The influence of complementary training on dancers' performance is well stated in the literature. Just the dance practice is insufficient to develop the required physical capacities and prepare dancers to dance. Although the training's specificity is an essential aspect of performance, the prescription of such training is challenged by how dance is conducted nowadays. Dance companies are increasingly appealing to dancers to perform different styles and varied movement repertoire. Each dance modality has its specificities that require specific training, and thus complementary training is essential for maintaining a healthy dance career. Despite the vast literature reinforcing the need for complementary training to increase performance and decrease dancers' injury rate, only a few specific training programs for dancers were found to the best of the authors' knowledge. This chapter aims to describe the development of three methods: best performance and movement (BPM), the breakalign methodology, and power ballet original.
This research aimed to evaluate the effect of twenty low volume remotely guided training sessions within the daily life of dancers with different routines who practice different dance modalities. The experimental research investigated ten female individuals chosen for convenience that volunteered to participate in the "I Festival Dance comCiência". As a research instrument, functional and physical tests adapted explicitly for this study were performed remotely by physical therapists and body conditioners. Afterwards, the dancers were instructed to carry out twenty 10-minute daily training sessions. Data were collected individually by video calls with a physiotherapist and a body conditioner. The comparison between the pre- and post-training test results was performed using paired t-test. It is possible to assume that remotely oriented low-volume training seems to be a viable and effective alternative for implementing physical conditioning in dance, but further studies with larger samples would help to state more solid answers.
This study aimed to investigate the bio- mechanical response of the hamstring muscles to acute stretching in dancers (D) compared to non-dancers (ND). Maximal range of motion (ROMMax) and stiffness of the hamstrings were assessed in 46 young males, 23 undergraduate students (ND) and 23 professional dancers (D). Ages of the two groups were D 21.5 ± 0.60 years; ND 27.5 ± 0.98 years). Testing was performed in two sessions, familiarization with procedures in the first session and the tests themselves (pre- and post-test and intervention) in the second, with a 24- to 48-hour interval between. The pre-test consisted of three trials of passive knee extension to the point of increased tension in the hamstrings, defined as ROMMax. The resistance torque recorded at ROMMax was defined as torqueMax. Six 30-second constant torque stretches were performed at 100% of the torqueMaxreached in the pre-test in one lower limb only (intervention), with the contralateral limb used as control. The torque measured at an identical ROM before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the intervention was defined as torqueROM, and represented stiffness in this study. Reliability of the ROMMax, torqueMax, and torqueROMwas assessed via intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC3, k) and standard error of the measurements (SEM). Comparison between dancers and non-dancers, control, and intervention conditions for all dependent variables was performed using ANOVA repeated measures followed by Tukey post hoc comparisons to highlight any interaction. The submaximal stretch intensity applied caused torqueROM to decrease in both D and ND groups (p < 0.01), indicating a decrease in stiffness, but no difference between the groups was found. A significantly greater increase in ROMMax was found for the D group compared to the ND group (p < 0.01), suggesting that other aspects in addition to MTU biomechanical adaptations may have played a role in the ROMMax increase, especially for the D group. Further research is needed to explore what those other adaptations are. Meanwhile, coaches and physical therapists should be aware that dancers may require different stretch training protocols than non-dancers.
The physiological alterations due to the variation in female hormones' concentrations, oestrogen and progesterone, will allow pregnancy or the period to occur. However, this hormone fluctuation across the menstrual cycle phases may affect way more than only the ability to get pregnant. Although the female hormones' primary action is related to the ovum's maturation and implantation, their variation causes many physiological and emotional secondary effects. It is expected that this interaction may, in turn, influence exercise performance, including dance performance; therefore, it is essential to understand better what happens in the body during the menstrual cycle. This understanding may allow better awareness and control of the symptoms, bringing a better quality of life and more remarkable dance performance.
Activities such as ballet and other dance and rhythmic and artistic gymnastics are often recommended in childhood and adolescence. Among the many required motor capabilities to perform the activities above is flexibility. However, there is a gap between flexibility in scientific production and the proper use of this knowledge in dance classrooms. One of the reasons might be due to dance culture, which regards its knowledge to empirical learning. Many dancers believe that to improve their flexibility, the longer and the more intense they stretch, the better. The excess in the flexibility training might cause acute or even chronic injuries that may preclude dancers' performance without proper treatment. Although the range of motion represents flexibility, understanding how flexibility improves requires understanding how the muscle-tendon unit behaves to the stretches. This chapter aims to assess the flexibility; improve this capability; and explore differences in training, stretch technique, and some other variables that may affect flexibility performance in dance.
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