Coffee shop Skype catch up

Unfortunately I missed the Skype session on Tuesday but luckily some of the participants have blogged about the conversations that occurred so I don't feel like I've completely missed out. One thing that Lois-May said was about talking about my inquiry with someone external to the course and requesting them to ask some questions on areas that they didn't understand. I think that this is a good idea because often I get so caught up in my own work that I forget how it might seem from someone else's perspective, so I think this is a good point for me to bare in mind.

Topics of discussion:

Explaining the process - when explaining the process it was discussed to reference over what you have learnt in all three modules rather than just looking at module 3.

Criticial reflection - Journalling. A constant theme all the ways throughout all of the modules and also blog posts as well. We can reflect on these to see how our thoughts differ and opinions and ideas change. This is all part of the learning process and the journal is a great method of reflection. 


The person reading our work needs to know where we've come from. These thoughts relay back to talking to someone external to the inquiry and helping it make sense for them. 

• What you did 
• Literature
• Finding
• Gives us a sense of whats happened.

MY ARTEFACT:

I have been stressing a bit recently because I've been conscious that time is ticking and I've not yet decided on how I am going to present my artefact. However, I've come to realise that there is no point on my trying to think about how to present my findings before I have even analysed them. So I think for the moment I am just going to concentrate on the analysis and critical review and then when my ideas are clearer in my head I will concentrate more on how to present these findings. 

Emerging themes

Yesterday on the tour bus I began looking through the notes I had made from my interviews and re-listening to them to start looking for similarities and differences of opinion. It quickly became apparent to me that there are some strong themes emerging for my inquiry and these have very much influenced the type of literature I have been looking at and analysing.

Themes:
- The importance of rest
- Balanced work life
- Lack of facilities on tour
- Artistic vs athletic

Skype with Adesola

Just had a quick Skype with Adesola about where I am heading with my inquiry and artefact at this point in time and it was really helpful to clear up a few questions I had.

The main queries I had were about my artefact to see whether I was working along the right lines with my ideas so far. I think I had been getting slightly carried away with these ideas and rather than looking at what I have discovered from my inquiry and how I had discovered this I was more focused on the presentation and the finished effect. Adesola pointed out that the artefact is meant to show the same things as the written product but just in a different format that will be easier to read and more inviting to look at that a 6000 word essay. So whilst thinking about who will be reading this I need to think about what forms of media they are used to and would be inclined to look at and read.

When I originally began looking at creating my artefact I was thinking more about creating a product and showing my answers. But I need to look at my emerging themes more and my journey and together with combining this with my discovered create a more informative artefact rather than a finished product.

Artefact research

Ballet workout literature: 

I have started looking at different types of books which could help me decide how I wish to present my artefact. 

Richard Blanshard

New York City Ballet Workout is a revolutionary fitness program that will help you begin to develop lean abs, firm buttocks, a contoured waist, sculpted legs, slim thighs, strong arms, perfect posture, flexbility you never thought possible--and grace and poice of a dancer. More than three hundred stunning step-by-step and other photographs throughout make this the most beautiful and easy-to-use exercise book ever created.This elegant book is unlike any exercise book ever published. Graced with more than 300 instructional exercise photographs and extraordinary duotone portraits of New York City Ballet dancers, The New York City Ballet Workout explores the company's philosophy of balancing art, life, and fitness.

By combining elements of New York City Ballet's balletic regimen with practical strength-building exercises, The New York City Ballet Workout can help people achieve a strong, graceful, and flexible body--one that displays the impeccable poise that is the trademark of New York City Ballet dancers. 

Many exercises of The New York City Ballet Workout were once confined to the world's elite rehearsal studios. Now, as refined by Peter Martins and his company, these exercises have been designed as a comprehensive, holistic approach to the body that can be used by anyone from the out-of-shape to the serious athlete, to attain a lean, hard, beautiful body. From flexibility to endurance, this is a complete exercise program for men and women.

This book is more aimed at non-professional dancers who are looking to achieve the physique of a professional.

Eric Franklin

This volume features 102 imagery exercises paired with dance-specific exercises to help maximize body-mind conditioning and develop more fluid mobility, balance, and tension release. The book culminates with a 20-minute, full-body barre workout routine designed to help dancers warm up, condition, and refine their dance technique. You'll learn how to execute lifelong dance skills that give power without the risk of injuries. By working the muscles through movements and ranges of motion that approximate the demands of your chosen dance form, you directly enrich your performance capabilities. And as you strengthen the body's core, stretch to gain just the right amount of flexibility, and incorporate the power of the mind, you unleash your full artistic and physical potential.

I found this book on amazon and it is exactly the kind of thing I was actually looking for. All of the aims seem like goals I wish to achieve and this book aims to be applicable for different 'chosen dance forms'.

I did some further research into Eric Franklin and the Franklin method which I actually remembered was mentioned when I did some research into somatic therapy the other day. I have linked his blog below which contains many interesting articles! I have read through a few of them and will choose one or two to include in my literature review.

What is the Franklin method?

The Franklin Method® uses Dynamic Neurocognitive Imagery™, anatomical embodiment and educational skills to create lasting positive change in your body and mind. The Franklin Method was founded by Eric Franklin in 1994 and is taught all over the world, including the Universities of Vienna, Cologne, Karlsruhe and the Juilliard School in New York.

The Franklin Method® is recognized by the health providers in Switzerland and is a regularly seen at Dance, Pilates, Yoga and Physiotherapy conferences. One of the greatest discoveries of the 21st century is the plasticity of the brain; that the lives we live shape the brain we develop. The Franklin Method® is at the forefront of practical neuro-plasticity; showing you how to use your brain to improve your body’s function. It teaches you how to harness the transforming power of the mind. It can be applied to improve all of your abilities. It all starts with the knowledge that we have the power to change.

The Franklin Method® teaches dynamic alignment and how to move your body with maximum efficiency to keep your body youthful and energized. Your whole body is part of a symphony of coordinated movement. In a sense, your posture is reinvented at every instant. In every moment, the ideal combination of limbs, joints, gravity, moving parts, connective tissue, and muscle must be found and directed by your brain and nervous system.

All of these new and interesting methods of training your mind and body are fascinating to me so I would like to try to incorporate this into my artefact because I think that it could be very beneficial for dancers to be more aware of these sorts of practices as well as just the regular Pilates exercises. I think I could find a way to introduce these to other dancers and incorporate them into my professional artefact. I will talk to my SIG and peers to see what they think about this topic.

Data collection & Artefact ideas

Data collection:

I am now well into my data collection process and have gathered a lot of information from different people in the form of interviews. I am still wanting to conduct two interviews with each person, so after re-listening to and writing notes about the interview I have come up with some more questions that are more specific to the individual. In retrospect I should perhaps have done this earlier but due to the strenuous rehearsal period I didn't have as much free time to conduct the interviews as I had hoped so I had to interview more people on tour than I had originally planned. I also also conducted my Skype interview this morning which was very informative and successful.

My next step in the data collection process is to record a focus group session in my dressing room. I will keep this fairly informal but at the same time letting people know that I am recording a conversation and it will be anonymous. I think that alongside conducting the last few interviews I need to commence the analysis process and start drawing links between my data collection, literature research and own findings.

I have been reading through people's blogs on the googleplus site and found some interesting information on Megan's blog. She said that she had a Skype with Paula about structuring her analysis:

What people said → My interpretation → Compare it to literature → Evaluate the information with SIG'S → Extend the meanings → Relate to my professional practice

(Megan Louch)

Artefact ideas:

I feel like the artefact has taken a backseat in my thought processes so far so I have done more thinking about what I would potentially like to do and how I would like to present it.

I want to show how I've:
- Developed professional skills using tools of inquiry possibly using new technologies and social media
- Show awareness of what is going on in your field of practice in terms of theories and discourses and can demonstrate your understanding of these bodies of knowledge when communicating your inquiry.
- 'Defend' my point of view
- you can demonstrate that you have better self-understanding of your what you learned during your inquiry and have the graduate ability identify new insights about practice that might benefit you or have implications for your professional community of practice.

(Module 3 handbook)

  

What is it and who is your audience – is it a product or a work in progress? 

At this stage after reviewing some literature and looking at some of Darcey Bussell's Pilates books I'm thinking i would quite like to create some kind of poster or small booklet containing information about exercises for targeting different areas of the body. 

My target audience would be other dancers, probably most specifically ballet dancers because this is the area that I have mainly focused on throughout my inquiry project. I think I would create it as a product rather than a work in progress. However, because I am not a qualified Pilates or fitness instructor I would make to make sure this was clear and I didn't give out any false information. 

I will look at some more similar works that can help me gather some more ideas about how I could present my artefact to make it clear and informative for my target audience. 

http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1006&context=etd_mas_theses

Constructive rest and somatic therapy

I have found some literature about active rest and think that this is a very interesting topic. I think it's strange how whilst researching supplementary training techniques I have actually discovered information about the opposite of training, rest. This has brought to my attention how vital it is to get a good balance between rest and activity and this is something that I will continue to research and talk about with my peers and colleagues. I will also experiment with these methods personally and write up my thoughts in my journal so I can see how it affects me personally.


http://alexandertechnique.com/constructiverest/constructiverest.pdf


When is a good time to take constructive rest? 2-3 times daily. In the morning when you wake up, before you go to sleep and at some point during the day when you're tired or stressed.
Release tension, relax whole body.

Topics from literature:
Importance of rest, mindfulness - taking time for yourself to ease stress. Self-reflection.
Questions arisen: As a dancer when is it best to take rest time throughout the day? Perhaps before a show of before ballet class. Probably not mid-show or mid-class and you don't want your muscles to completely relax when you need them to be fired up and working hard.



Somantic therapy is something that I looked at in module 2 and was originally an area I was very interested in pursuing further. However, since my initial thoughts my ideas changed and I decided to focus more on supplementary training in general rather than just a more specific topic. Howver, when reading some scholarly articles about rest I followed a link to an article titled 'Somantic studies and dance'.

http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iadms.org/resource/resmgr/resource_papers/somatic_studies.pdf

The pieces of writing in bold are extracts from this article that I found particularly interesting and relevant to my studies.

Mind-body techniques loosely called somatic studies now a common word in dance and dance education. 

Somatic studies also have been referred to as body therapies, bodywork, body-mind integration, body-mind disciplines, movement awareness, and movement (re) education.6 

1. Eddy MH. Dance and somatic inquiry in studios and community dance programs. J Dance Ed. 2002; 2:119-127.
   

The study and envelopment of somatic therapy occurred at the same time as modern dance styles were evolving.

Two main avenues of physical practice evolved: one more ‘receptive’ (e.g., massage, craniosacral therapy, and somato-emotional release), and one more active, calling for the conscious cooperation of the person through movement awareness or imagination as catalysts for changing motor/movement behavior (e.g., Ideokinesis, Alexander Technique, and The Feldenkrais Method®). 

Somatic education differs first from traditional dance pedagogy in its philosophical basis – that of dismembering mind-body dualism in pursuit of personal autonomy

Self awareness and self-control are the key to somatic therapies.


Below are some extracts from three sections in this article about the three different key elements of somatic therapy. They explain more about the philosophical basis of difference between somatic practices and dance.

Novel Learning Context
Somatic learning contexts usually remove dancers from the typical space-time-effort constraints and psychological demands of a dance class. A somatic learning environment often begins by quieting the mind-body “chatter” in order to focus attention on the body’s sensory stimuli (from breath, muscle tension, contact of the body with the floor, etc.). The general tenor of the somatic learning environment is one of personal exploration, self-acceptance (i.e., absence of self- correcting strategies such as muscularly “fixing” what seems wrong), and non-competitiveness. Instead of striving to perform the "right” or “correct” movement, the dancer learns to move from an embodied source – fully receptive and responsive to the moment of movement. Such training is designed to free the dancer from rigid holding patterns or other constraints that bind thought, feeling, and action. 

Sensory Attunement
Somatic approaches emphasize sensory awareness (paying attention to sensing) over motor action (“doing”). In the somatic learning context, how one moves is more important than what the movement is. 

Augmented Rest
A third key concept in somatic studies that distinguishes it from traditional dance training is augmented rest.20 Practice (repetition for reinforcement) is a powerful training tool in dance, but is rarely counterbalanced with rest. Somatic studies commonly embed resting intervals between phases of physical activity. This high rest-to-activity ratio is designed to allow the nervous system time for processing and integration and physiological systems time to recover. The rest can be very brief (Alexander Technique’s pausing and inhibiting), brief (the typical 2 to 3 minute rest between repetition and variation in Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement), fairly long (20 minutes or more of Ideokinetic Constructive Rest), or longer (a full night’s sleep). Somatic resting phases not only are employed as a strategy for physical recovery, however, but also for motor programming.21 Rest periods help consolidate memory (you’ll remember what you learned) and improve motor recall (you’ll more readily call it forth when you need it), as well as actual performance (you’ll do better next time).21
Constructive rest is a well-known practice of motor learning first described by Lulu Sweigard (Ideokinesis).22 The basic hook-lying position reduces the effect of gravity on the body and minimizes extraneous muscular effort and joint loading involved in habitual postural support. In this environment, dancers can visualize “lines of movement”22 that enhance neuromuscular coordination without additional physical effort. A minimum of a 10-20 minute constructive rest period is recommended to recuperate from a day of dancing, replenish physiological processes and restore energy depleted by physical activity while programming appropriate neuromuscular patterns within the brain.22 While repetition is essential in motor skill learning, mentally practicing (visualizing) motor patterns at rest – when combined with physical practice – is a more powerful combination in enhancing motor skill learning and performance, than just physical practice alone.23 

The area I was most interested in was about augmented rest which is a the topic that lead me onto research somatic therapies in the first place.

Somatic Practices in Dance Technique
Somatic practices that have been integrated readily into dance curricula include Ideokinesis, The Feldenkrais Method, the Alexander Technique, and Body-Mind Centering.* All these methods share common goals in their approaches to re-education: (1) Process over goal-oriented product, that is, enhancing kinaesthetic awareness in a non- judgmental and non-competitive non-doing environment; (2) Using sensory awareness to modulate (i.e., constrain) movement range and effort to uncover the potential for new mobility, and (3) Rest – resting phases in which the dancer is given time to listen to the body, to clarify what sensations have arrived and differentiate wanted from unwanted stimuli, and to consolidate motor learning. 

Interesting vocab:

Individual autonomy is an idea that is generally understood to refer to the capacity to be one's own person, to live one's life according to reasons and motives that are taken as one's own and not the product of manipulative or distorting external forces.

pedagogy

ˈpɛdəɡɒdʒi,ˈpɛdəɡɒɡi/

noun

1. 
   

   the method and practice of teaching, especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept.

   "the relationship between applied linguistics and language pedagogy"

#dancersneedrest

In a recent interview I have carried out with a fellow dancer the topic of rest was brought up and how vital it is to get a good work/rest balance in order to achieve the best results from your body for performance and in order to avoid the risk or injury. When I was looking at the 'One Dance UK website' I came across an article all about rest and it's importance for dancers. It turns out that in summer 2014 there was a popular hashtag 'Dancersneedrest' that was circulating the internet.

During July and August 2014, dancers were encouraged to share photographs of themselves resting on Facebook and Twitter, using the hashtag #dancersneedrest. The best photograph, as judged by Erin Sanchez, One Dance UK Healthier Dancer Programme Manager, and Zoe Anderson, Dancing Times News Editor, won a year’s Dance UK membership, a Dancing Times subscription and a selection of books about dancers’ health.

http://www.onedanceuk.org/programme/healthier-dancer-programme/industry-standards/dancers-need-rest-campaign/


Rest is anything that gives you a break, whether it's mental or physical. In order to reach our physical capacities dancers train for long hours in the studios and sometimes overwork themselves leading to burnout. 'Characterised by consistent or unexplained tiredness, emotional changes, frequent illness and injury and poor performance in spite of normal training, burnout is a major concern for dancers. Although there are a number of possible causes, dancers’ burnout can be due to emotional and physical stress, poor fitness, and of course, too little rest.' 

Plan training and performing in order to reach a physical and mental, physical and technical peak for performances. This process is called periodisation and involves a gradual build-up of training and learning. This process would work very differently depending on the company in which you are working for and the nature of the work you are doing. 

Reducing training just before performance (called tapering), gives time for dancers to switch from preparation to performance mode. In this method, it’s important to reduce technical training and classes as rehearsals increase and allow for greater rest time.

At the end of this article it is mentioned how dancers and students are often not in control of their timetables so it is important for their artistic and administrative team to have a good understanding of these methods of performance preparation and the importance of rest. As dancers we should also listen to our own bodies and because everyone's body is different it is important for you to do what is right for you. Not everyone will be performing the same roles so everyone's workload will differ therefore it's important to understand where and how you will take time to rest and recover. 

What are the benefits of rest?

• Rest allows the brain and body time to assimilate and store what has been learned each day, improving both your memory and how well you perform movement*

• Taking time to review movements and choreography mentally as well as practising physically is more effective than physical rehearsal alone*

• Dancers working in periodised environments (including rest) perform better and have fewer injuries

• Rest aids muscle regeneration after dancing and reduces fatigue and injury rates

* Somatic Studies and Dance – Glenna Batson ©2009 IADMS and Glenna Batson, D.Sc., P.T., M.A

How to integrate rest into your training

• Make sure to spend time eating healthy and nutritious food. Bring lunch and snacks with you so you can rest during breaks rather than spending time finding food. Click here for recipe ideas

• Prevent burnout by balancing high performance standards with realistic goals, including gradual return to dancing after breaks or injuries.

• Focus on quality of training, not quantity

• Try Active Rest – a lying down resting state where the mind is focused on a particular task. Click here for more information

• Spend time mentally reviewing the movements you have learned rather than physically practising

• Balance dance activities with other interests; rest isn’t just about sleep

• Don’t wait until your dancing starts to suffer. The longer you wait to address fatigue and overtraining, the longer it takes to recover. If you notice tiredness, illness, pain or niggles, don’t just train through it

Key vocad:
- Periodisation - gradual build-up of training and learning
- Tapering - reducing training before performance 
- Burnout 
- Active rest - a lying down resting state 

Darcey Bussel Literature

I was clearing my room out at the weekend and came across some of my old Pilates books. When I was training at school two of these books were my absolute favourites and as I begun to flick through them I thought I could maybe look at them slightly more critically and thought I could perhaps use them for a Literature review. These two books are; Darcey Bussell's Dance Body Workout (2007) and Darcey Bussell Pilates for Life (2005).

Darcey Bussell's Dance Body Workout:

In the introduction of this book Darcey almost immediately mentions how these exercises differ greatly to your standard gym exercises. 'Our aim is different to that of other athletes. We have to keep our bodies both lean and powerful and, to do this, we need to work on building muscle strength without bulking up. The focus is on lengthening and toning above everything else.' This straight away fits with one of the themes that have been emerging from my research about the aesthetic demands of dance. It is interesting hearing a dancer talk about the demands of classical ballet because they are so specific so it's interesting to see how these exercises would differ to this of, say a gymnast, which is what I was looking at i my previous piece of literature.

Darcey says 'Pilates and dance, together with regular stretching' are what keeps her strong enough to be a professional dancer.

'Despite the athletic and vigorous nature of ballet these days, dancers are far from being muscle bound and burly.' Darcey mentions about not looking over-developed like other athletes because ballet naturally calls for us to look light and graceful as we dance, so the way we exercise has to reflect this. I find this interest because do an extent I do agree with her, but how much of your bodies muscle percentage is actually reflected on what types of supplementary training you do and how much of it is just your natural physique. Some people may find that just doing ballet class alone physically bulks up their muscles a lot whereas others may need to do more strengthening. I also of course agree that we need to look light and graceful as we dance, but who is to say you can't be more muscular as well as being light and graceful?

There are three main components in this book that make up Darcey's workout. Pilates, floor barre and stretching.

In the book she starts with a Pilates warm-up beginning with simple exercises. Then moves onto floor barre which is something that I am yet to talk about in my inquiry. She states that the basis of floor barre is 'a strong core' because this supports the rest of your body. She finishes of with some stretching. By all of the exercises/stretches there are photos and instructions as well as telling you how many sets and repetitions to do so it is very simple and easy to follow and understand. She also has 'tips' on every page and tells you what 'works'. Eg, 'the muscles in the feet, the hamstrings and calves.

Darcey Bussell Pilates for Life:

Darcey pretty much begins the book by saying how she is not actually a Pilates teacher but she has been practicing and reaping the benefits of it for her whole career. She gives some background about the history of Pilates and it's origins. The contents of the book is divided into sections:

- Pilates basics

- Warm-up/flexibility

- Main program - which is divided up into exercises targeting different areas of the body. Eg, abdominal, stretching, sitting, balancing.

- Warm down

- Mini-program 

Darcey mentions how Pilates helped her recovery from injury and her rehabilitation post surgery because the exercises are able to target and isolate different areas of the body. This is something that I am very interested in and have been talking to other dancers about this in my interviews. 

'The mind-body connection. Like yoga and other holistic forms of exercise Pilates has a strong mind-body connection. If you focus your mind on individual muscles as you work through the programme you can help length and strengthen them.' This is interesting here that she mentions about the mind-body connection because this is another area that I find very interesting but is not a topic that has arisen from other pieces of literature I have looked at thus far. I think that mid fullness is also very important in body management and in order to have a healthy body it's important to have a healthy body too. 

From looking at these books I have actually been inspired to perhaps create something similar for my artefact. Although I am no expert in this field I think that with more research into Pilates and similar exercise based training I could create some sort of strengthening plan devised to target different areas of weakness. 

Themes arisen from literature:

Mind-body connection 

Ideas for creating an artefact

Floor-bare

Weight based vibration training

I have mentioned before about wanting to do some more research into weight based vibration training so I have done some online research about it and the effects of it on dancers. 


http://www.vibrationexercise.com/vibrationtrainingdancers/

'Not only can it be utilized, but it’s quick and requires no large learning curve. Best of all, there is the potential to increase compliance with vibration exercise, as opposed to a weight training type of program.'

Again it is mentioned here about it being time efficient which is useful as dancers because it could be easy to fit in a training session in the middle of a day of rehearsals or in between performances. 

It also states the vibration is an effective rehabilitation tool, especially for those dancers with weak or unstable ankles. 

Increases flexibility. The vibration group was compared to a control group. The conclusion demonstrates that highly trained dancers saw an increase in flexibility. The study led the researchers to conclude that vibration training would be a beneficial supplemental training intervention.

Article by:
Dr Jaspar Sidhu


Studies that show vibration training increases vertical jump. 


I found an article on the chartered society of physiotherapy:

http://www.csp.org.uk/frontline/article/good-vibrations


I have actually struggled to find any real scientific research about weight based vibration training.

'Even devotees of WBV admit there is a real research deficit. At first glance there is a considerable literature, covering its use in a variety of settings, including rthopaedics, neurology and sports medicine. But most of these studies are small scale and far from conclusive.'

Massage functions are useful for warm-up and cool-down. Good for rehabilitation with bone injuries and micro-fractures.

At the end of a hard day’s rehearsing and before an evening performance, dancers at the Royal Ballet can often be found lying down with their legs on a vibrating plate.

‘Rehearsals can be from 10.30am to 5.30pm, then the performance is at 7.30pm,’ explains Royal Ballet physio Daryl Martin. ‘Ballet is hard on the calves in particular, because they spend so much time en pointe. So that’s a favourite massage.’

The physio department in Covent Garden is far from unusual in utilising whole body vibration therapy. Over the last five years, use of WBV has grown rapidly in gyms, physiotherapy clinics and in the home.

At the Royal Ballet, Daryl Martin introduced WBV after learning about it in his previous role, working at the British Olympic Association with Dr Cardinale. Around a third of the dancers use it as part of their daily warm-up routine, he says, while around a half use it as part of physiotherapy sessions. 

‘Subjectively, I believe it helps prepare dancers for practice and that it helps prevent injury. There is evidence it pre-activates muscles – jump heights improve after WBV because the muscles are “switched on”.’  

It’s used in three main areas: stretching, where the dancers can get a fuller stretch than on the floor (the vibration, Mr Martin suggests, desensitises the muscle that would normally ‘stop’ the stretch); strengthening, particularly after exercise such as stress fractures of the foot, and finally, massage.

Lit review - themes emerging

Found a really useful link about how to carry out a literature review and it has really helped me organise my thoughts. I think I have been getting a bit confused when doing my literature reviews but now I feel I understand how to gain more from them rather than just analysing them.


http://www.screencast.com/t/RdY4lwEW

States current state of research and how my research fits into it.


1) - define the problem and find sub-topics

2) - find the research and read critically

3) - organsie and theme. Find themes for headings

4) - structure. start with broad themes and find overlap

5) - write up. intro, main body(analysis theme by theme and how research builds from previous research, conclusion (summarise and identify gaps in knowledge)

Keep in mind purpose and analyse and theme research keeping structure and organises myself.

When I am reading literature I need to keep in mind how to think critically and also look for themes.


Themes emerging from IADMS articles:

Class and rehearsals don't provide enough overload to increase strength and prepare for performance.

There should be a gap (2 weeks) between end of an intense conditioning period and a performance period.

Aesthetic demands of a dancer and can some forms supplementary training hinder this?

Is the fittest dancer the best dancer?

Lack of facilities can be difficult for us as a touring company. How overcome this?


These are all themes that have emerged from my studies of these IADMS articles and are topics that I will try to focus on in my interviews and further studies.

Start of tour!

So our tour has just begun and got off to a rather dramatic start. Yesterday we were involved in an accident on the M4 in our mini-bus and unfortunately it was quite bad and a few of us ended up taking a trip to A&E. Luckily no one is too badly injured. However, our show yesterday was cancelled  and everyone is feeling largely shaken up. The show must go on and tonight we have an evening performance. Lots of people have minor injuries, bruises and whiplash so in the next few days body maintenance will be very important and we will need to work carefully in order to not cause further damage.

In terms of my inquiry I have been continuing with my literature research and carrying out interviews which have so far been successful. I have a few more to conduct but due to the current circumstances company members are not in the best frame of mind right now. So I will probably have to delay these for a few days. However, I can continue to look at more literature in this time.

IADMS Literature

Last module when I was doing my research for topics of inquiry I came across many interesting articles on the IADMS website so I have decided to revisit a few of these for a more in depth literature review in module 3. The two main articles that have caught my attention are the following:

- Supplementary Muscular Fitness Training for Dancers:

https://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iadms.org/resource/resmgr/Public/Bull_4-1_pp15-17_Kozai.pdf

- Fitter Dancers Dance Better

The Effects of Supplementary Fitness Training in Contemporary Dance

Manuela Angioi, M.Sc., Ph.D., Centre for Sports and Exercise Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, UKhttps://c.ymcdn.com/sites/www.iadms.org/resource/resmgr/Public/IADMS_Bulletin_DT_5-1.pdf

In both of these articles various experiments are carried out by splitting a group of dancers into two. One group is named the intervention group and this group is the one which undertakes some form of supplementary training alongside their usual dance training and the other group is named the control group and they simply carry on with their usual dance training. 

Firstly I will talk about the article titled 'Supplemenatry Muscular Fitness Training for Dancers'. The main topics in this article are about how dancers can support their work and improvement in the studio through the use of supplementary training. 'Research has found that class is generally conducted at a lower intensity than rehearsal, and neither class nor rehearsals reach the physiological intensity of performance.1 This means that class and rehearsal don’t provide enough overload (stressing the body beyond that to which it is accustomed) to prepare the dancer for performance.' 

Although this is a very interesting point here I think it is difficult to generalise the intensity of a class because there are so many variables. A ballet class with one teacher could be completely different to another. Or even on a day to day basis the intensity of a class could change. I've read that the author of the article made a reference here and put a link to Wyon's research. Wyon MA, Abt G, Redding E, Head A, Sharp NC. Oxygen uptake during modern dance class, rehearsal, and perfor- mance. J Strength Cond Res. 2004;18(3):646-9. He measured dancer's heat rate and oxygen intake in class, rehearsal and performance and found out they were both much higher in dance performance than in either class of rehearsal. However this was in a modern dance environment which could differ to ballet. Also the intensity of the performance will have an impact of these results. It would be interesting to compare these results to a similar study with dancers in a ballet company and see if they are the same. 

The results in the article say that supplementary training should occur at an intensity higher than the traditional technique class. If working at a 6 or 7 in class then your supplementary training should take place at an 8. It will be interesting to bring this up in my interviews with people to see the opinions of this from a dancer's point of view.

One area of this article that jumps out at me every time I read is point number 5 in the 'section for teachers'. 'Supplemental conditioning should take place well before any scheduled performances. The higher intensities can temporarily cause fatigue, and the body requires time and rest to adapt. Roughly two weeks should separate the end of a conditioning program and the beginning of a performance period.' This study was carried out on students so this may be quite plausible for them to not do supplementary conditioning close to a performance. However, for professionals performing all the time this is impossible and would mean that we could never do any supplementary conditioning other than in our time off in between seasons. This makes me think that perhaps professional dancers should participate in a less strenuous form of supplementary training during performance periods. 

Another point of interest I have picked up from this article is about the aesthetic demands of a dancer and if certain forms of supplementary could have a hindering affect on a dancer's physical appearance. It mentions that lots of dancers fear weight training may lead to bulky muscles and loss of flexibility so this is a subject I will bring up in my interviews. I will also be interested to see if whether different types of dancers, for example contemporary, jazz and ballet dancers all have different views on this subject. 

In the second article I've looked at 'Fitter dancers dance better' an experiment is carried out on a group of contemporary dancers to try and see how their muscular and endurance and aerobic fitness could be improved. Again in this article contemporary dancers are used in the experiment rather than ballet dancers so I feel like this is a gap in their research that would be interesting for me to research further because ballet is my professional practice. 

Experiment:
Intervention group - 
Circuit training, whole body vibration training and 10 mins rest - Two 1 hour sessions a week for 6 weeks
CT - dance based e.g.,grand plie in second position
WBV - holding static positions on a vibrating platform. Eg, pile and releve.

The results from this experiment show that only the intervention group showed improvements in their muscular power, endurance and aerobic capacity. 'The observed increased aerobic levels were attributed to the circuit training, while the increases in muscular power and endurance were considered to be a result of the combined CT and WBV training. The latter in particular has been proven to elicit both concentric and eccentric contractions.' This shows that the dancers who are only participating in dance classes are not making improvements in their fitness which shows us that dance training alone is not sufficient enough to cause physical adaptations to enhance dancer's fitness. 

Another important point raised here by this experiment is the link between physical fitness and the artistic elements of the dancers. Just because you are a fitter dancer does that make you better? So much of dance is subjective and it can be difficult for people to agree on what is the idea of 'better'. Things like height of jumps and extension of legs can be measured but quality of movement cannot. 

 'As previously suggested this is because dancers use their bodies as instruments of expression and most common technical skills/movements (jumps, transitory movements, etc.) used in contemporary dance require enhanced fitness levels as well as artistry'. I believe that these two components of dance work together hand in hand and it is a combination and balance between these two things that make a good dancer. This was referenced in here when this topic was spoken about in the text:
Angioi M, Metsios GS, Twitchett E, Koutedakis Y, Wyon M. Association between selected physical fitness parameters and aesthetic competence in contemporary dancers. J Dance Med Sci. 2009;13(4):115-23. 

In the section of the text where suggestions are made for teachers it is suggested that training sessions should be scheduled at the end of the day so as to not interfere with the dancer's already heavy workload. It also states that the selection of exercises can be tailored to specific choreographic demands. The article concludes by talking about Weight Based Vibration training and how effective it is at minimal time cost. I would like to do further research into this as I don't know much about this form of training. Unfortunately, as a touring company we wouldn't be able to have this equipment, however a power plate or some similar equipment is easily accessible at a gym so it could be interesting for me to see use of this could be tailored specifically for dancer's needs. 

To conclude both of these articles although carrying out different experiments prove the same results that supplementary training is definitely beneficial for dancers! 

This article below is another interesting one I have found on the IADMS website:

 Pilates Technique for Improving Dancers’ Performance

Tania Amorim, M.Sc., and Matthew Wyon, Ph.D., Research Centre for Sport, Exercise and Performance, University of Wolverhampton, Walsall, UK; National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science, UK 

This article talks about the results of an experiment carried out that compares two groups of dancers strengths. One group does three sessions of Pilates a week and the other just partakes in regular dance classes. The result clearly show the the Pilates group improve in strength, control and develope height. Whereas the other group (the control group) remain the same. 

Dance scholars!

Part of my module 2 feedback was to look more at dance scholars work on topics related to my inquiry to open up my view and prevent myself from working in a vacuum. I have begun drafting interview questions and topics for discussion and I can already see how it could be easy to become wrapped up in my own actions with my company and my inquiry rather than looking outwardly at other researchers and their discoveries. 

This is why I have decided to do lots of reading and try to do a brief literature review as I go along. On the Dance UK website I found an article called Strength and Conditioning in Dance: Power, performance and rehabilitation which is a write up of a conference at Elmhurst School for Dance where Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Programme (HDP) and the National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science came together for the last ever Dance UK meeting. This training session was deemed very useful but what I found most interesting about reading this article was not what they did but what they learnt from it. Something that is very relevant to my professional practice and my inquiry was the theme that there should be more resources for independence dance artists who don't have the benefits of facilities and trainers. This can be directly linked to my working environment because as a touring ballet company we don't have a base studio or any dedicated area or allotted time for conditioning and supplementary training. Although we have time for warm up before class we don't have any facilities or equipment with us so if for example we wanted to use the cross-training before class this would be impossible. This triggered thoughts about alternative ways to gain the same effects of traditional exercise forms.  

'In particular, there is a need for more research tailored specifically to dance, and a need for more forums to share high quality research and best practice for experienced practitioners already working in this field.' I agree with this quote because as someone who is researching this topic it is difficult to find any sort of forum where ideas are being shared on this topic. 

At the end of the article it is stated that the most important message to arise from the day is understanding the individual dancer's workload and performance schedule.  


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I've found some interesting links on YouTube about the Royal Ballet and their physio Greg Retter.
They were very interesting videos and I think it is important for me to look at other forms of media rather than just articles. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BlvJrXvTBrk


INJURY PREVENTION;

Unexpected - lifting heavy weights. Better strength 

Strength program, cohesive approach towards Pilates motor control through to strength train and good nutrition and physiological support and making sure dancers are fit and able to withstand the strain as possible.


INOVATION:


There's no good evidence about how much is a dancer loaded through a day, through class, through rehearsal and performances. How can we look at the program and start to predict when there might be injury spikes along the way. 

Quantify the loading characteristic across the repertoire of the royal ballet. Interventional strategies where there might be the risk of injury spikes.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0uVH62QPXo

Inside the Royal Ballet healthcare suite.


In the video with Greg Retter he talks about collaborating strength and weight training with Pilates exercises to form an effective training program for dancers.

Module 3 first steps

The second step in module 3 is to start looking at literature and after reading my feedback from module 2 I think a good area of literature for me to focus on is research inquiry methodology and also to read other scholars literature reviews so I can compare them to my own and look for differences and areas for me to improve upon. 


Here I have quoted some areas of interest from Reader 7 about literature reviews.


A literature review is a common feature in academic and professional writing. Often, the review operates to prepare you about you topic in order to carry out more effective practitioner research. Hart defined a literature review as:
The selection of available documents (both published and unpublished) on the topic, which contain information, ideas, data and evidence written from a particular standpoint to fulfil certain aims or express certain views on the nature of the topic and how it is to be investigated, and the effective evaluation of these documents in relation to the research being proposed
(1998, p. 13).
Hart goes on to states the purposes on a review, which he says are not ranked in order of importance:
1 distinguishing what has been done from what needs to be done;
2 discovering important variables relevant to the topic; 3 synthesizing and gaining a new perspective;
4 identifying relationships between ideas and practice;
Middlesex University@2016 5

5 establishing the context of the topic or problem; 6 rationalizing the significance of the problem;
7 enhancing and acquiring the subject vocabulary; 8 understanding the structure of the subject;
9 relating ideas and theory to applications;
10 identifying the main methodologies and research techniques that have been used;
11 placing the research in a historical context to show familiarity with state-of-the-art developments (1998, p. 27). 


RESEARCH INQUIRY METHODOLOGY:

I have found a book about research inquiry methodology and it raised some interesting areas of thought.

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hZ9wSHysQDYC&oi=fnd&pg=PA2&dq=research+inquiry+methods&ots=1r-etBb1H6&sig=CYlFbwu6nk_6s2DZf1230cvMlUA#v=onepage&q=research%20inquiry%20methods&f=false

Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques

By C. R. Kothari

Identify objectives and and motivation for research. The main objectives of research is to find out where the truth is hidden and how to discover it. I will be trying to approach my topic of inquiry through different angles in order to gain results through a different perspective to other existing studies. My motivation for research is more of a fundamental one because I am undertaking a research degree, but I will also reap consequential benefits to my work through undertaking this research which is the whole purpose of this degree. My motivation is also to have a beneficial impact on an area of my professional practice by broadening my own and my colleagues knowledge about injury and supplementary training. 

Different types of research:

Descriptive vs analytical - 
Descriptive - using surveys and fact-finding enquiries of different kinds. 
Analytical - use facts and materials already available and analyses these to make a critical evaluation


Applied vs fundamental - 
Applied - finding a solution for an immediate problem facing society.
Fundamental - associated with generalisations and the formulation of a theory

Quantitative vs qualitative - 
Quantitative - based on measurement of amount. 
Qualitiative - investigating human behaviour, finding underlying motives or desires by using in depth interviews.

Conceptual vs empirical - 
Conceptual - used by philosophers to develop new theories related to abstract ideas.
Empirical - relies on experience or observation alone often without regard for system or theory.