10 Habits of Highly Effective Dancers (#5) – Dance Injuries
photo credit: bradleypjohnson
This is post #5 in the “10 Habits” series. Each post shares another key to being a better student. You can view all of the posts in this series by clicking this link.
Habit #5: Highly Effective Dancers Care For Their Bodies
No list of good habits for dancers would be complete without emphasizing the importance of proper self-care. In this post I will briefly discuss the importance of this oft-neglected aspect of being a dancer.
A dancer’s body is her instrument. It is how she expresses herself but unlike a musical instrument, you can’t just swing over to Musician’s Friend to replace it!
Speaking of musicians, most of them learn to care of their instrument before they are even allowed to play a note! The thinking is that being a good musician is not just about great performing but also respect for the art form which includes respect for your instrument.
On the other hand, in many settings dancers are lucky to receive any formal advice about self-care early in their training. Many of us just piece together information that we have gathered from others over the years until we begin to feel knowledgeable. So even if you are in a class where self-care is not emphasized, please realize that it is supremely important to your success as a dancer.
I have heard from dancers who say that they don’t need to stretch or warm up before performing. If that describes you, remember that you only need to take care of the muscles you want to keep using. The bottom line is, like anything else, without proper care you will eventually wear your body out.
Here are some articles & books resources for anyone wanting to know more about preventing dance injuries:
3 Things You Can Do Now To Shorten Your Dance Career
The Season That Ruins Dancers And What You Can Do About It! (Part 1)
The Season That Ruins Dancers And What You Can Do About It! (Part 2)
Avoiding Injuries Most of The Time
Forum Discussion of Dance Injuries
August 15th, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Taps,
Great article. I would like to add, if you are the parent of a dancer it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to make sure your child is using safe practices. Don’t depend on the teacher solely. Ask your child questions about his class. Observe when possible. Ask the studio director about the flooring…. If possible, have your child stretch and warm up before class. Don’t wait until your child has been dancing several years before you become aware. I have just recently become more safety conscious. I wish that I would have done a little bit of research and asked more questions when my child first started dancing.
April 7th, 2009 at 4:41 am
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