Journal of Dance Medicine & Science

While the benefits of traditional strength training for dancers has been examined, no such investigation has been performed for plyometric training. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the effects of plyometric training and traditional weight training on aesthetic jumping ability, lower-body strength, and power in col-legiate dancers. Eighteen female dancers who were enrolled in a minimum of one intermediate or advanced ballet or modern class at Skidmore College volunteered to participate in the study. Twelve subjects were randomly assigned to a plyometric (n = 6) or traditional weight training (n = 6) group. The remaining six subjects served as a self-selected control group. The plyometric group performed 3 sets of 8 repetitions of 4 different lower-body plyometric exercises twice a week. The weight training group performed 3 sets of 6 to 8 repetitions of 4 lower-body isotonic exercises twice a week. The control group refrained from all forms of strength training. Each subject maintained her normal dance classes throughout the six week intervention. All subjects were tested prior to and following the six-week training period. Testing consisted of assessments of jumping skill and lower-body strength and power. Strength was assessed via 3 one-repetition maximum tests: leg press, leg curl, and leg extension. Power was assessed with a Wingate anaerobic power test and vertical jump height tests. Aesthetic jumping ability was assessed via an evaluation by dance faculty at Skidmore College on ballon, jump height, ability to point the feet in the air, and overall jumping ability. There were no differences in the descriptive measures of jumping ability, strength or power among the groups at the start of the study. The plyometric group significantly increased leg press strength (37%), standing vertical jump height (8.3%), and aesthetic jump height (14%). The weight training group significantly increased leg press strength (32%), leg curl strength (23%), mean anaerobic power (6%), aesthetic jump height (22%), and aesthetic ability to point the feet in the air (20%). No significant changes were seen in the control group. The results of this study indicate that either plyometric training or traditional lower-body weight training can be useful in improving variables applicable to dance. This study also supports the notion that short-term dance training alone may not be sufficient to elicit improvements in these variables.

Preventing dance injuries is the fundamental aim of healthcare providers, educators, and scientists interested in the health and well-being of dancers. Since its inception in 1990, the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science has promoted community-wide efforts to standarized measurements associated with dancer health, including the measurement of injuries themselves. To effectively reduce dance injury rates, a consistent and systematic way of documenting injury oc-currence is necessary. Without uniformly kept records showing the type, nature, frequency, and circumstances surrounding dance injury events, it is difficult—if not impossible—to distinguish between variables that influence their occurrence. Injury reporting systems have been used by the sports community for the past three decades and have provided athletes and the persons who train them and care for their health a better understanding of risk variables associated with injury onset. It is only by similar discipline that the dance medicine community can become truly effective at reducing its injury rates. The aim of this paper is introduce infor-mation about the purpose and process of injury reporting and to describe how implementing privacy protected injury reporting systems that monitor dancers in their environment can reliably capture valuable information associated with the conditions surrounding injury events and lead to more effective prevention and treatment strategies.

Research into dance pathology usually focuses on musculoskeletal and endo-crine-nutritional conditions. However, when practiced full time other systems can also be affected. The aim of this work was to determine the prevalence of genitourinary conditions in dance and to establish whether any correlation exists between stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and the cushioning capacity of the foot. A total of 32 pre-professional dancers (27 females and 5 males; 19 ± 2.2 years old) who practiced several types of dance in the Madrid Professional Conservatoire of Dance were studied. The data were obtained using a questionnaire, personal interviews, and physical examination. The height of the internal plantar arch of both feet was measured before and after training, estimating the flexibility of the plantar arch (percentage change in height of arch between both situations). Multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the existence of a possible relationship between SUI and plantar flexibility.

A total of 68.7% of dancers had suf-fered a genitourinary condition at some time during their lives, and 48.1% of the female dancers and 20% of the males had suffered SUI. SUI was triggered by dance in 69.2% of the females with urinary incontinence, and was considered as problematic by 30.7%. SUI occurs during the classes in 55% of cases, mainly during ballet activities, followed by flamenco tap dancing. SUI associated with dance is more closely related to the flexibility of the plantar arch in basal conditions (r² = 0.64, p < 0.05, t-stat = 3.57) and after training (r² = 0.76, p < 0.05, t-stat = 3.52), than that presenting in diverse situations (r² = 2.07, p < 0.05, t-stat = 3.1), for which other causal factors must be sought. Lower genitourinary tract disorders are more prevalent in pre-professional dancers than in the general population; and dance itself is the main triggering factor of SUI. We, therefore, recommend that more attention be paid to the genitourinary system in dance medicine and propose a series of preventive measures.