Introduction - The purpose and goal of a Dancer Wellness Program and Dance Screens
Dance is a demanding neuromuscular, skeletal event, a temporal, spatial, kinetic interface, a kinesthetic, aesthetic syzygy anchored by the universality of human motion and propelled by creative forces. It is by its very nature a transient mode of expression that manifests in many styles and forms and therefore requires a delicate balance of perfection and freedom in the moving architecture of the human body. The very essence of this phenomenon implies an extraordinary exploration and refinement of what may be deemed normal human movement potential and an extreme in variation or deviation from the norm such that both ballet, contemporary dance forms and those ethnic dances that are woven into ‘fusion dances’ are in a constant state of contemporary expansion.
The student of dance must be prepared not only with the typical technical skills required in executing normal range of motion at all articulating surfaces but with skills to exceed normalcy and embrace extreme or variable deviant motion that may be required for creative explorations. The goal is to achieve the aforementioned with optimal correct mechanical advantage, balance and efficiency such that longevity is ensured and that maintenance of joint integrity, muscle strength and flexibility will all yield a lower incidence of occupational injuries. Researchers have suggested that the combination of flexibility, strength, power and endurance required of professional dancers equals or exceeds that of most professional sports. Historically, dancers who were injured had few medical professionals conversant in the specifics of their art form. Often, injured dancers lacked basic health information for self-care or the financial means to obtain high quality medical care.
This comprehensive goal of biomechanical efficiency, career longevity, injury prevention, and education serves as the basis for what is currently referred to in Dance Education as "Dancer Wellness" and is being endorsed on some level by a growing number of organizations including the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS), the National Association for Schools of Dance, the Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance, and the World Dance Alliance to name a few. The major tenets of "Dancer Wellness" as defined by Marita Cardinal, Ed.D and Sarah Hilsendager, Ed.D include:
- effective injury prevention, treatment and rehabilitation
- effective and efficient dance training
- optimal levels of conditioning and health
- increased self care among dancers
Including "Dancer Wellness" within the panoply of typical dance education programs can be achieved through various measures. Wellness programs may include screening protocols and educational components not only in kinesiology and anatomy but also in both Nutrition and Psychology in the hopes to address a fuller scope of dancer health. Dance specific screening protocols are becoming more prevalent. U.S. based professional companies such as the Boston Ballet and Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and some university dance programs such as Case Western Reserve University (Case) have implemented screens as have other companies around the world such as the Australia Ballet. At the Royal Ballet School in London, cross training protocols have been implemented into the daily regimen of training for young dancers.
The emerging field of dance medicine and science is serving as a vehicle for educators and artists to forge a bridge with the scientific spirit on the path to human knowledge. Organizations such as IADMS further contribute by publishing articles that define “Dancer Wellness”, prescribe sample programs and present various examples of screening profiles, and by spearheading conferences and seminars to disseminate information such as this conference hosted by Taipei Physical Education College. During the last two decades, Dance Medicine and Science has rapidly become a distinct field of study and is providing much needed information to guide the training and care of dancers. A large number of individuals from various fields (e.g. biomechanics, psychology, exercise science and education) have reported extensively on the incidence, etiology, and treatment of dance injuries. Journals and books regarding the science of dance and the care of dancers are now common.
One of the most consistent and urgent pleas in much of the recent literature concerning dance medicine is the need for Dancer Wellness programs in institutional settings. The implementation of such programs is becoming increasingly endorsed among professional organizations and receives attention at several international conferences. The Dancer Wellness Program at Case has been continually developing and expanding since its inception in 2000 and serves as a model for other institutions.
The Dancer Wellness Program at Case Western Reserve University
The Dancer Wellness Program at Case Western Reserve University (Case) was originally planned to be implemented as a multi-year project and an ongoing aspect of the Dance Program. It has been designed to provide a wealth of information about the dancers' individual instrument, that being their body not only to the dancer but also to the instructors, faculty and medical professionals with whom the dancer may interact. The general structure includes an annual screen, education modules, seminars or roundtable discussions, the integration of theory in lecture classes such as kinesiology, review sessions and evaluations.
The specific goals of the Case Dancer Wellness Program include:
- Aid in making the dancers' training more efficient and effective
- Aid in preventing injuries
- Provide valuable resources and information to assist in the rehabilitation of injuries
- Promote career longevity as a dancer
- Assist educators and medical care professionals who work with dancers by providing valuable quantifiable information about the dancer that can not be derived by simple observations in the dance technique class nor in the rehearsal studio
- Continue to develop a body of quantifiable data that uniquely addresses the physical characteristics and demands of dancers' musculoskeletal system in order to promote the ongoing research into dancer health, physical attributes, injury prevention and biomechanical efficiency.
History of the Case Dancer Wellness Program
The Case Dancer Wellness Program, designed by directors Gary Galbraith and Karen Potter, was modeled after the Long Island University (LIU) program which Potter co-founded in 1998 with Marshall Hagins, PT. Preliminary research on similar wellness programs was investigated by Potter and Hagins. Incorporated into the LIU program was a battery of biomechanical tests and technique evaluation developed and by Shaw Bronner, PT, for the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater. The team refined and expanded the technique screen and determined which biomechanical tests should be performed to measure flexibility and strength in particular muscle groups and to determine the overall physical profile of the dance majors. Together they developed a written test to be administered for pre-test evaluation of the dancers’ knowledge base, developed a series of exercises to be demonstrated in an instructional class, and compiled an exercise handbook.
Since its inception, the Case model has partnered with Chad Fortun, PT, clinical director of with the University Hospitals Rehabilitation and Sports Medicine Clinic (formerly Ohio Physical Therapy Clinic). It has grown to include numerous other assessments related to dance as well as a nutrition component and is currently investigating ways to embrace psychological components as well. At the heart of this model is the emerging interface between the medical professional and the dance educator. The Case Dance Program has been used as a model at other institutions.
Future goals of the Case Dancer Wellness Program
1. Collaboration with other institutions and organizations
The Dancer Wellness Program at Case continues to venture outward and establish and build ties with other institutions that either currently have such a program or are looking to establish such a program.
2. Inclusion of other performing arts
The Dancer Wellness program is expanding to encompass other performing arts. Importantly, the entire Dancer Wellness Teams hopes to find ways to support student musicians from the Department of Music.
3. Establishment of international standards for Dancer Wellness screens
One of the goals in expanding the work of the Dancer Wellness Program at Case is to work with other institutions conducting Dancer Wellness screens in order to help establish standardized Dancer Wellness screening protocols. Among the institutions that now have some kind of wellness program, efforts are being made to develop protocols and to continue share, learn, and develop collaboratively. Additionally, with the establishment of internationally recognized protocols, information can be more easily exchanged.
4. Establishment of dance specific norms
An additional goal is to use the Dancer Wellness Website to help collect extensive dancer specific data. This enlarging database could be used to help establish norms or parameters in alignment, anatomic deviations, range of motion, muscle strength, cardiovascular fitness and neuromuscular coordination - something that currently does not broadly exist.
It is important to stress that a Dancer Wellness program is designed to assist dancers and not to judge. The screening process should not be viewed as a test of acceptability.
Text taken from
"Dancer Wellness: Why, How and The Future; A Model at Case Western Reserve University"