Anatomy for Dance: An Expanded Design

Abstract

The field of dance science offers a wealth of information that can enhance a dancer's training, contribute to a dancer's overall health maintenance, and assist in recovery from injury. Most dance curricula today require some study in anatomy and kinesiology as a way to help young dancers take advantage of knowledge gained from research in dance medicine and science. However, anatomy education often does not continue into the dance technique class. This article proposes that anatomy be taught in conjunction with the dance technique class so that dance students are better able to transfer scientific information into their dancing. The following discusses the scientific and philosophical reasons for this design, outlines a model and one possible way to integrate the proposed model into existing curricula, addresses possible curricular implications, and recommends that further research is needed to gain valuable support for this method.