Dancers: Athletes Of God

One of the best things that I am just getting to grips with is just picking up my laptop and writing! I often find myself lay there thinking about things and now suddenly I have a way of putting them out there in the universe! Anyways, as the nomad that I am, I really like the idea of my laptop just being there, transported around with, I do not like to work in any one spot, I enjoy having various areas where I can get stuck in anywhere! In this case I was just staring at a poster I have above my bed and on it is a poem by Martha Graham,  with the ending line of "An Athlete of God". This sent my mind racing back to the conversation I have had previously with a fellow dancer friend, discussing injuries and to be honest how useless mainstream doctors are when treating dance based injuries! 

 

The view from my bed!

Excuse the wonky poster but that last powerful sentence really suddenly hit home with me, as a dancer I know the physical strain we put on our body, it is one of the most physical art forms - fluctuating into the realms of sport! In short, we really are expected to be athletes yet the recognition we get from a medical point of view is pretty dire!

A very close friend of mine has recently had to leave vocational training due to a hip injury, yet after X-Rays and consultations, medical professionals have not been able to come up with a diagnosis and therefore the prognosis was "Well, just don't dance on it"! I know I am biased and I know every dancer whines about the same thing, but we well and truly are NOT recognized as athletic individual that have to train and look after their body a way an Olympian would!

I am aware that many professional companies have in house physios and even many vocational schools have the same! But they come at a cost and also not as accessible as your generic NHS GP. But even so, the research that goes into sport science and sports injuries seems to be non existent when it comes to dance! Theoretically there is a lot of dance bases research into the anatomical capabilities of a perfect dancer and what we aim to achieve, but not all of us were born that way if anyone is! The friend I mentioned earlier is having to travel down to London from her Midland based home to go to a specialized dance clinic, an amazing place I am sure but at what cost?!

Upon doing further research I did come across something rather amazing however, a center for dance medicine! A weekly clinic run by a network of professionals, working closer together to provide specialist treatment for dancers. But this is in London, I know the dance world does pretty much revolve round the capital, but surely, if I can go to physio in my local NHS clinic then why can't dance be integrated into umbrella that is Sport Medicine. I am not asking for a whole stretch of clinics just for dancers up and down the country, that would be financially ridiculous let alone redundant, but too many dancers are brushed aside by NHS doctors and told that its tough and if it hurts just don't do it!  

But how has this ended up this way? Well personally, I feel it is down to the lack of research! Or maybe even too many contrary debates when it comes to dancers health! I mean comparing a dancer to an athlete: training, diet, job prospects are all completely different! Many dancers are told they are too skinny, but they are just as strong as an athlete! Again I am not asking for dance to be an Olympic sport but a little bit of research could go a long way! What exercises could work along side dance training to help and rehabilitate an injury?! In a period of non dancing, what ways can a dancer keep a level of what I like to call "dance fitness" without working or damaging certain muscle groups? Dancers are told to do Pilates and yoga and to stretch etc and this is all well and good, but that's just injury prevention, the way an Olympic diver does weigh training pool side to prepare the body for impact. But if that Olympic diver tore a tricep, there would be a physio with massage, treatment and exercises to help it recover... Dancers are told its tough or more often than not with dance based injuries, told that findings are inconclusive and to sit out and not train for a period of time!

Again, I will admit I am biased, but it is just not good enough! We work as hard as athletes and are looked down on because people assume we just prance about in leotards and tights! But what can we do about it?! Sadly, I am no medical expert, but I do feel maybe as artists we should club together and constantly share health tips and training ideas that we have found effective, if the professionals won't do the research for us then we can do it ourselves! If anyone has any gym routines or exercise programmes they have found particularly effective for an injury or just general training, please do let me know! I know for a fact I will definitely be constantly on the go, researching different techniques and reading up on how I can maintain a fit and healthy "dance fit" body!

This does not really have anything to do with my course module at the moment, but the more I blog, the more I find it an effective release to sometimes put thoughts and frustrations down and help myself reflect! I always like to think of a blog post to not be conclusive statement but the building blocks and foundations for ongoing research! So please share and comment with anything as it would be really interesting to hear your stories and experiences!