Bridging Dance and Health in Brazil II: Raising Awareness
Author: Clara Fischer Gam
This is the 2nd installation of a post series about the opportunities and challenges of Dance and Health in Brazil - taking the perspective of our fellow Brazilian IADMS members. In a previous post we started delving into the sector of Dance Medicine and Science in this country, a field still in its infancy. Today I am bringing to you a byte-sized overview of our current issues and aspirations to reach information accessibility and community engagement in Brazil.
Read ArticleStretching: Some thoughts on current practice
Authors: Maggie Lorraine and Elsa Urmston on behalf of the IADMS Education Committee
Dancers are often passionate about developing their flexibility, reaching ever-greater ranges of motion (ROM), as choreographers require ever-more spectacular contortions of the body. For example, it’s been observed that the height of the développé in Les Sylphides Nocturne section has increased from 60° to nearly 180°, and of course, different dance styles require different ROM at different joints; Spanish dancers need increased ROM in the shoulders compared to a non-dancing population whereas classical ballet dancers need extensive ROM in the hips. We see a wide range of images and videos online nowadays which see young dancers especially, pushing their body into incredibly contorted positions, often compromising safety and alignment, and possibly leading to increased likelihood of injury as they pursue increased ROM. It’s not as simple as pushing dancers into various positions, as it has been reported that up to 17 factors can affect flexibility, including age, body morphology, genetics, gender, bones, nerves, muscle, ligaments, and connective tissue, so it becomes vital as dance educators that we educate our dancers to look after their body, practise safe stretching activities and understand that achieving optimal flexibility is a complex process.
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