Artifact #1 Dance History Paper coming Fall 2012
Artifact #2 Research Paper for Methods of Teaching Ballet
Rachelle Snow
Professor Sandra Allen
Dance 396
10 November 2011
The focus of many studies now is how to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. In the ballet classroom, the teacher has a lot of control over preventing injuries. The teacher can create a safe environment for students to learn about their bodies without hurting them. Important things for ballet teachers to teach to their students and be aware of while they are teaching are nutritional habits, importance of conditioning, and structuring their class to prevent the least amount of injuries.
In the field of ballet, there is heavy emphasis on how the body looks. Dancers are constantly striving for the “ideal” body. The problem with this is that every body is different and what is ideal for one body might not be ideal for another body. Ballet teachers need to recognize these differences and encourage dancers to be healthy instead of skinny.
Artifact #2 Research Paper for Methods of Teaching Ballet
Rachelle Snow
Professor Sandra Allen
Dance 396
10 November 2011
Injury Prevention in the Ballet Classroom
Before the late 1970’s, there was very little thought about preventing injuries in the field of dance, particularly in ballet. Medical doctors did not study dance in the way that they do now, which led to dancers having to treat themselves (Clarkson, Skrinar 3). Dancers would often say to dance through the pain, but that would lead to serious injury and early ends to careers. Now that there has been more research, specific to the field of dance, done by medical professionals, dancers feel more comfortable going to the doctor for injuries. This is because doctors now know how to help the dancer recover rather than telling to stop dancing. “Several types of injury that would have ended careers thirty years ago…are repaired with return-to performance function today” (Clarkson, Skrinar 10). Because of rehabilitation, dancers have longer and better careers filled with less pain.The focus of many studies now is how to prevent injuries from occurring in the first place. In the ballet classroom, the teacher has a lot of control over preventing injuries. The teacher can create a safe environment for students to learn about their bodies without hurting them. Important things for ballet teachers to teach to their students and be aware of while they are teaching are nutritional habits, importance of conditioning, and structuring their class to prevent the least amount of injuries.
In the field of ballet, there is heavy emphasis on how the body looks. Dancers are constantly striving for the “ideal” body. The problem with this is that every body is different and what is ideal for one body might not be ideal for another body. Ballet teachers need to recognize these differences and encourage dancers to be healthy instead of skinny.
There are dangers of being both underweight and overweight. If a teacher has an overweight dancer, it is important to help them develop healthy eating habits without tearing down their body image. Dieting should not be addressed because not everything works for everybody. The teacher should help the student realize what they need to do to be healthier without stressing the importance of being skinny.
Dancers have a greater tendency towards eating disorders because of the constant idea of having the ideal body. Eating disorders are extremely dangerous and need to be addressed immediately. They affect every system in the body, and can even lead to death. Teachers need to stress the importance of avoiding extreme dieting.
Ballet teachers need to create a safe environment in the classroom which allows students to develop a sense of positive body image. They should not give just corrections, but should give compliments as well. They should encourage students to think about how the movement feels rather than how it looks. Teachers should be accepting of all body types. They should create a protected space for students and not allow any negative comments about weight or body image from either themselves or their students. They need to keep students informed about dangers of eating disorders and be on the lookout for signs of eating disorders in their students (Solomon, Solomon, Minton 205). It would also be helpful if a nutritional class could be included in the dance training (Clarkson, Skrinar 231). If a teacher can do these things, they can help their students be healthy both physically and emotionally.
One myth about dance is that dance class is all that is needed to stay in shape. This is not true. Dancers need to do work outside of class to keep themselves in the best condition to dance. The more strength, flexibility, and endurance dancers have, the less likely they are to get injured. Teachers need to teach their students the importance of these things and even provide time in class to train these other areas, instead of just teaching technique all the time.
Strength training is important to dancers because everything they do requires a lot of strength. It is especially significant for dancers who have more of a tendency towards being more flexible and less strong to do strength training (Fitt 390). The ballet teacher could incorporate exercises to build strength into their class time. To build strength it is best to do fewer repetitions and more resistance. It is also important to move through the range of motion slowly because it allows the dancer to focus on the particularly weak areas and gain strength through the entire movement.
Some of the most important muscles for ballet dancers to strengthen are the intrinsic muscles of the feet. They are used a lot, especially in pointe work. Begin working on strengthening these muscles early, right from the beginning of a dancer’s training. That way when they are at the proper age for pointe work, they will be strong enough to do pointe without injuring themselves.
One way that teachers can incorporate strength training into the classroom are to use a theraband. There are many exercises for the feet and lower leg muscles that can be done sitting down with the theraband. Another way to use the theraband is to do a therabarre. Therabarre incorporates using a theraband in regular barre work. To incorporate strength training, teachers can also do strengthening exercises at the beginning of class to help the students warm up and to also help them sense how to properly engage their muscles.
Strength training and muscular endurance are different. Both are equally important in dance training. According to Sally Fitt, an expert in the field of dance kinesiology, “muscular endurance can be defined as the ability of a muscle to continue to contract over a period of time” (394). The best way to develop muscular endurance is to do many repetitions with light resistance. Doing an exercise over and over will build muscular endurance. The safest way is to do about five repetitions after the onset of the burning sensation, because listening to the body is the best way to keep the body free from injury.
Flexibility is also important for dancers to work on. Every body is different; some tend to be stronger and others tend to be more flexible. Therefore, it is important for teachers to focus on both. Having extreme flexibility is highly coveted in the dance world. However, according to Ronald Nuttall, the dance trainer at Brigham Young University, flexibility is defined as the range of motion that can be controlled. A dancer needs both stability and mobility. If the dancer only focuses on stretching on not strengthening, they are more likely to get injured because they do not have the strength to stabilize their body.
When stretching to gain mobility, one must realize that there bony and ligamentous restrictions. The degree of these restrictions is different for every dancer. Teachers must realize that some bodies just cannot stretch as much as others and cater to the needs of the dancers in their class. The most effective way to stretch is reciprocal stretching. This type of stretching contracts the opposite muscle against resistance for 10 to 20 seconds and then immediately stretches the target muscles for at least 30 seconds. Teachers should allow time for students to stretch during class and also encourage stretching outside of class as well.
Cardiorespiratory endurance is being able to do aerobic activity over a period of time. It is important for dancers because it helps them not fatigue as easily during class or long rehearsals, which leads to fewer injuries. Ballet class is generally not aerobic in nature; therefore, teachers should highly encourage aerobic exercise outside of class. However, teachers can incorporate cardiorespiratory endurance into class at times. To do this, they should keep the students moving and do exercises that keep the heart rate at about 60% of their max for 20 minutes. For example, students could do several jump sequences and while they are waiting for their turn to go they could be doing jumping jacks or jogging in place. The key is to keep their heart rates up for at least 20 minutes.
A ballet teacher has almost complete control over what happens in the ballet classroom, and, therefore, is key in preventing injury. How the teacher sets up their class can help prevent injuries from occurring. Warm up and cool down are essential in keeping dancers safe. Warm up helps prepare the body for the stress that is about to be put on it. In general, warm up should include very little stretching. The type of stretching it should include is dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching should include movements performed during class. For example, standing on one leg and swinging the other leg back and forth as far as it will go. Warm up should involve all the major muscle groups and should get them warm and ready to go. During warm up, dancers should start to perspire. It only takes about 5-15 minutes to warm up properly.
Cool down is the most important thing in helping to prevent injuries according to Ronald Nuttall. The main purpose is to restore the entire body to a neutral state. All systems of the body need to taken into account, but especially the muscle system. The focus of cool down should be decreasing the heart rate and stretching out as many muscle groups as possible, but especially the ones most used. It can be a good time for dancers to reflect on what they did well during the class and also some corrections that they were given and how they can apply them.
Teachers must follow proper progressions in dance. Students should not be required to do things that they do not have the capability to do properly. If the students are pushed too hard, too soon, they will be injured; it is not a matter of if, but when. When teachers take time to follow proper progressions, students develop the strength, flexibility, and endurance needed to perform exactly what is asked of them.
Following progressions is especially important when it comes to going onto pointe. If a student does not have the proper strength, technique, or if their bones are not fully grown, they should not be allowed to do pointe work. Going up on pointe too soon will lead to very serious injuries. Teachers need to be firm in allowing or not allowing students to do pointe. They should let students and parents know why a particular child cannot go up on pointe yet; it is to prevent serious injury from occurring. Along with having enough strength to do pointe, teachers must require proper fitting pointe shoes. Ronald Nuttall said, “The most common injuries I see come from having poorly fitting pointe shoes.” Every foot is different and needs a certain kind of shoe. Teachers need to take time to explain this to their students and help them in finding the perfect shoe. Doing so from the beginning will be helpful in preventing injuries.
It is necessary for teachers to know the anatomical structure of the body, especially the bones. “Ballet is an expression of the perfect functioning of limbs and joints, and a basic knowledge of the underlying mechanism must be of value especially to those who have to select, train and supervise students” (Sparger 6). When a teacher knows how the body is supposed to move, they can create movement that is helped by the natural form of the body rather than fighting against it. They can also correct bad habits that could potentially lead to injuries, such as pronated feet. When it comes to preventing injury, knowledge of the body empowers the teacher.
A lot of injuries come from overuse and fatigue. Teachers need to be aware of how hard their students are working and not push them past their limits. Right before a performance, it would be wise to not have as many rehearsals because the students have already been practicing for a long time and are already fatigued. It would be better to have more rehearsals at the beginning rather than near the conclusion. Teachers need to always be on the watch for signs of overuse and fatigue and adjust their teaching to help their students, not push them even more.
In conclusion, dance has recently become the focus of many studies done by medical professionals. Dancers need not have career ending injuries anymore if proper care is taken. Teachers have a lot of power over helping their students stay safe. They need to encourage healthy eating patterns outside the classroom and take caution when it comes to eating disorders. Teachers can help their students develop good physical fitness, which in turn helps the dancers’ technique. Strength training, endurance training, and stretching should be done inside the classroom and should also be encouraged outside the class. Teachers can also format their class to cater to the students’ needs. Being a ballet teacher means more than just teaching technique, it requires being smart about preventing unnecessary injuries.
Works Cited
Clarkson, Priscilla, and Skrinar, Margaret. Science of Dance Training. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Books, 1988. Print.
Fitt, Sally. Dance Kinesiology. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: Schirmer, 1996. Print.
Howse, Justin. Dance Technique and Injury Prevention. 3rd ed.New York, NY: Routledge, 2000. Print.
Nuttall, Ronald. Personal interview. 8 Nov. 2011
Solomon, Ruth, and Solomon, John, and Minton, Sandra . Preventing Dance Injuries. 2nd ed. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2005. Print.
Sparger, Celia. Anatomy and Ballet. 5th ed. New York, NY: Theatre Arts Books, 1970. Print.
