns that covered in basic conditioning training. We therefore must be able to analyze movement patterns and use our anatomical knowledge to devise an appropriate conditioning program for optimal training and performance. This program must not only train the movements that are required for each piece but must also strive to maintain equal range and strength in the areas that are not being used in that particular piece.

Anatomical knowledge serves us not only in injury prevention but in full recovery from injury as well. Most injuries in contemporary dance occur as the result of a breakdown in a movement pattern, so it is important to know these and what specific muscles are involved in order to get back to full function. Complete rehab requires specific reeducation of any individual muscle that is lacking, rebalancing of synergistic muscles and integration in to movement patterns and dance technique.

Internet based resources have allowed the spread of a vast quantity of information to all dancers all over the globe. However, due to the ease of delivery of this information, we do need to be very careful of the quality of the information. Always check the credentials of the author of any information that you are exposed to, and accept everything as an idea to test, rather than a truth until you feel this in your own body.

Injury prevention in the world of dance is an enormous topic, and not one to be taken lightly. There is so much potential for injury in many of the things we do, yet there is also so much beauty, joy and inspiration to be had. Take on the challenge of embracing anatomical knowledge and how it applies to a dancer as your personal protection, and become master of your own body, helping preserve it for many years of performance and exploration.

Lisa Howell (B.Phty) is a Physical Therapist (Physiotherapist) based in Sydney, Australia, who specialises in the assessment and treatment of dancers of all ages, from young students to professional level, and teachers. She is dedicated to the education of dancers to help prevent injury, and to develop optimal performance at every level. She produces a FREE weekly dancers newsletter with tips on all aspects of dance to help spread her knowledge around the world. To find out more about The Perfect Pointe Book or to receive the newsletter

Before Hiring a Hula Dancer - Read This!

Performance Space for your Hula Dancers

When clients ask me how much space our hula dancers will need to perform, I'll respond by telling them that large spaces are the best. Try to imagine that each of the hula dancers will need enough space to be able to extend her arms fully without touching anyone or anything. Typically, I suggest allowing each hula dancer a 5 foot radius to work their magic. It's also important to know that from time to time, hula dancers may shift positions and move toward the front of the performance area, and away from it.

Audience participation is tons of fun, but you'll need to also consider that more space will be needed to bring your guests up to learn from the hula dancers (or to just shake their stuff). While on stage, our hula dancers try to keep the audience participants close to each other in order to maximize performance space.

If you're considering having a fire dancer with your hula dancers, such as a fire knife or fire poi dance, try and keep your audience members at least 10 feet away from the fire dancer. Even though most performers are professionals who've done it a million times, accidents can happen.

Proximity of Performance to the Hula Dancers changing area

When you consider that on average, our hula dancers change costumes 5 times per hula show, you can imagine how important it is to have a performance area close to the changing area. Usually after each number, the hula dancers will quickly move off stage to change costumes, and the clock starts ticking.

Although our hula dancers often rotate numbers (so there is always a fresh hula dancer ready in costume), the hula show will always run more fluidly when hula dancers don't have to worry about sprinting from one area to the next (hula dancing is already a workout). In addition, having stairs or an elevator tends to complicates things even more. Ideally, a changing room within 50 feet works well.

What's your Point of View?

I've had many hula shows where guests were just floating through, without a real, designated, audience area. To maximize viewing of the hula dancers and performers, while keeping audience members from having to stand on their "tippie-toes", you should consider having a stage or at least spreading the audience chairs out in a way that allows all audience members a decent view of the performance area. I've found that the crescent-chair configuration works well.

Hula dancing is an absolutely beautiful thing. If you provide your hula dancers with a great performance space, they'll pay you back ten-fold with an awesome hula show.

Have a great show and Aloha!

Big, Beautiful Dancers

Is this really ballet? I asked myself after watching video clips of the Cuban dance company Danza Voluminosa (Voluminous Dance) most of whose dancers range in age from 23 to 41and all of them weigh more than 200 pounds. This group was formed in 1996 by Juan Miguel Mas, now its' director and choreographer. He says he is redefining the aesthetics of beauty and raising the awareness of heavy set people. "Although we are obese and dance, we are against obesity. We are always trying to lose weight" said Mr Ma who himself weighs 300 pounds. This statement has caused outrage in certain obese quarters who claim that the statement is self deprecating. To me that is not the case. Surely it's possible to be self-confident and enjoy the beauty of ones very large body while still realizing that healthwise it might be better to lose weight.

What I am about to write is not a criticism of Danza Voluminose or any other company with greatly overweight dancers.The number of such groups is growing.

Another dance troupe Big Dance was founded in 1993 in Victoria, BC, Canada with 10 large dancers and the choreographer Lynda Raino.They were well received by audiences but now the number of dancers is declining. Raino has spotted many large women in her area but few in their 20's and 30's who are willing to dance. She says "That's a shame because young women will have decades to enjoy the art form. By about age 50 women are more comfortable in their bodies, and would more readily come out to a class, but they are starting to stiffen up. Knees start to go, as do backs and hips. People should start young, especially if they want to perform."

Helen Rezanowich is program assistant in woman's studies at the Universityof Victoria. "I tried going to a big dance class but it was all too much in my face. I was not ready to look at it, at that point. Even watching teeny tiny women leaving the class before mine was hard. And the dance room is lined with mirrors. I didn't want to admit I was that big. Now I'm 51 and much more comfortable with my body size."

The Big Ballet was founded in 1994 by the choreographer Evgeny Panfilov. The company's aim is to change the conception of large dancers grace and agility. He also wanted to prove that untrained beginners could reach professional standards.

Life of a Dancer

The life of a dancer is not easy! It is full of challenges that push you to your limits that will sometime make you think or decide to stop. A dancer's life depends on the dance classes, studio and performances. One has to practice dancing everyday for at least five hours and sometime perform on stage later on at the same day. A dancer has to keep himself fit and in shape in order to execute every dance movement properly and finish the whole dance well. A dancer always aims for perfection and consistency in his or her craft.

A dancer starts training at a young age, around seven to fourteen years old. Then it takes years of constant training, class and practice in order to improve the ability to do any kind of dance movement and there are levels of dancing that one needs to attain until he or she reaches the highest level which is the professional level. And this level becomes more challenging because a dancer needs to keep his dancing ability to the highest quality possible in order to keep his job as a dancer in dance companies. The only way to get into dance companies is through dance auditions. And this becomes very tough for every dancer who wants to get accepted in a dance company he is auditioning for because he needs to stand out among the others who are auditioning with him. Most of the time, the number of dancers auditioning in a company is around fifty to a hundred and a company only accepts about five dancers. And the rest need to go search for other dance opportunity out there.

A dancer is both a machine and a rock. A dancer's body is the machine that dances, his mind and heart is the rock. A dancer needs to train for long hours everyday because he needs to keep his body to its maximum fitness level in order to withstand extreme stress in doing the movements and to last the whole dance no matter how long the dance is. A dancer has to a have a strong mind and heart in order not to be affected by the extreme amount of frustration and discouragement that will make his work and quality of dance go down.

It may sound dramatic but really it will show on stage and during the performance when a dancer is performing half-heartedly or is bothered by something. So this is one of the biggest obstacles that a dancer needs to develop as well while training. Life is really tough for a dancer but he never gives up because what drives a dancer to do what he does is his passion and love for dance! It really sounds corny and dramatic but in the real world, it is really true!

Professional Dancers for Hire - Perfect Entertainment for Big Events

When it comes to dancers for hire there are many types to choose from. Along with ballet, jazz, modern, hip hop, tap, or many other common styles of dance entertainment, you can also find hula dancers, belly dancers, and even exotic dancers. Since TV shows such as Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance first appeared, dancing as a form of entertainment has come into its own. These and other dancing shows have taken the world by storm and are now some of the most-watched shows on TV.

In addition to watching professional dancers on TV, it has become an extremely popular form of entertainment at major corporate events, private parties, and other important occasions. After all, who wouldn't want to watch Kym Johnson, a two-time winner of Dancing with the Stars, or heartthrob Maksim Chmerkovskiy, live on stage as they perform their flashy and energetic routines? And if dancers like this are more than your budget will allow, you can still find some very talented, although less famous, dancers for hire that will put on a dazzling show for your special event.

If you're hosting an island barbecue you will probably want to use some island or hula dancers such as the Polynesian Pearls. The Polynesian Pearls is a family of dancers for hire have been performing their exotic island dances for over 30 years at corporate events, trade shows, fairs, and many other events all over the nation. If you're looking for an authentic island treat that everyone will enjoy and remember, add some hula and Polynesian dancers to the mix.

If an entire family of hula dancers is a bit too much, maybe a belly dancer is what you need. This type of exotic dancer can add a great deal of excitement to many types of parties, using a scarf, veil, and other props for added flair. Belly dancers are often hired for birthday and engagement parties, cultural events, fairs and festivals, and even corporate events. Some dancers will even provide lessons for the guests, an interactive way to turn an ordinary event into an unforgettable occasion.

Probably the most popular type of dance entertainment is ballroom dancing, which is what you'll usually see in movies, on stage, and on TV shows. These dances involve partners and are widely enjoyed at corporate events and other important affairs. They include the Waltz, Nightclub Two Step, Latin Swing, Paso Doble, and many others. There's nothing quite like watching professional dancers for hire do high-energy numbers like the Quickstep or romantic interpretations of the Rumba. When you are organizing an important event and you will only except the best and most-exciting imaginable, employing dancers for hire like you see on Dancing with the Stars is the ultimate entertainment. Watching Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Kym Johnson, or Dmitry Chaplin live on stage is so much more exciting than seeing them on the small screen.

The next time you organize an event where entertainment will be used, seriously think about hiring dancers for the occasion. With some high-energy dancers your guests will be able to experience a show that will boost the level of electricity ten-fold. If you want to throw a party that will have everyone talking for weeks about it, dancing entertainment is a solid choice.

Green Light Booking and Talent boasts professional dancers for hire designed to transform your typical affair directly into something amazing. If you would like to hire dancers for your upcoming event or celebration, or need more information about finding dance celebrities, check out Green Light Booking as soon as possible.