News: Can You Hear Me? Listening to Body Signals to Prolong Dance Careers -How pre-injury warning signs can promote wellness in our dancing community by Courtney Moody

Can You Hear Me? Listening to Body Signals to Prolong Dance Careers How pre-injury warning signs can promote wellness in our dancing community by Courtney Moody

As dancers, we love to push the limit. Too often, our drive to push harder and farther than the day before causes problems. Every dancer has pushed through pain at some point in their education or career. For a group of individuals so used to listening to their bodies, we do a great job at tuning out pain and pushing through.

But what if we could identify possible injuries before we even started noticing pain?

It may sound like a dream, but the Australian Ballet found ways to do just that.

Their solution: identify warning signs before they grow into injuries.

When we think of warning signs, our initial thought is sharp pain in our knees, ankles, backs, etc. However, our bodies often communicate a problem long before the first flare-up. Cramping, fatigue, or stiffness in our muscles are the warning lights that we need to check in with our bodies before we reach the point of injury.

At the Australian Ballet, the company instituted a process of addressing these concerns early. Identifying placement concerns, areas of opportunity for strength training, and other factors allowed them to significantly lower the number of injuries-per-season. Yet it all began with dancers actively listening to their bodies’ micro-signals and addressing them early on.

For leaders in dance circles, it’s important to make a safe space for dancers to bring up concerns without fear of losing opportunities. Doing so not only creates a less injury-prone company but also develops trust between dancers and staff. By allowing dancers to freely communicate their concerns, leaders can also make active adjustments to their training programs and rehearsals to better meet the needs of the current season’s repertoire.

Every choice we make in listening to our bodies is a choice to either lengthen or shorten our dance careers. For dancers, our bodies are always sending signals. Take note of recurring discomfort in class and make a plan to address small concerns early. For leaders, facilitate an environment of wellness by encouraging open communication and demonstrating a desire to aid each dancer’s needs. When dancers and leaders come together, we can better promote wellness across our dancing community.

So, what is your body telling you today?