When Florida State University professor Tom Welsh arrived in Tallahassee in 1991, dance science was uncharted territory. “Mostly, it was technique teachers who were looking for ways to keep their dancers dancing,” he says. “It was just a field people imagined could happen.” He immediately set to work building the university’s dance science program from […]
You’ve likely seen dancers wrapping recovering joints or taping sore muscles with bright, colorful kinesiology tape. The lightweight, stretchy adhesive is said to improve athletic performance by helping the wearer feel where her limbs are in space. Others like that it provides light support without restricting movement. Devotees even say it increases blood and lymphatic […]
Is chiropractic a long-term solution or just a quick fix? When Richmond Ballet dancer Cecile Tuzii was a student, she repeatedly injured the same ankle and couldn’t find a solution. A friend suggested she see a chiropractor, who discovered that her lower back and sacrum were misaligned, putting stress on her ankle joints. After regular […]
Understanding which to use for injury Heating pads, cold baths, ice packs. With all the options for treating injuries, it can be difficult to decide which will lead to the quickest recovery. You know that using one or the other can help the body heal faster, but in a moment of panic, which should you […]
A study shows dance-related injuries in kids and teens increased a whopping 37% between 1991 and 2007. Most injuries were caused by falls or sprains/strains. Researchers theorize the spike is due to young dancers logging longer hours in the studio and advancing more quickly. We want our dancers to work hard and learn as much […]
Houston Ballet soloist Nao Kusuzaki tried several pointe shoes to help relieve her bunion pain. Care and prevention Dancers and bunions make frequent partners. Katarzyna Skarpetowska, a member of the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company, knows how crippling they can be. “I would be just walking down the street and get a shooting pain all the […]
Tappers may use their feet more than any other type of dancer, as they slide, jump, slap, stomp and balance on the balls of their feet, quickly shifting into various positions. “Tappers use all points of the foot in contact with the floor in different percussive or frictional ways,” says Megan Richardson, a clinical specialist […]