Blog Archives - Page 3 of 3 - Safe in Dance International

NEWSLETTER MARCH 2020

Dear friends and colleagues around the world At this time when so much in our lives is changing and we are all experiencing a new world existence, we at SiDI send you our love and thoughts. The threat of transmitting the Covid-19 virus is increasing daily worldwide. The governments of individual countries are providing direction on how to minimise the likelihood of infection and all independent dance schools, training institutions, teachers, choreographers, managers and dancers have been familiarising themselves with the general guidelines and trying to stay abreast of the public health announcements in their own locations. For most of us, live dance activities have already been reduced or stopped, with many consequences for training and employment. We have heard from some of [...]

Two dancers, black male and white female, in extended back arch at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts. Photograph by Brian O'Carroll

Audition and Performance Anxiety

The first three months of the year can mean only one thing for dance students, auditions for summer intensives, for stage shows, dance projects and for small and large dance companies. Every weekend of last month and the coming two months are packed with auditions. I wonder how many dancers, including you have packed in as many auditions over the past weekends as is humanly, or even beyond humanly possible? Why do we do this? Fear of losing out? Fear of not getting to the Summer Intensive, company or show that’s favourite? Fear of not going where other dancing friends are going? Fear of failure? Fear of rejection? Fear, fear, fear. Fear is the operative word here and because many of [...]

Mark Rasmussen of Harlequin Floors and the Scottish Ballet

Spreading the word: The contribution of the dance floor in creating a safe environment for performing arts. By Mark Rasmussen

Harlequin Floors’ Mark Rasmussen is a familiar and friendly face at global performing arts events where he regularly lectures and advises architects, school administrators, local government, unions and teachers about creating a safe environment for dance and performing arts. In his article below for SiDI, he answers some key questions and outlines the advice he gives to the dance world about the important role the floor has in contributing to safe practice. Is it difficult to lecture and advise when you’re also representing a commercial organisation? Not at all, Harlequin work closely with our friends such as you guys at Safe in Dance International, One Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer team and the wider international dancers’ health community to ensure that the [...]

Male and female white dancers in urban scene dancing

Building Healthy Boundaries in Creative Processes

This article by Stuart Waters, covers some important questions that are being posed about the safeguarding of the dance artist, most specifically within the pressures and demands of the creative process. The article was originally commissioned by Disability Arts Online, www.disabilityarts.online. Stuart Waters is a UK based performer, choreographer and teacher who recently presented at the Once Dance UK Healthier Dancer Conference held at TrinityLaban Conservatoire of Music and Dance (November 2017). His session “Mental Health and Issue-based Work” proposed the development of support mechanisms for dancers when using emotional triggers in the creative process. " Safeguarding the artist, the studio and the creative process" by Stuart Waters Photo: Joe Armitage My personal “rock bottom” was a near death experience, [...]

White female dancer nursing injured knee at Trinity Laban Conservatoire

Should I Ice an Injury? The Debate Continues…

By Sonia Rafferty, Co- founder Safe in Dance International The debate on whether icing an injury is help or hindrance to the healing process continues. At the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas in October 2017, a “duel”, entitled “Cryotherapy: Help or harm” was organised to try to persuade or dissuade therapists and dancers regarding the use of icing as a technique to manage injury. Two physical therapists, Valerie Williams (PhD) and Rosie Canizares (DPT) were charged with putting forward evidence both for and against respectively. Arguments on both sides drew on research studies to support the different viewpoints. The case FOR icing from Valerie Williams: A decrease in pain, swelling and inflammation [...]

Supporting safer dance

Following the launch of People Dancing and Safe in Dance International (SiDI)’s new online learning course, SiDI’s Co-Founders, Maggie Morris and Sonia Rafferty, explain how safe dance practice is vital for optimising performance, minimising risk and supporting the wellbeing of every dancer Lots of people see ‘health and safety’ as a set of rules that are necessary to protect workers but nevertheless can be restrictive and stifling. Certainly, in terms of artistic and creative practice, there are worries that overtly focusing on safety may be detrimental to innovation and risk-taking. But healthy and safe dance practice is so much more than industry regulations; it is the best way to optimise performance and to reduce injury risk. In the 21st century, there is the research [...]

Stretching by Guest Blogger and SiDI Provider Janine Bryant

Guidelines for Stretching - Warm up first. Never stretch a cold muscle! - By warming up first, the delivery of oxygen and nutrients are increased thus preparing muscles for strenuous activity. - Warming up should not be too tiring, but just enough to begin perspiring. - Usually a light jog for 5-7 minutes is sufficient. This tip connects the idea of aging well and dance career longevity to current studio practices. The idea that, what we do now in the dance studio directly affects how our bodies age and perform later, is one that I often talk about within the bounds of my own research on aging and range of motion (ROM). Perhaps one of the most controversial subjects for [...]

So What is Safe and Healthy Dance Practice?

Obviously, we at SiDI use those terms all the time, but what are we actually talking about? Are we the health and safety police? Do we want to spoil dancers’ fun? Do we want to stop people taking artistic and creative risk? Definitely not! Lots of people think of “health and safety” as a set of policies that are put in place to protect workers - necessary but also maybe restrictive and stifling. But healthy and safe dance practice is so much more than industry rules and regulations. It’s the best way to reduce injury risk and to enhance performance. There’s no getting round the fact that dancers get injured. Injury rates are high in our profession. So what can [...]

How can dancers gain core stability safely AND effectively?

The term “core stability” is used frequently in the media and fitness world and increasingly in dance training, but what does it actually mean for dancers and why do they need it? The core is generally thought of as the centre of the body (the part between the sternum and the knees) and stability is about gaining control of the spine and pelvis to support torso movement and coordinate the action of the limbs. A good functional core helps to connect the upper and lower body in order to produce a refined and efficient dynamic alignment when dancing. To engage the core effectively, dancers need to understand the relevant groups of muscles that are involved and the way they can [...]

Should I ice an injury?

Research in any field is constantly evolving and in time, the important findings will filter down to everyday practice. Recently in the popular press, several articles have suggested that putting ice on an injury may in fact have little beneficial effect or even delay the healing process. These suggestions aren’t new – we’ve known for some time that the evidence for the effectiveness of cryotherapy (cooling of injured tissue by ice application) on muscle injuries is limited. The question mark is over whether we should interfere with the body’s natural response to injury (inflammation) by trying to reduce it. Looking at the responses in the literature, there are mixed reactions. Some researchers state that as much of the research was [...]

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