During this very surreal time of COVID-19, many dancers around the world have been training in their home online. While other elite sports have clear loading and return to play guidelines, dancers, who are athletes, too, have no clear “return to the studio” guidelines to ensure safe loading and skill acquisition to avoid injury.
Annie Strauch APAM (APA Titled Sports and Exercise and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapist, and Director of Performance Medicine), has developed some guidelines for dancers and dance educators, alongside her Melbourne team of specialists. These guidelines, developed for the dance and performing arts industry, have been based on Gymnastics Australia and USA Gymnastics guidelines in discussion with doctors working at Gymnastics Australia.
The guidelines include (click on link to view/download)
– Return to dance post COVID-19 (Detailed information and FAQs)
– Dancer activity questionnaire
– Dancer profile
– Return to dance summary – Increasing load and the development of neuromuscular skill
This information is invaluable for dancers right now as studios reopen and more intense training resumes. When returning to the studio, the skill level of each dancer will depend on how much training and the quality of the training that he/she was able to achieve whilst completing classes in a possibly much smaller space at home. Many students may have been unable to complete travelling or jumping sequences and may have also lost stamina and strength.
Make sure to check out these helpful resources and contact Performance Medicine for any further advice. Phone 03 9686 2373, www.performancemedicine.com.au
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