Allowing Dance Science to Change How We Dance

“If we value the pursuit of knowledge, we must be free to follow wherever that search may lead us.” – Adlai Stevenson

            Everyone is given one body that needs to last a lifetime.  With lifespans growing longer, it is becoming increasingly important to focus upon the quality of life.   Living to be 100 years old does not mean much if the person is in constant pain and unable to complete the simple activities of daily living without the body rebelling.

           

            Daily, dancers place extraordinary demands upon their bodies.  There are the torque forces applied during turns, the constant impact of multiple jumps, and, for the ballerina, the demand placed upon the toes that must support the dancer’s body weight.  The human body was not created to endure these stresses, therefore, it is up to the dance community to train dancers in ways that will keep them healthy and limit the amount of stress placed upon the body.

            Although this ideology makes sense, it is an uphill battle because dance is based upon tradition.  Dance notation and videography have allowed us to record and preserve great works of choreography, but actual dance training is something that has been passed on from one generation of dancers to another.  The dance masters established rules, positions, and steps, and passed their methods of training onto their students, who then became teachers and passed the information onto their students.  Many of the original conventions of training are still present in 21^st century dance technique.  Dance masters and teachers are respected individuals, and when a dance or exercise scientist suggests that some of these age-old traditions should change, her or she is understandably met with resistance.

            Change is always difficult, but there is a growing body of research, suggesting that changing the ways dancers train will keep them dancing longer, stronger, and healthier.  In order to implement these changes, the traditional dance class also needs to change.  Beginning ballet class with a cardiovascular exercise is still unheard of in many schools as is strength training for dancers.  Many dancers still believe that stretching should be done at the beginning of class as a warm-up and that cross-training to develop other muscle groups is taboo.  Dancers and dance educators fear that altering the traditional class will result in changed or compromised bodylines, and the artistry of dance will be lost.  Scientists have no desire to change the final product.  They simply hope to enhance and strengthen the process so that the dancers’ bodies are placed under less stress and can grow stronger and healthier.  Stronger and healthier bodies mean more efficient ways of moving, less time lost due to injuries, and better performers.

            Dancers in Canada and Australia have begun to embraces the changes that dance scientists are suggesting, and organizations like the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science are helping to promote awareness in the dance community.  An increasing number of college programs have begun to offer classes in dance medicine and dance science.

           

            Knowledge is a powerful thing and can be used to strengthen the field of dance.  Embracing the new findings in dance and exercise research will mean changing the traditional approach to dance but will serve to make dance a stronger, more viable art form.

The Healthy Dancer grew out of a desire to educate dancers, parents of dancers, and dance educators about how the advances in dance medicine and exercise science could benefit the dance community.  After only one year, The Healthy Dancer has grown quicker than I ever imagined possible when I began this blog last October.  Each week over 100 subscribers receive my posts, another 150 people follow the blog’s happenings on Twitter, an additional 900 people visit the site, I have a loyal following on Facebook, and I have begun travelling across the country to give lectures on dancer health.  I have made many connections with other dance bloggers, am grateful to my loyal readers, and am looking forward to where the next year will take The Healthy Dancer. 

A Chance to Dance Offers A Chance to Learn

"Enjoying success requires the ability to adapt.  Only by being open to change will you have a true opportunity to get the most from your talent.” – Nolan Ryan

            Television shows featuring dance and dancers are rapidly gaining popularity during prime time viewing slots.  DancingWith the Stars pairs professional dancers with celebrities in a competition, So You Think You Can Dance pits dancers of various styles and skill levels against each other, Breaking Pointe followed seven company members of Ballet West for six weeks, and A Chance To Dance invites viewers into the audition process.

            All of these shows have engaged a large part of the general viewing audience who might now have a better appreciation for the work dancers do.  The questions that remain unanswered are whether dancers are as eager to watch these shows and if there is anything they can learn from watching them.

            The episode of A Chance to Dance that aired on September 14, showcased the skill levels that each dancer brought to the audition and provided an important lesson for today’s dancers and dance educators.

            The show centers on dancers who have been recruited by Michael Nunn and Billy Trevitt, who have been asked to form a company for Nigel Lythgoe.  This group of twenty-four recruits must be whittled down to a dozen dancers, who will be given “a chance to dance” in the company.  In this episode, Allison Holker from So You Think You Can Dance and David Dorfman, artistic director of David Dorfman Dance, have been asked to work with and continue to audition the dancers.

            The dancers all have various levels of training and technical backgrounds.  Kaitlin describes herself as a “classical dancer”, Shepherd has specialized in hip-hop, and Patrick and Bayli are described as technical dancers.

            Allison’s and David’s approaches are different for many of the dancers.  The dancers are asked to take part in improvisation, to let their bodies dictate how to transition between phrases, to show emotion through their dancing, and to choreograph.  Laura’s statement, “I’ve never had a teacher or a class like that before where you’re just like so free with your body,” after David’s class, gives the audience a clear picture of her background and training.  She is not alone in feeling this way, and many of the dancers struggle with being too technical and feeling uncomfortable emoting through movement and choreographing, or with being too specialized and unable to adapt to different styles of dance.

            A Chance To Dance creates a picture of the demands placed upon today’s dancers and underscores the need for all dancers to study, or at the very least be exposed to, other styles and techniques of dance.  The classically trained dancers lacked the ability to move freely and seemed emotionally detached from their dancing while dancers like Shepherd, whose specialty was hip-hop, needed to be “more rounded”.  Fewer and fewer companies seem to be looking for specialized dancers.  Today modern choreographers like Twyla Tharp and Jessica Lang are being brought in to choreograph for ballet companies, urging dancers to take ballet off-balance and to listen to the music differently.  Even ballet choreographers have begun to infuse their dances with some contemporary elements.

            Dancers who wish to specialize in one technique need to be proficient in others to satisfy the demand of today’s directors and choreographers.  Dance students, regardless of what technique they are studying, need the opportunity to choreograph phrases and learn different choreographic techniques that can be used.  These same dancers also need to be taught how to perform and use dance as a vehicle to relate to their audiences.  The most famous dancers of the past are those whose dancing was technically sound and whose ability to emote through dance was well developed.

            Lastly, today’s dancers need to have anatomical knowledge in order to adapt to the various demands of different dance forms.  Adapting requires strong dancers, healthy dancers and dancers that are comfortable in their own bodies.  One of David Dorfman’s critiques of Chase was that he did not have “the knowledge in the joints”.  By encouraging cross training in dancers, educators help decrease muscular imbalances that are common in specialized dancers, create stronger dancers, and give their students an educated awareness of their bodies.  This awareness is necessary in today’s demanding dance world.

            Unless dance educators encourage exposure to other techniques, provide opportunities for creativity and using movement to communicate, and encourage cross-training to meet today’s rigorous demands, very few dancers will be able to work effectively with today’s artistic directors and choreographers.

            A Chance To Dance illustrates these points to both the general public and to dancers, providing both a realistic view of the dance world and an educational experience for all of those lucky enough to watch.