Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all, I hope 2013 is happy, healthy and full of reasons to dance.

Helen Levitt, NYC circa 1940

Going onto pointe

When I was learning to dance I couldn't wait to start pointe work - just like every other girl learning ballet. At my school we were allowed to go on pointe once we got into a certain class (I can't remember which one now, however most of us were between 11-13 years old). It was a rite of passage to start pointe, to get the beautiful, horribly painful shoes and begin weeks of tedious barre work that seemed to go on forever and somewhat killed the romantic notion I had of dancing on my tiptoes. It's such a big step for girls doing ballet that the last thing they're ever going to consider is whether their body is ready for it.

Ah nostalgia, my first ever pair of Swanildas

A colleague of mine did her MSc thesis looking at what criteria dance schools used to assess a girl's readiness to begin pointe work. The results were pretty depressing. Nearly every school used age (usually 12) as the determining factor. Some, like mine, used level. Which worked out about the same as age. Almost none even considered strength or physiology.

Strength training and dance

Okay it's a long one, but it's important so bare with me - strength training is probably one of the most important aspects of preventing dance injury. Dance injuries have two main causes - some are due to flawed technique, some are due to a lack of strength, and some are due to flaws in technique that stem from a lack of strength.

Traditionally dancers, especially females, and especially in ballet, wouldn't consider strength training as a part of their essential dance training or education. Whether that's due to the believe that dance is an art, and therefore not requiring the same physical preparation of other athletic pursuits, or the fear of deviating from the perceived sylph-like ideal, any dancer not participating in some form of strength training is not only going to limit their body's physical capabilities, but more importantly expose themselves to higher risk of injury. Research has proven numerous times that dancers who supplement their dance training with strength training suffer less injuries.

Before we go any further, first let's address the most common fear raised by women (whether dancers or not) who avoid strength training:

You will not bulk up if you lift weights.

Justin Howse 1929-2012

I am sad to hear that Justin Howse, co-founder of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science, founder of the Remedial Dance Clinic in London, Orthopaedic Surgeon and consultant to numerous British dance companies and sporting institutions including the Royal Academy of Dance and English National Ballet, has passed away at the age of 83.

Mr Howse played a pivotal role in the development of performing arts medicine; his research brought recognition to the need for a medical understanding of issues facing dancers and his work has greatly improved health, injury prevention and rehabilitation of performing arts professionals around the world.

In 2010 Justin was awarded the IADMS Lifetime Service Award. Both the dance world and the medical profession have lost a true pioneer; he will be sorely missed.

The role of the dance teacher

The role of the dance teacher is a lot more than just teaching young children to point their toes  or producing a performance a couple of times a year. Unfortunately there's plenty of teachers out there that see their job as little more than this. I'll save this for another day - but do your research and be selective about who you are willing to take on as a teacher, there are too many people in the profession that are still not adequately qualified. Anyway, I digress...

The dance teacher of children and young people has the task of not only teaching syllabus, honing technique and sharing the basics of a complicated and varied art form; they also have a responsibility for the physical development of the students under their instruction. This goes for any genre of dance, from ballet and contemporary to hip-hop and bhangra. In fact it goes further than that, it goes to any professional working with young people in any physical discipline - from dance to martial arts to athletics. The student is essentially at your mercy.

Cross-training

The end of a year always seems to result in a great deal of reflection on the past 12 months, of what should have happened, of what could have and resolutions of what's going to change in the next 12 months. For a lot (most) people, this tends to be fruitless introspection that leads to a couple of weeks of good intentions and no real changes. Let's consider a way to actually make use of it this year.

Dancing through Christmas

It's okay to take your foot off the gas and relax a little over Christmas. If you're performing over the festive season you're still going to be active, if you're not performing you can allow yourself a break. Drop in classes tend to tail off for a couple of weeks so use it as time to go to the gym, exercise outside or do something different. Your body will thank you for the change of pace.

With this period being one of the busiest for most performers, it's important that if you get a chance to relax and see your family and friends that you make the most of it. Don't overdo the work, let yourself unwind for a day or two, don't worry too much about the amount of food or alcohol consumed - the damage of a day is negligible and the damage of a few days will be cancelled out in no time. When you've been going flat out since September there's always a risk of running yourself down or burning out. There's no harm in taking some time out and enjoying yourself and you'll be in a better state to continue with the rest of the season.

If you are performing over the festive period still take time to enjoy your day off. If you're on tour, make a point of having a day that breaks the grind on Christmas, even if you can't make it back home. It's important both mentally and physically to feel you're not being worn down; even just for a day, a change of pace will make the rest of the run easier.

Prix de Lausanne

This year's Prix de Lausanne candidates have been announced. I'm genuinely excited to see the new rising talents perform in January. Every year there's a wealth of amazing international young dancers coming through the ranks and it's wonderful to see the best of them competing at the Prix.