Dance medicine and science research opportunities and updates
From time to time as appropriate Dance UK's HDP will post summaries and information about recent, current and proposed research projects that may be of interest to the wider UK dance profession.
Archive of research updates and opportunities
Methods of body composition measurement for female ballet dancers
Filed under: Psychology, Nutrition
Published Tue 2 April 2013
Deadline Fri 31 August 2012
Siobhan Mitchell MSc, BA Hons, ISAK
Introduction: The aim of the study is to recommend a method of body composition measurement that is suitable for use with female ballet dancers through investigating the views of dancers, nutritionists and institutions. This paper focuses on the suitability and realistic implementation of an appropriate method, with the purpose to make recommendations for future research and validation within this population. Method: A qualitative research design has been adopted; combining the use of questionnaires with supplemental data from interviews, with the use of statistical software to aid analysis. Results: A total of 46 ballet dancers, 6 nutritionists and 3 institution representatives volunteered. Dancers rated anthropometric measurements as least invasive (60.9%) and most comfortable (63%). Conclusion: A combination of anthropometric measurements: Mid-upper arm circumference, grip strength, triceps and subscapular skinfolds and elbow breadth are suggested to be the most appropriate method of body composition measurement for use with female ballet dancers. Additional education may be necessary in order to ensure that implementation is a positive and informative process for those involved. Future research should consider validation of the recommended method and to pilot the implementation of the method and education suggested. The use of screening is recommended to begin collection of data for the creation of percentiles for this population. Implementation is recommended through the use of screening/nutritional consultation in tandem with the education of dancers, teachers and authority figures.
The experience of watching dance: phenomenological–neuroscience duets
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 17 December 2012
Deadline Mon 17 December 2012
Corinne Jola & Shantel Ehrenberg & Dee Reynolds
Abstract This paper discusses possible correspondences between neuroscientific findings and phenomenologically informed methodologies in the investigation of kinesthetic empathy in watching dance. Interest in phenomenology has recently increased in cognitive science (Gallagher and Zahavi 2008) and dance scholars have recently contributed important new insights into the use of phenomenology in dance studies (e.g. Legrand and Ravn (Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 8 (3):389–408, 2009); Parviainen (Dance Research Journal 34(1):11–26, 2002); Rothfield (Topoi 24:43–53, 2005)). In vision research, coherent neural mechanisms for perceptual phenomena were uncovered, thus supporting correlation of phenomenology and neurophysiology Spillmann (Vision Research 49(12):1507–1521, 2009). Correspondingly, correlating subjects’ neurophysiological data with qualitative responses has been proposed as a means to research the human brain in the study of consciousness (Gallagher and Zahavi 2008), with similar issues in clinical psychology Mishara (Current Opinion in Psychiatry 20(6):559–569, 2007) and biology Kosslyn et al. (American Psychologist 57:341–351, 2002). Yet the relationship between neuroscience and qualitative research informed by phenomenology remains problematic. How qualitative research normally handles subjective experiences is difficult to reconcile with standard statistical analysis of objective data. Recent technological developments in cognitive neuroscience have inspired a number of researchers to use more naturalistic stimuli, outside the laboratory.
Reflections on reflections: mirror use in a university dance training environment
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 17 December 2012
Deadline Thu 2 December 2010
This article explores aspects of the dancer–mirror relationship from the dancer’s perspective and examines the various ways the mirror may impact on dancers’ experiences in particular training environments. The essay foregrounds a small group of female university dance degree students’ own words about training with and without mirrors in contemporary dance technique classes and considers their descriptions alongside the existing literature. Ethnographic-style interviews with six dancers were conducted and key themes which emerged upon analysis inform the essay. Although contemporary dance is the focus, content is applicable to other Western theatre dance styles and training environments.
Go Dance Research Project published: dance participation encourages positive fitness behaviours outside of school
Filed under: Psychology, Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Go Dance Research Project published: dance participation encourages positive fitness behaviours outside of school
Research conducted by University Campus Suffolk, Ipswich (UCS), University of Bedfordshire and East Youth Dance has just been published. The Go Dance Research project, commissioned by a consortium of dance organisations and providers throughout the Eastern region of England, enrolled 250 children aged 10-12 years to participate in a 12 week dance programme to examine how dance might positively impact the lives of boys and girls in pursuing healthy lives. The findings indicated that boys perceptions of pressure and tension as an indicator of intrinsic motivation reduced as a result, with male participants and their school teachers relating their focus in other curricular subjects to their participation in these workshops. Additional results from this study also indicate that participating in a dance project during school time can inspire positive behaviour change in terms of physical activity levels and outside of the school structure. The Go Dance study has been undertaken as part of a region-wide project devised for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad which feature programmes and projects that form the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. The project itself aimed to inspire young people to participate in dance activity and provide the opportunities in culturally deprived areas. The project has since been awarded a Cultural Olympiad InspireMark and work continues in the participating schools and local communities.
Go Dance Research Project published: dance participation encourages positive fitness behaviours outside of school
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Go Dance Research Project published: dance participation encourages positive fitness behaviours outside of school
Research conducted by University Campus Suffolk, Ipswich (UCS), University of Bedfordshire and East Youth Dance has just been published. The Go Dance Research project, commissioned by a consortium of dance organisations and providers throughout the Eastern region of England, enrolled 250 children aged 10-12 years to participate in a 12 week dance programme to examine how dance might positively impact the lives of boys and girls in pursuing healthy lives. The findings indicated that boys perceptions of pressure and tension as an indicator of intrinsic motivation reduced as a result, with male participants and their school teachers relating their focus in other curricular subjects to their participation in these workshops. Additional results from this study also indicate that participating in a dance project during school time can inspire positive behaviour change in terms of physical activity levels and outside of the school structure. The Go Dance study has been undertaken as part of a region-wide project devised for the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad which feature programmes and projects that form the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. The project itself aimed to inspire young people to participate in dance activity and provide the opportunities in culturally deprived areas. The project has since been awarded a Cultural Olympiad InspireMark and work continues in the participating schools and local communities.
The impact of dance on health and well-being among the elderly population
Filed under: Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Researchers from the Dance Science Department have compiled a comprehensive review of previous research undertaken in the dance and health fields, relating to the impact of various kinds of dance, on elderly populations. Commissioned by the Thames Gateway Dance Partnerships, this study aimed to provide a broad overview of the field, indicating where research has been carried out already, and also highlighting areas for further research.
Change4Life is stimulating cross-sector partnership working to get people active and healthy in the South West
Filed under: Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Change4Life is stimulating cross-sector partnership working to get people active and healthy in the South West. The following reports and case studies provide information on a unique South West project run by a partnership of education, dance, health and community organisations.
Cool Facts Hot Feet, Dancing to health: A review of the evidence Dance South West and the Department of Health report
Filed under: Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Dance involves the body, emotion and mind: it is both a physical activity and a means of expression and communication. Dance and health programmes form part of a growing field of arts work which delivers health and wellbeing outcomes for people. The range and value of such work has been recognised for some time and several key policy and advocacy publications have had a positive impact on how such work is developed and supported, through the qualitative material they present (see Appendix I). This review brings together a range of research that provides the quantitative evidence of the health and wellbeing benefits of dance.
University of Hertfordshire Dance Psychology Lab Research: Dance Confidence, Age and Gender.
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Peter J. Lovatt, Ph.D.
School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, UK.
Dance Confidence is a measure of domain-specific self-esteem as applied to how a person feels about their social and recreational dance ability, as compared with other people of their own age and gender. This study is concerned with how dance confidence varies as a function of gender and age group. 13,715 people watched a video and then completed an on-line survey. The results show that dance confidence varies as a function of gender and age group, such that, in general, females have higher levels of dance confidence than males, and dance confidence changes at significant points in the developmental cycle.
University of Hertfordshire Dance Psychology Lab Research: State and Trait Self-esteem in Ballet Dancers, Non-Ballet Dancers and Non-Dancers.
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Peter J. Lovatt, Ph.D. and Sophie Horncastle, B.Sc.
School of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire, UK.
Introduction: Previous research into the personality of dancers has shown that dancers have lower self-esteem and are more anxious than the normal population (e.g. Bakker, 1988). This finding is explained either in terms of the dance training regime, concerns over body image or self-selection prior to training. However all the empirical evidence to date is based on samples of ballet dancers and it is not clear to what extent this finding is generalizable to other dancing groups.
Dance Improvisation and Self Focused Attention
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
This report is based on a sub-sample of participants and is written by Ling Ling Tai
Project supervised by Dr Peter Lovatt
Dancers are trained to be exceptionally aware of the position, balance, pressure, force and movement of different body parts simultaneously. A trained dancer is somehow able to replicate complex choreography of positions and movements as well as using it in response to the external environment.
However in dance improvisation, a dancer moves spontaneously, without explicit use of choreographed movements. Dance improvisation is a combination of spontaneous reaction and conscious choice. The conscious choice of dance improvisation allows the dancer to choose among millions of movement possibilities at the moment. Nonetheless, its the spontaneity which baffle psychologists. How does a dance improviser shape their movements? Is it in response to the environment? Or is it an expression of thoughts, emotions and bodily sensation? Does the dancer focus their attention on how they appear to others or do they focus on their emotions?
Performance anxiety experiences of elite dancers
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Imogen Walker, MSc, PhD Candidate
Sanna Nordin, PhD
Laban
Anxiety occurs when there is a perceived imbalance between the demands placed upon a person and their ability to meet those demands. Anxiety can manifest in cognitive (e.g. worrying) and somatic (e.g. ‘butterflies’) symptoms and can be interpreted as facilitating (positive) or debilitating (negative) towards performance1. Sport research has found that athletes who interpret their anxiety as facilitative are more likely to feel in control of their anxiety, and will not feel that it has a negative impact upon their performance. Athletes who interpret their anxiety as debilitative are more likely to experience the opposite2.
Youth Dance & Health (Documentary 2011): The impact of dance on health of young people
Filed under: Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
TV presenter, Strictly Come Dancing star and fitness expert, Camilla Dallerup fronts the brand new Youth Dance and Health film, produced by Hampshire Dance and Youth Dance England. This short documentary considers the impact of dance on the health of young people by visiting a number of successful dance and health projects, such as DAZL in Leeds, DanceXchange in Birmingham, the NRG projects from Hampshire Dance and Trinity Laban and the Dance South West/ Department of Health partnership.
New research finds dance enhances both physical and psychological well-being in girls
Filed under: Psychology, Physiology, Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and Hampshire Dance are pleased to announce the findings of a new youth dance and health project, NRG2. Presented to industry professionals at a sharing event at Trinity Laban on Thursday 14 October 2010, the intriguing findings show that creative dance can provide physical and psychological benefits for young girls that are equal to and at times better than the benefits of physical education (PE).
NRG2 expands on previous research carried out by Hampshire Dance and Trinity Laban’s Dance Science team. The project explored the physical and psychological impact of creative dance and PE on young people in ‘at risk’ areas of West Sussex, looking specifically at gender differences.
Abstract: clinical anatomy and biomechanics of the ankle in dance.
Filed under: Biomechanics
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Abstract: clinical anatomy and biomechanics of the ankle in dance.
The ankle is an important joint to understand in the context of dance because it is the connection between the leg and the foot that establishes lower extremity stability. Its function coordinates with the leg and foot and, thus, it is crucial to the dancer’s ability to perform. Furthermore, the ankle is one of the most commonly injured body regions in dance.
Magnetic resonance imaging of the ankle in female ballet dancers en pointe
Filed under: Biomechanics
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Ballet dancers require extreme range of motion of the ankle, especially weight-bearing maximum plantar flexion (en pointe). In spite of a high prevalence of foot and ankle injuries in ballet dancers, the anatomy and pathoanatomy of this position have not been sufficiently studied in weight-bearing. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a beneficial method for such study.
Abstract: video analysis of classical ballet performance
Filed under: Physiology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Video analysis of classical ballet to date has been largely limited to examining the artistic elements of choreography. The aim this study was to employ a method of video analysis to describe the physiological demands of classical ballet performance and to examine differences between artists, soloists, and principal dancers.
A comparison of two stretching modalities on lower-limb range of motion measurements in recreational dancers
Filed under: Physiology, Biomechanics
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Abstract: a comparison of two stretching modalities on lower-limb range of motion measurements in recreational dancers
Most stretching techniques are designed to place a ‘‘stress’’ on the musculoskeletal unit that will increase its resting length and range of motion (ROM). Twenty-four adolescent dancers participated in a six-week intervention program that compared low-intensity stretching (Microstretching) with moderate-intensity static stretching on active and passive ranges of motion.
Abstract: whole body vibration training increases vertical jump height in a dance population.
Filed under: Physiology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Whole-body vibration (WBV) training has gained popularity with the strength and conditioning environment. Previous research reported improvements in strength and power after WBV interventions in untrained individuals with little hypertrophical development of the muscles, suggesting that the improvements are because of neuromuscular adaptations.
Abstract: pathoanatomy of posterior ankle impingement in ballet dancers
Filed under: Biomechanics, Injury
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Abstract: pathoanatomy of posterior ankle impingement in ballet dancers
Dance is a high performance athletic activity that leads to great numbers of injuries, particularly in the ankle region. One reason for this is the extreme range of ankle motion required of dancers, especially females in classical ballet where the en pointe and demi-pointe positions are common. These positions of maximal plantar flexion produce excessive force on the posterior ankle and may result in impingement, pain, and disability.
Abstract: effect of leg length on ROM (range of motion), VJ (vertical jump) and leg dexterity in dance
Filed under: Physiology, Biomechanics
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
We investigated the associations between leg length and specific ballet movements in different skill groups. Volunteers were from an undergraduate dance programme (n=18), a pre-professional school (n=43) and from an elite classical ballet company (n=45). Individual data were collected for anthropometry, vertical jump, leg dexterity, and leg active and passive ROM.
The development of dance talent in young people
Filed under: Psychology, Physiology, Biomechanics
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
The Development of Dance Talent in Young People is a three-year Interdisciplinary Longitudinal Research Project in collaboration with the national dance Centres for Advanced Training (CATs), seeking to better understand the physical and psychological aspects of talent development in order to inform training and pedagogy.
NRG2
Filed under: Psychology, Physiology, Dance in a fitness and healthcare context
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
NRG2 is a collaborative dance and health research project between Laban, Hampshire Dance and West Sussex County Council. The aim was to inspire young teenagers to take part in dance as a physical activity as well as to obtain further information about the effects of a10-week creative dance programme on 11 to 13 year olds’ physiological and psychological well-being.
Dance 4 Your Life
Filed under: Psychology, Physiology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
Dance 4 Your Life was an innovative participatory research project, which explored the physical and psychological impact of dance on female teenagers. The project was a collaboration between contemporary dance centre Laban, and the North Kent Local Authorities Arts Partnership (NKLAAP).
Abstract: The inner world of dance: an exploration into the psychological support needs of professional dancers
Filed under: Psychology
Published Mon 13 August 2012
Deadline Mon 13 August 2012
The dance psychology literature highlights a number of psychological difficulties which may be experienced by professional dancers. The importance of psychological support has become increasingly recognized within the dance profession but this has yet to be explored from the perspective of counselling psychology. The research addressing the issue of psychological support in dance is scarce, and little is know about dancers’ perceptions of these services. This research aims to address a novel area by conducting an exploration of dancers emotional support requirements and addressing perceptions and experiences of psychological therapy.
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