Professional Dancers Research Articles

Fatigue and recovery in ballet: Exploring the experiences of professional South African ballet dancers

BackgroundProfessional South African ballet dancers face a higher risk of overuse injuries and overtraining syndrome as compared to dancers from other countries; especially towards the end of a ballet season. Fatigue is a major factor leading to overtraining syndrome and injuries in professional ballet dancers. The study aimed to explore the fatigue and recovery experiences of South African ballet dancers, highlighting how they navigate these aspects and the strategies they employ for recovery.MethodsSnowball sampling was employed to recruit ten professional South African ballet dancers. Between March and June 2023, individual semi-structured interviews were conducted online using Microsoft Teams. The interview schedule, informed by previous research, delved into the dancers’ fatigue and recovery experiences. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsSeven main themes were developed from the data. Participants distinguished between mental and physical fatigue, highlighting the impact of mental fatigue on their well-being. They identified factors contributing to fatigue, including high external pressure, motivated behaviours, and expectations from audiences and management. These contributors often resulted in injuries, mandatory breaks, and sub-optimal performance. Participants accepted fatigue as inherent to their profession, emphasising mental resilience. Recovery practices included psychological, nutritional, and active strategies. The COVID-19 lockdown provided a respite from external pressures, allowing for improved recovery, but participants faced challenges upon returning to work. Gradually increasing practice time and exposure to external pressures assisted ballet dancers in effectively managing fatigue and enhancing their recovery as they returned to work.ConclusionThis study offers a perspective of fatigue and recovery in a sample of professional ballet dancers in South Africa. It emphasises the ongoing significance of fatigue and recovery and the necessity for effective strategies by arts organisations, mental health professionals, and academic researchers to support artists. The insights gained from this research could be crucial in redesigning training programs for dancers, adjusting training intensity and volume to enhance performance, and promoting recovery. Furthermore, this information serves as a strong rationale for adopting a holistic approach to fatigue and recovery, emphasising the importance of a collaborative effort to address these aspects effectively.

“It Always Comes Back to Intrinsic Motivation”: A Qualitative Investigation into Facilitators of Engagement and Well-Being Across the Many Roles of a Dance Artist

ABSTRACT Although “making it” in dance has long been associated with a performance career, few dancers solely perform and many also pursue choreography and/or teaching. Considering these many ways of being a dance artist, the aim of this study was to understand (a) the psychological characteristics which are perceived to be facilitative of engagement and well-being in dance, and (b) the experiences that dancing itself provides that encourage engagement and well-being. Eight dancers in vocational ballet training and 17 professional dance artists, all of whom had performed and/or taught and/or choreographed, participated in semi-structured interviews which were analyzed using thematic analysis. Key themes of a) intrinsic motivation to dance, b) psychological characteristics in the dancer, and c) basic psychological need satisfaction in dance were found. It is important to equally nurture intrinsic motivation across dance training, performance, choreography, and teaching to promote engagement and well-being across the training and career span.

Neural Dynamics of Creative Movements During the Rehearsal and Performance of “LiveWire"

This report contains a description of physiological and motion data, recorded simultaneously and in synchrony using the hyperscanning method from two professional dancers using wireless mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) technology during rehearsals and public performances of “LiveWire” - a new composition comprised of five choreographed music and dance sections inspired by neuroscience principles. Brain and ocular activity were measured using 28-channel scalp electroencephalography (EEG), and 4-channel electrooculography (EOG), respectively; and head motion was recorded using an inertial measurement unit (IMU) placed on the forehead of each dancer. Video recordings were obtained for each session to allow for tagging of physiological and motion signals and for behavioral analysis. Data recordings were collected from 10 sessions over a 4-month period, in which the dancers rehearsed or performed (in front of an audience) choreographed expressive movements. A detailed explanation of the experimental set-up, the steps carried out for data collection, and an explanation on the usage are provided in this report.

Self-reported Health Problems of Professional Dancers from Five German Opera Houses or State Theatres: A Prospective Study with Weekly Follow-ups during One Season

BackgroundMost studies on injuries of professional dancers used a medical-attention and/or time-loss definition and did not analyse all health problems. Further, almost all studies included just one company. The aim was to analyse all self-reported health problems of professional ballet and contemporary dancers during one season and compare sexes and five companies in Germany.MethodsDancers of five professional companies completed weekly health questionnaires during the season (September 2022 to June 2023). Numerical rating scales were used for severity of all health problems, musculoskeletal pain, impairment of the ability to dance at full potential, physical and mental workload in the previous seven days. If the severity of all health problems were rated greater than “0”, the dancers were asked to report the type and consequences of their most severe health problem.ResultsDuring 43 weeks, 98 dancers (39.8% male) completed 3123 weekly reports (response rate 74.1%). The season prevalence of any health problem was 100% and of time-loss health problems 74.5%. The average weekly prevalence of any health problem was 62.7%, of musculoskeletal pain 83.4% and of impaired ability to dance at full potential, due to health problem 48.6%. While the season prevalence and type of health problems was similar between sexes, the average weekly prevalence of severe health problems was higher in female than in male dancers (Chi2 = 23.2; p < .001), and female dancers saw a qualified health professional more often than male dancers (Chi2 = 19.5; p < .001). Companies differed in almost all investigated variables, with more health problems in companies where more dancers rated their workload higher than “ideal”.ConclusionHealth problems are frequent in professional dancers and affect their ability to dance. Future studies should analyse the impact of physical and mental workload on health problems.

Investigation of hip flexibility training on dancesport optimization using machine learning video analysis

Dancesport, particularly the Paso Doble, requires high agility, coordination, and flexibility, especially in the hips. This study investigates the impact of an eight-week targeted Hip Flexibility Training (HFT) program on the performance of professional Paso Doble dancers. The need for this research stems from the lack of objective, data-driven evaluations in the field, where traditional methods rely heavily on subjective assessments. Previous studies have examined general flexibility in dance, but few have focused on the direct Biomechanical Effects (BF) and Physiological Effects (PE) of specific HFT on dancers. Further, such studies could not accurately measure hip joint movements and their coordination in order to achieve dance performance efficiency. The proposed study used motion-capturing devices to collect key movement data that impacts performance efficiency. The collected data is analyzed using the hybrid receptive field block (RFB) and residual network (ResNET) ML models to study the pre- and post-HFT results. Twelve highly trained dancers were assigned to have biomechanical and physiological metrics measured after and before the training. The data analysis has shown that there has been a significant increase in hip flexion from 65.4 ± 4.5° to 75.2 ± 3.7° (P &lt; 0.05), hip extension from 25.3 ± 2.4° to 30.1 ± 2.1° (P &lt; 0.05), and joint velocity from 1.18 ± 0.15 m/s to 1.32 ± 0.12 m/s (P &lt; 0.05). Physiological metrics also showed improvements, such as a reduction in Oxygen Consumption (OC) from 2.02 ± 0.21 L/min to 1.85 ± 0.18 L/min (P &lt; 0.05) and Energy Cost (EC) from 50.1 ± 7.2 kJ/min to 45.6 ± 6.4 kJ/min (P &lt; 0.05).

Pasteables: A Flexible and Smart “Stick-and-Peel” Wearable Platform for Fitness and Athletics

Wearable technologies are becoming increasingly popular and transforming our fitness and sports industry. Monitoring health parameters and body activity can help achieve fitness goals, improve sports performance, and aid in physiotherapy. However, state-of-the-art wearable devices are often not flexible, expensive, hard to set up, or have privacy concerns. They are designed and optimized for a specific application with tight hardware-software integration and it is hard or impossible to re-purpose them for diverse use cases. In this paper, we propose a flexible, re-configurable human body movement and health monitoring platform, called "Pasteables". It is a stick-and-peel device (which acts like a band-aid) that attaches to the skin or clothing and can create an on-body network of smart wearables. Given an application, Pasteables can be easily adapted to its requirements while ensuring good performance and privacy. We present the overall architecture, system design steps, and the configuration process. We have designed a set of functional prototypes and configured them for performing a variety of camera-less pose and posture detection tasks, which are important for athletes, professional dancing, physiotherapy, and fitness workouts. We note that the Pasteables can perform pose/posture detection without external stationary reference at low cost and high accuracy.

A Gait Analysis in Professional Dancers: A Cross-Sectional Study.

A gait analysis serves as a critical tool for examining the biomechanical differences in movement patterns between trained and untrained individuals. This study investigates the nuanced differences in gait patterns between professional ballet dancers and non-dancers, with a focus on angular velocities and accelerations across key body joints. By analyzing the positions and movements of the head, neck, shoulder, spine, hip, knee, and ankle in both the sagittal (SP) and frontal (FP) planes, the study aims to identify key distinctions in joint dynamics that arise from differing levels of physical training. The study involved ten participants in total, comprising four professional female ballet dancers and six non-dancer students (three males and three females). In the first experiment, participants performed walking trials at five different speeds, while in the second experiment, the ballet dancers performed six distinct dance routines. Data were captured using a Kinetics motion capture camera system, which recorded the maximum and minimum angular velocities and accelerations during both walking and dancing. Key findings reveal significant differences in joint dynamics. For example, non-dancers' right shoulder exhibited a maximum angular velocity of -0.47 rad/s and a minimum of 0.71 rad/s, while dancers showed a maximum of -0.09 rad/s and a minimum of 0.07 rad/s. The right knee also displayed notable differences, with angular velocities ranging from -3.88 rad/s to 2.61 rad/s for non-dancers, compared to -0.35 rad/s to 0.54 rad/s for dancers. In terms of acceleration, dancers' left shoulder reached a maximum of 3.952 mm/s2, while their right shoulder had a minimum of -0.1 mm/s2. For non-dancers, the left elbow showed a maximum acceleration of 2.997 mm/s2, while the right elbow had a minimum of 0.05 mm/s2. These variations in angular velocity and acceleration underscore the distinct roles and movements of various joints, highlighting differences in muscle coordination and joint control. Understanding these patterns is crucial for assessing joint function, optimizing training, and developing intervention strategies for injury prevention and rehabilitation. The findings hold significant implications for the dance community and other physically active populations, offering valuable insights into performance enhancement and movement health.

Analysis of the Current Status and Development Strategies of Dance Education in Vocational Colleges

With the increasing demand for dance professionals in society, vocational colleges' dance education plays a crucial role in cultivating high-quality dance talent. This paper aims to analyze the current status of dance education in vocational colleges, highlight existing problems, and propose corresponding development strategies. By researching aspects such as curriculum design, faculty strength, teaching facilities, student quality, and employment orientation, the study finds that vocational colleges face challenges such as a disconnect between curriculum and industry demand, insufficient practical teaching, weak faculty teams, and unequal resource allocation. Therefore, the paper suggests strategies such as optimizing the curriculum system, strengthening practical teaching and industry-school collaboration, improving faculty development, and enhancing educational facilities and resource allocation. Through the implementation of these strategies, it is expected to improve the quality of dance education in vocational colleges and train dance professionals who meet societal demands.

Coping strategies for combating chronic pain among professional ballet dancers in Cali, Colombia. Qualitative study

IntroductionPain is part of the daily life of ballet dancers. To achieve perfection in the dance, techniques based on repetitive movements that overload different parts of the body are used, which generate pain. The purpose of this study is identify coping strategies used by professional ballet dancers to manage chronic pain. MethodsA qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological design with a population of 17 professional dancers from a ballet company in Cali, Colombia. The Chronic Pain Coping Questionnaire (CAD) and a open interview with guiding questions were applied as research instruments. ResultsThe dancers of the Colombian Ballet Company engage in a physically demanding practice that necessitates continuous movement. The majority of these dancers are under 30 years of age and have been with the company for less than 5 years. Unfortunately, their frequent injuries include sprains, back pain, and disc herniation, often attributed to a lack of strengthening and the imposition of high physical loads. In coping with the pain, the dancers commonly resort to seeking information about their injuries and engaging in self-affirmation of their exceptional abilities. ConclusionsDancers get used to pain to continue in professional dance companies. Coping with pain involves developing strategies for self-affirmation and motivation to continue in their profession.

Investigating the Relationship Between Dance Flow and Improvisation

This article explores the intrinsic connection between dance flow and improvisation, aiming to analyze dancers’ thinking and behavioral patterns in dance creation from a psychological perspective. The study points out that the application of flow theory in the field of dance is relatively scarce, while improvisation, as a core skill in dance art, requires dancers to create without preset conditions. The article begins with an overview of flow theory, emphasizing how the flow state facilitates dancers’ technical performance and creativity. It then analyzes the improvisational practices of professional dancers to reveal the positive interactive relationship between flow and improvisation. The research finds that dancers in a flow state are more likely to enter a state of improvisation, and improvisation itself can also stimulate the flow experience. The article concludes with a discussion on the role of dance flow and improvisation in dance education and performance practice, highlighting the importance of relational creativity in dance creation.

Effects of Dance Music on Motor Skills and Balance in Children: An Observational Cohort Study.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, children in Japan were restricted from sports and outdoor activities. Regular physical activity is essential for healthy growth and development in children, with recommendations advocating for activities such as strength training. However, the long-term effects of the restrictions have not been fully investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an "exercise class", specifically a dance program, designed to improve motor function in elementary school children affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which may have compromised their motor function. The dance program was developed by a sports science teacher, a professional dancer, and a physical therapist, and it was evaluated in a community-based participatory study. Trained dance instructors conducted one-hour dance sessions in a medical center, held once a week for two months from June to August 2023. A physical therapist and dance instructors led the elementary school children. Outcome measures included grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, back muscle strength, dynamic balance function during movement, physical activity time, and body fat percentages. Descriptive statistics were used for analysis. Twenty-four children aged 6-9 years participated in the exercise class over a two-month period. Improvement was observed in grip strength, lower extremity muscle strength, and dynamic balance function during movement. However, physical activity time, body fat percentages, and back muscle strength did not change. The results indicated a significant improvement in motor skills. Dance is an inexpensive program that elementary school children can enjoy while improving their motor skills.

“My body is my business card”: Perceptions about nutrition, body appreciation, and eating disorders among female professional dancers

This study aimed to investigate perceptions about nutrition, body appreciation, and eating disorders (EDs) among female professional dancers as they are a group at increased risk of developing EDs and body dissatisfaction. Ten Brazilian participants were interviewed and assessed through a socio-demographic questionnaire. The transcriptions of the interviews were further analyzed using the Reflective Thematic Analysis technique, which encompassed three themes: (1) Attitudes Toward Nutrition, (2) Perceptions of the Body within Dance, and (3) Psychological Impacts of the Dance Environment. The reports indicate the overvaluation of a lean body in the professional dance environment. Teachers and choreographers were seen as important figures in the development trajectory of dancers. Puberty emerged as the most sensitive period of pressure to fit into the dance aesthetic standard. Implementing educational and preventive strategies to alleviate potential harm caused by the demanding and socially pressured environment of professional dance, particularly concerning body image, weight, and shape are suggested.

Examination of Left-Right Differences and Intertrial Variability in Grand Jeté Among Professional Ballet Dancers.

Introduction: Ballet demands diverse physical prowess, requiring dancers to execute movements symmetrically, irrespective of their dominant leg. Ballet often includes jumps, including the basic open-leg leap-the grand jeté-which requires uniform performance regardless of the leg on which the leap is initiated. However, no studies have simultaneously evaluated the effects of dominant leg or movement variation on jump height, leg split angle, jump time, and floor reaction forces during take-off and landing, which are related to the feeling of floating in the grand jeté. This study aimed to determine whether the high-level, stable, and beautiful performance required of professional ballet dancers in the grand jeté is affected by the dominant leg. Methods: Twelve female ballet dancers, all right leg dominant, performed the grand jeté 3 times on each side, distinguishing between dominant (right leg landing) and non-dominant (left leg landing) grand jetés. Utilising 3D movement analysis, we measured jump height, jump time, maximum leg split angle, and maximum vertical ground reaction force (VGRF) during take-off and landing. Mean values and coefficients of variation were calculated for each analysed parameter. Paired sample t-tests were conducted to assess differences between left and right grand jetés, with a significance level set at P < .05. Results: Statistically significant differences were observed in jump height (P = .028) and jump time (P = .001) when comparing the average of three trials for each side. However, no significant differences were found in maximum leg split angle (P = 0.643), maximum VGRF at take-off (P = .200), and maximum VGRF at landing (P = .109). In addition, no significant differences in coefficients of variation were identified for all items. Conclusion: Ballet dancers showed consistent performance on dominant and non-dominant legs but higher and longer jumps for grand jetés landing on the dominant leg, which may have affected overall performance.

A 6-Week Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment Intervention to Improve Professional Ballet Dancers' Psychological States Around Performance.

Background: Mindfulness and acceptance-based approaches have been trialled in professional sport. The present pilot study was a randomized controlled trial with professional ballet dancers investigating the effectiveness of the Mindfulness-Acceptance-Commitment (MAC) approach, developed for athletes, compared to an education program which included topics relevant to ballet and performance. Methods: Participants included 16 professional ballet dancers (2 men and 14 women) who were randomly assigned into either the MAC or education group for 1 session per week, for 6 weeks. Participants were assessed pre-and post-intervention using the Mindfulness Inventory for Sport (MIS) and the Acceptance Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II). Within 2 weeks of the final mindfulness session, all participants completed a semi-structured interview. Results: No differences were found when comparing the questionnaire responses between pre- and post- intervention, nor between the MAC group and the control group at post intervention for all subscales. Although dancers reported in the interviews that the sessions were valuable, they advised their ability to dedicate time to mindfulness ongoing would be challenging. Conclusions: Mindfulness interventions, as explored in this study, show promise to promote the well-being of professional ballet dancers. For consistent and ongoing mindfulness practice, future designs should seek to embed mindfulness practice into dancer and company schedules.

Relationship between minerals, vitamins and sports ability of dance athletes

Vitamins and minerals are essential for regulating metabolism. According to the nature of sports, athletes can take multi vitamin and mineral supplements to enhance some important metabolic processes and improve sports performance. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of minerals and vitamins on the sports ability of dance athletes. In this study, 100 professional dancers were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group by the control variable method. The sports diet and water of the experimental group were supplemented with certain vitamins and minerals. After that, the athletes were trained and tested, including 12 min running, strength test and dance training duration test. The results showed that the 12 min running distance of the experimental group was 420 m more than that of the control group, the balance time was 16 min longer, and the strength was increased by 25 N. In the overall energy comparison, the energy and endurance of the experimental group was two hours more than that of the control group. The conclusion is that minerals and vitamins play a role in promoting and subsidizing the physical fitness of athletes, which are more prominent in endurance and strength. This study provides a certain value for the effect of nutrients on athletes’ ability.

Understanding musculoskeletal disorders in dancers: The role of lumbopelvic muscles and movement competency

ObjectiveTo investigate whether transversus abdominis activation (TrA), hip strength, and movement competency are associated with the incidence of musculoskeletal disorder episodes (MDEs) in dancers when controlling for confounding variables. The secondary objectives were to determine if there were differences between professional and preprofessional dancers for the aforementioned factors, as well as to determine if there were differences in TrA activation and hip strength between the dominant and non-dominant sides. DesignProspective cohort study. Methods118 dancers were recruited. The independent variables were collected at the beginning of the dance season: 1) TrA activation, 2) hip strength, and 3) movement competency. To assess the development of MDEs, a weekly electronic diary was used over a 38-week period. MDEs were compiled for each dancer's whole body and subdivided into total musculoskeletal disorder episodes (all body parts) and lower quadrant musculoskeletal disorder episodes (lower limb and lower back). ResultsLower TrA, as well as higher hip abductor and external rotator strength, were associated with a lower incidence of MDEs. TrA activation (β = 0.260, p = 0.023) and hip external rotator strength (β = −0.537, p = 0.002) could significantly explain 25.4% of the variance of total MDEs, as well as 20.9% of the variance of lower quadrant musculoskeletal disorder episodes (β = 0.272, p = 0.016; β = −0.459, p = 0.011). No significant associations were found between movement competency and MDEs. ConclusionsHigher hip strength could be a protective factor for MDEs among dancers. Further studies are needed to better understand the involvement of the transversus abdominis in MDEs.

Foot and Ankle MRI Findings in Asymptomatic Professional Ballet Dancers.

Previous research in sport populations has demonstrated that abnormal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings may be present in individuals without symptoms or known pathology. Extending this understanding to ballet, particularly in relation to the foot and ankle, is important to guide medical advice given to dancers. To assess foot and ankle MRI scans in asymptomatic ballet dancers focusing on bone marrow edema and the posterior ankle and to investigate whether these MRI findings would become symptomatic within 1 year. Case series; Level of evidence, 4. In total, 31 healthy dancers (62 feet/ankles; 15 male and 16 female; age, 26.5 ± 4.3 years) who were dancing in full capacity were recruited from an elite professional ballet company. Orthogonal 3-plane short tau inversion recovery imaging of both feet and ankles was obtained using 3T MRI and the images were reviewed using a standardized evaluation form by 2 musculoskeletal radiologists. Injuries in the company were recorded and positive MRI findings were assessed for correlation with any injuries requiring medical attention during the subsequent 12 months. A total of 51 (82%) of the 62 feet and ankles had ≥1 area of bone marrow edema. The most common locations of bone marrow edema were the talus (n = 41; 66%), followed by first metatarsal (n = 14; 23%). Os trigonum and Stieda process were seen in 5 (8%) and 8 (13%) ankles, respectively. Among them, 2 os trigona showed bone marrow edema. Fluid in the anterior and posterior talocrural joints and the subtalar joint was observed in 48%, 63%, and 63% of these joints, respectively. Fluid around foot and ankle tendons was observed, with the most prevalent being the flexor hallucis longus tendon (n = 13; 21%). Two dancers who had positive findings on their MRI subsequently developed symptoms during the next 12 months. Positive MRI findings are commonplace in the foot and ankle of asymptomatic professional ballet dancers. The majority do not result in the development of symptoms requiring medical attention within 12 months. Careful interpretation of MRI findings with the dancer's clinical picture is required before recommending activity modification or further intervention.

The Efficacy of Physical Fitness Training on Dance Injury: A Systematic Review.

Greater levels of physical fitness have been linked to improved dance performance and decreased injury incidence. The aim was to review the efficacy of physical fitness training on dance injury. The electronic databases CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure were used to search peer-reviewed published articles in English or Chinese. Studies were scored using Strength of the Evidence for a Conclusion and a risk bias checklist. 10 studies met the inclusion criteria from an initial 2450 publications. These studies offered physical fitness training for professional (n = 3) and pre-professional dancers (n = 7), participant sample size ranged between 5 to 62, ages from 11 to 27 years, and most participants were females. Assessment scores were classified as Fair (n = 1), Limited (n = 7), and Expert Opinion Only (n = 2) and risk of bias scores ranged from 22.7-68.2 %. After physical fitness training, 80 % of studies reported significant benefits in injury rate, the time between injuries, pain intensity, pain severity, missed dance activities and injury count. This review suggests that physical fitness training could have a beneficial effect on injury incidence in dance. The evidence is limited by the current study methodologies.

Health Problems of Professional Ballet Dancers: an Analysis of 1627 Weekly Self-Reports on Injuries, Illnesses and Mental Health Problems During One Season

BackgroundSeveral studies have investigated injuries of (pre-)professional ballet dancers, however most used a medical-attention and/or time-loss definition and did not analyse the prevalence of all health problems. The aim was to analyse the frequency and characteristics of all self-reported physical and mental health complaints (i.e. injuries, illnesses and mental health problems) of professional ballet dancers during one season.MethodsThree professional ballet companies were prospectively monitored weekly during one season with the Performing artist and Athlete Health Monitor (PAHM). Numerical rating scales (ranging 0–10) were used for severity of musculoskeletal pain, all health problems and impairment of the ability to dance at full potential in the previous seven days. If dancers rated the severity of their health problems or their impairment greater than 0, they were asked to answer specific questions on the characteristics of each health problem.ResultsOver a period of 44 weeks, 57 dancers (57.9% female) filled in 1627 weekly reports (response rate of 64.9%), in which 1020 (62.7%) health problem were registered. The dancers reported musculoskeletal pain in 82.2% of the weeks. They felt that their ability to dance at their full potential was affected due to a health problem in about every second week (52.6%) or on at least 29.1% of the days documented in the weekly reports. Almost all dancers (96.5%) reported at least one injury, almost two thirds (64.9%) an illness and more than a quarter (28.1%) a mental health problem. On average, every dancer reported 5.6 health problems during the season. Most of the 320 health problems were injuries (73.1%), 16.9% illnesses and 10.0% mental health problems. Injuries affected mainly ankle, thigh, foot, and lower back and were mostly incurred during rehearsal (41.6%) or training (26.1%). The most frequent subjective reasons of injury were “too much workload” (35.3%), “tiredness/exhaustion” (n = 22.4%) and “stress/overload/insufficient regeneration” (n = 21.6%).ConclusionPreventive interventions are urgently required to reduce the prevalence of health problems and especially injuries of professional dancers. Injury prevention measures should regard the balance of the load capacity of professional dancers and the workload in training, rehearsals and performances.

A brief report: A rehabilitation journey in a professional elite ballet dancer

Purpose:This brief report aims to present and reflect on the lessons learnt from practice with an individual case professional dancer who sought comprehensive psychological support as a result of a trauma-injury ruptured Achilles tendon during a live performance.Method &amp; Results:A professional elite ballet dancer received a total of 12 sessions delivered weekly lasting 60 minutes each session. Rehabilitation post-surgery included physiotherapy, strength and conditioning, pilates, nutrition and psychological support as part of a comprehensive package. Quantitative data through the PANAS questionnaire (Watson et al., 1988) was administered at baseline, midpoint and at the end of the sessions. Three main themes emerged as acquired skills through psychological interventions: 1) self-confidence and self-esteem, 2) a renewed sense of belonging, and 3) a sense of autonomy.Discussion &amp; Conclusions:A dancers’ centred approach in providing psychological support for a comprehensive rehabilitation program where transdisciplinary interlinked approaches benefited the recovery from injury to full recovery. Reflections highlight the importance of positive person-centred psychological models of practice, the Rogerian foundations of authenticity, non-judgemental and guiding principles of recovery and the clinician positionality, active listening and compassion.