‘It shouldn’t be necessary, but it happens a lot’: Undergraduate contemporary dancers’ perceptions of pain, injury, and fatigue

Abstract

Contemporary dancers are at risk for musculoskeletal injury due to the choreographic, artistic, and physical demands of the form. Group norms such as persevering through and normalization of pain and injury have been demonstrated within dance contexts and may contribute to the high prevalence of reported injury among dancers. The purpose of this study was to explore contemporary dancers’ perceptions of pain, injury, and fatigue. Ten undergraduate contemporary dance students, self-identifying as women (18-23 years), participated in semi-structured interviews. Interviews were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four themes were generated: (1) It’s more abnormal for people to sit out than to dance through their injuries; (2) Pain, injury, and fatigue aren’t just physical; (3) Safe dancing environments are important; (4) Implementing dancer health knowledge into practice is complicated. Participants described training and performing through pain and injury, and not always feeling comfortable expressing these experiences to instructors. Pain, injury, and fatigue impacted participants physically and psychologically. Safe dance practice education was viewed as important but challenges implementing knowledge into practice were noted. Continued efforts to integrate safe dance practices into university dance curriculum are needed to help minimize the high prevalence of pain, injury, and fatigue among university contemporary dancers.