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Advocacy, how to best prepare for success, and self-care

This is an excerpt from Dance Injuries With HKPropel Access by Jeffrey A. Russell.

By Jennifer Deckert, MFA; Margaret Wilson, PhD; Jan Dunn, MS

When reflecting on the task of creating a safe space, it can be overwhelming to consider the risks inherent in dance. The first step is understanding that advocacy for safety is multifaceted; moreover, as mentioned previously, one must consider the physical environment as well as the physical and emotional safety of those in the room. Advocating for safe spaces must be a priority for organizations, teachers, and students alike.

As the field develops, the dance community now has the opportunity to support dancers, educators, and artists as they each find their own voice. Teachers must work toward creating teaching and learning environments where dancers are free to ask questions; participate in the artistic process; cultivate agency for their own bodies; and take ownership for their journey as dancers, artists, and creators. This type of environment may look different for every teacher, genre, and location, but the goal should remain the same: to give dancers the space and ability to advocate for their physical and mental well-being.

On the organizational level, administrators must create policies and procedures that are centered on the student experience, clearly outline injury management protocols, and set expectations for proper flooring and temperatures. In addition, organizations are responsible for vetting teachers and others in positions of authority to ensure that they approach their jobs with the safety of the dancers as a priority.

At the classroom level, teachers carry the responsibility of creating an environment where all voices are valid and heard. Through open dialogue and conversations, the studio space must be established as a place where dancers are encouraged to speak, question, and explore. Teachers also must be cognizant of the fact that all dancers come into class with different backgrounds, knowledge, and experiences—including possible trauma. Therefore, each dancer must be treated as an individual rather than with the assumption that all dancers need the same delivery in their training and learning environment.

Finally, what can you—as a dance student—do to advocate for your own safety? Not all dance settings are established in a way that is conducive to healthy and safe dance practices. If you encounter a space that is physically or mentally abusive, that does not support open dialogues, or that presents a physical hazard, it is vital that you withdraw from the situation; then, either seek outside support to work toward productive changes or transfer to a different training program. Dancers have frequently been conditioned to please others and therefore to remain silent in uncomfortable situations. In light of this tendency, self-advocacy is a key skill for all dancers to develop, including working to assess environments that seem unhealthy or dangerous and learning to speak up for their well-being. Ultimately, your health and safety depends on you verbalizing your personal boundaries and demanding a work environment that supports whole-dancer wellness.

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Best Practices for Using a Mirror

Sally Radell, MFA, MA, a professor of dance at Emory University, is a leading researcher in the positive and negative effects of working with mirrors in dance training (figure 16.2). She has concluded that mirrors can be very positive as a tool to help dancers learn and as a source of immediate visual feedback; however, they can also be a mechanism for great distraction (Radell et al., 2017; Radell et al., 2020). Beyond a distraction, mirrors can develop a high level of self-consciousness in dancers, may encourage comparison of themselves to others, and may enable disconnection of dancers from their bodies, thus diminishing their proprioception and body awareness. Whereas a mirror can be effective in learning new skills and choreography, once the choreography is learned, rehearsals should be done facing away from a mirror whenever possible, especially because mirrors are not available during performances.

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How to Best Prepare Yourself for Success

The content of this book may seem overwhelming as you begin to integrate its material into your daily life, but take comfort in knowing that much of your journey is within your control. You should now understand how to (1) engage in outside conditioning, including training your cardiorespiratory system, (2) seek out and implement appropriate stretching and strengthening regimens, (3) explore somatic practices to balance the body and mind, (4) implement optimal nutrition plans that will enhance your performance and overall well-being, and (5) utilize research literature to help support dancer wellness and injury risk reduction.

Warming Up the Body and Mind

It is a dancer’s responsibility to prepare their body and mind for class. To maximize the many benefits of this preparation, warming up should be systematic, tailored to your needs and to the class or rehearsal you are preparing for, and helpful in transitioning from previous (nondance) activities, such as arriving from a lecture class in another part of campus or driving in a car to your studio.

In ballet, the first exercises at the barre are often considered to be warm-up activities. Nevertheless, if the dancer is already warm—having moved the joints, dynamically activated the muscles (not by doing static stretches while sitting on the floor), and warmed their body from the inside by raising the heart rate—they will benefit much more from those first pliés. This principle applies to all dance styles and classes.

You are encouraged to create a ritual for yourself in order to take ownership of preparing for class. Having a specific sequence means you can really focus on the intent of the warm-up rather than on simply figuring out something to do. Warm-ups can—and should—be set to music, and you can adjust the movements for the class or rehearsal you are about to enter. Regardless of the exact approach, dedicating time for physical preparation is important.

Mental preparation is equally important. Focusing on your goals for the class or rehearsal, reviewing notes or concepts given in previous sessions, and using mental imagery or visualization to augment your physical practice are all part of preparing your mind for dance. Use this time to set aside worries, concerns, or distractions, and focus on integrating the body and mind by addressing balance or proprioception or by practicing specific breathing techniques to key into the body’s responsiveness.

Cooling Down

As beneficial as warming up is, a key element to a dancer’s health and injury risk reduction is cooling down. Following the peak combination, the last rehearsal of choreography, or another major dance activity, it is important to bring the body down from the elevated physical, emotional, and mental state required for success in class, rehearsal, or performance. Sadly, it is often the case that no time is allotted for this moment in class; nevertheless, a proper cool-down could be a key to lessening the likelihood of injury, restoring homeostasis in the body, and allowing the body to consolidate its information (Quin, 2015).

Dancers intuitively want to stretch after class. However, sitting down on the floor or lowering the head below the heart in a forward stretch without lowering the heart rate to a near-normal state could be dangerous for some. The reason for this danger is that while the heart and arteries continue to pump blood at a high rate, the veins require the skeletal muscles to assist their return of the blood to the heart. Instead of sitting down or standing, dynamic stretches can gradually decrease in range of motion and intensity (e.g., transitioning from running and jumping to walking and sliding) to lower the heart rate gradually and keep blood from pooling in the lower extremities. Gentle range of motion exercises can continue to mobilize joints, moving fluid throughout the body for muscle relaxation. Stretching is best done when the body is still warm, but the heart rate has decreased, and the body has recovered from physical exertion (Redding and Handman, 2017).

Action Items for Students

1. Be a purposeful and wise consumer of information. There is a lot of misinformation about how to be a better, stronger, and more flexible dancer. Just as you have learned not to believe everything you read on the Internet, you must apply this same skepticism to information about your health and well-being. In addition, each body and mind is different; what works for your friend may not work for you. Take the information that works, and discard the rest. You are on a mission to understand what is best for you . . . to explore, to deconstruct, to question, and to develop wisdom.
2. Incorporate sound science into your dance practice. As you are vetting sources and information, always try to understand the science behind the recommendation. Then ask, “Is this practice anatomically sound?” and “Is it backed by science?” (Helping you do this is a primary reason for chapter 3 in this book!) If you struggle to answer those questions, you may need to dig a bit deeper to find what you are trying to accomplish. As you approach your dance training with this type of analysis, you may begin to question how a movement is done or the reason behind certain practices. This questioning is the next step in your education. Approach dance with the intention of incorporating your new, healthy knowledge and practice into the classroom and studio.
3. Work smart with your end goals in mind. This perspective is incredibly important, especially as you manage and recover from injury or illness. Pushing through pain in one rehearsal or class may result in a longer recovery time or reinjury. This cycle is far too common among dancers, and it often leads to frustration and shortened careers. Always consider the end goal of a full, healthy, and safe recovery; this focus will help to keep things in perspective. For example, maybe taking that extra class or doing large jumps is not the best way to serve your goal. Let that be okay; work smarter, not harder.
4. Practice self-care. Dancers are notorious for overtraining, often leading to overuse injuries, disordered eating practices, reduced energy, and burnout. Taking the time to practice self-care must be a priority in order to honor the whole-dancer perspective. Enjoy a long lunch with a close friend, get adequate sleep, respect your own limitations and boundaries, read a book, meditate, take a bath, or try other methods of self-care that work for you. Remember that self-care is a necessity; your body and mind help you achieve your goals as a dancer, so caring for them must be a priority.

Considerations for Educators

As an aspiring or well-established educator, it is imperative that you understand the physiological and psychological demands of dance and how to systematically train your students to maximize their wellness under your tutelage. This understanding will yield many benefits for you. Remaining cognizant of the types of injury risks by genre is vital to planning classes and choreography that allows you to consistently train students to maximize their strength and flexibility while nurturing their artistry. Offering options for participation that address other important skills needed for dance and slowly integrating the dancer back into dance create a positive and healthy transition for all involved (Daniels, 2014).

Here are a few other things to consider as you move forward:

1. Interact with dancers as whole people. Consider Hettler’s six dimensions of wellness (discussed in chapter 1). Work to understand your dancers’ perspectives and to support all aspects of their identity.
2. Be a proper role model. Acknowledge your own physical limitations with your students by setting your boundaries and modifying movements as needed. Laugh it off when something goes wrong, accept imperfection in the process, fuel your body, take the day off when you are ill, drink lots of water, talk about your hobbies outside of dance, and take a deep breath when stress starts to creep in. Even if unintended, your actions dictate the energy in the studio. If you want open, healthy, body-aware dancers, you must first find those qualities in yourself.
3. Incorporate sound science into your teaching. Do your research, and build your teaching around practice that is anatomically and physiologically sound.
4. Always give your best. Show up, and be present.
5. Have proper safety protocols and equipment in place. Have injury action plans, emergency evacuation routes, and first aid kits ready.
6. Create a physically safe space. Ensure the floors are sprung and the space is clean.
7. Create an emotionally safe space. In other words, create a space in which physical touch is not an assumption but something to ask permission for, and where dancers are expected to speak up when they feel uncomfortable or unsafe.
8. Work to empower students to take ownership of their learning and well-being. Provide tools for learning that go beyond watching and repeating. Help them explore their own bodies and capabilities through anatomy lessons, supplemental exercises, resources, and lots of conversation. The best way to empower students is to let them engage in the process; ask them questions that may not have a right answer so that they can exercise their minds. Remove yourself from the position of power over, and assume a position of power with. By entering the discussion with the students, it gives them the freedom to activate their own sense of wonderment and exploration.
9. Give the gift of self-care, and model it for your students. Some days are harder than others. Take care of yourself, but also listen to your students. If they ask for a day to rest or want to have a conversation rather than push themselves physically, it is your opportunity to listen. Sometimes taking a day to learn the tools of visualization, modifications, relaxation, or self-massage is just as valuable as using the time learning how to complete a complex movement.

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A Note on Self-Care

The term self-care seems to be increasingly present in today’s culture, and it can mean anything from a nap to a difficult workout. Keep in mind that self-care is highly personal and should ultimately reduce stress. Since dancers have the tendency to keep pushing themselves, it is important to remember that rest, recovery, and proper nutrition (including hydration) are all necessary aspects of self-care. Figure 16.3 offers some ideas for self-care, and there are many others if you put your imagination to work.

More Excerpts From Dance Injuries With HKPropel Access

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