The Key 7 Requirements of Dancers

There are 7 key physical requirements which dancers should develop and maintain to become successful.

In this post I shall look at the physiological and skill requirements which a dancers bodies require and why they are essential to the dancer’s career.

Alignment

Alignment, also known as ‘placement’ in dance terminology, must be learnt to enable the dancer to move efficiently. Movement efficiency is essential for a dancer to create an effortless look whilst possibly dealing with unusual new choreography. By moving efficiently a dancer is able to make the best use of energy for challenging performances. An example of alignment is balancing an arabesque on pointe ensuring there is enough muscular strength to sustain balance with minimum effort. This is greatly challenging to the dancer due to the pull of gravity, thus takes many years to acquire the skill and still constantly challenges the professional.

Additionally, proper alignment can reduce the stress on joints and muscles necessary for controlled movement whereas faulty alignment may lead to a risk of injury and chronic conditions such as tendonitis.

Coordination

Neuromuscular coordination is the ability to efficiently recruit a muscle or group of muscles required to perform a particular movement. Due to the ever changing, evolving choreography dancers need to constantly develop new skills and movement patterns. Through a high level of coordination, complex movements are developed.

Developing coordination is a key aspect of technique class, however additional training can develop the movement efficiency further. This training will focus on motor learning and motor control to develop the dancer to become skilled to a level which enhances the quality of the learned movement such as pirouettes, balances and large jumps through increased smoothness, coordination and accuracy.

  

Flexibility

Flexibility is an important component to physical fitness which is generally included within exercise programmes. Some activities such as dance demands much greater levels of flexibility and so are a specific concern for the development of their physical fitness. Dancers must be able to move their joints through the full range of motion required in particular choreography. And this movement must be done with ease and control.

The three types of tissue (muscle, tendons and ligaments) play a part in the flexibility dancers are required to achieve.

1.       The muscle must be long and strong to allow control and movement through extreme ranges of motion, such as a high développé.

2.       Tendons which connect muscle to bone, must be long enough to allow free movement and be elastic to provide shock absorption when the joint is moved quickly within its range.

3.       Ligaments, which connect bone to bone are required to keep the joints stable, thus should not be overstretched as this would put the joint at risk of injury such as dislocations and sprains. Once a ligament is stretched it may never return to its original length.

Muscle and tendon length, strength and elasticity may be developed though stretching and careful controlled work within each joints range of motion.

Some dancers are guilty of pushing their flexibility beyond that which their body is physically able, or needed to perform well.  Excessive flexibility training can lead dancers more open to injury and there is research to suggest that intensive stretching can compromise performance through a decrease in strength and power, such as jumping during hour long activities.

Strength

Strength, defined as the ‘ability to overcome external resistance or counter external forces using muscle’ is essential for slow controlled movements in dance such as a développé and grand rond de jambs.

Strength is categorised into three groups: muscular strength, muscular endurance and power.

Power, the ability to perform movement using force and speed is vital for jumps such as a pas de chat or batterie. If a male dancer can lift his partner twelve times but cannot press her to the top on the beat, he lacks power. This is an area of weakness the dancer must identify in order to improve in supplementary training.

Muscular strength, the maximum amount of force that a muscle can produce is essential in dance. For example the male dancer must be able to lift and hold his partner. If he is unable to lift his partner and return her safely and gracefully to the floor then he lacks sufficient muscular strength. If the dancer is required to lift his partner twelve times however is only able to perform the lift 6 times then he lacks muscular endurance. This dancer would then be required to train this quality so that he could lift over the number required in the choreography. This would build endurance for when the dancer might be sick or fatigued.

A strength and conditioning programme can develop all three aspects of strength through a variety of training methods for the individual.

Aerobic endurance

Dancing is generally stop and start, which utilises the anaerobic system, thus not engaging the aerobic system. Aerobic endurance involves the efficient use of the lungs, muscles and oxygen, which is trained through aerobic exercise, also known as cardiovascular training. A lowered aerobic capacity increases the rate of fatigue onset, which has been shown to be a leading factor in the causes of injury.

In order to improve the aerobic system, an activity must be performed which uses a high volume of oxygen for an extended period. Current dance training is insufficient to train this system due to other priorities.

Benefits of aerobic endurance include:

-          Enhanced stamina, allowing for greater ability for the oxygen to move to muscles efficiently, consequently improving performance.

-          Reduced risk of fatigue,

-          Reduced risk of injury,

-          Increased concentration,

-          Reduced stress levels,

-          Improved general health.

 Therefore it is important for the dancer to take this type of training into their own hands.

 

Relaxation

Relaxation in dance allows the dancer to release unnecessary muscular tension to increase movement efficiency.

If you watch beginners, you shall see tension in the hands, arms, shoulders, neck and face. However as the dancer progresses in their career they learn to relax muscles which are not needed for specific movements.

By managing the relaxation of selective muscle groups, it allows the muscle to remain fresh, ready to engage should it be needed and may reduce the risk of overuse injuries. This relaxation comes through practice during training.

  

 

Body composition

Aesthetics is key to dance performance, as there is a requirement to have a certain body type and shape which needs to be sustained to please choreographers, critics and audiences. Fitness and health are limitations to body composition and dancers should always aim to be healthy first and foremost. It is important to note when implementing supplementary training that the dancer’s body composition must be ‘just right’ as being too lean or too heavy can threaten a dancer’s career or health.

I think Misty Copeland of American Ballet Theatre has an amazing physique - so strong and well defined.

 

As Martha Grantham put it, dancers are “an athlete of God” who must optimise diverse physical capacities to reduce injury risk and improve performance through increased movement efficiency. Careful supplementary training can improve all these qualities with hard work and dedication.

Thanks for reading, I hope you have found this informative and are inspired to take action in your dancing career! Please feel free to leave comments or questions for me to answer on here or Twitter. Also, please follow me on Instagram @performancesportstherapy for updates on my personal lifestyle and fitness.

-E

Start strong, finish stronger!

References

Brown, A. C., Wells, T. J., Schade, M. L., Smith, D. L., & Fehling, P. C. (2007). Effects of plyometric training versus traditional weight training on strength, power, and aesthetic jumping ability in female collegiate dancers. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 11(2), 38-44.

Grossman, G., & Wilmerding, M. (2000). The effect of conditioning on the height of dancer's extension in a la seconde. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 4(4), 117-121.

Koutedakis, Y., Stavropoulos-Kalinoglou, A., & Metsios, G. (2005). The significance of muscular strength in dance. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 9(1), 29-34.

Rubini, E. C., Souza, A. C., Mello, M. L., Bacurau, R. F., Cabral, L. F., & Farinatti, P. T. (2011). Immediate Effect of Static and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation Stretching on Hip Adductor Flexibility in Female Ballet Dancers. Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, 15(4), 177-181.

Welsh, T. (2009). Conditioning for dancers. University Press of Florida.