Literature Review 5: "Can Ballet Lessons Improve your football skills?"

During one of my discussions with fellow dancers/ teachers in the industry, we came across the topic of what can be done to prevent an injury, or what help/ guidance was given to us personally when we each had our own injury’s. 

     When I became injured my foot went into plaster cast and then I had to wear an air cast boot for some time afterwards.  Once I began walking steadily again I began my physio treatment.  The physio itself built up the muscle strength in my leg and I received ultrasound treatment on my foot.  Once the physio treatment began to take effect I decided to begin my gradual journey in getting back into dance.  A previous teacher of mine suggested that ballet was the best place to start.

   It was whilst we were discussing this theory that someone mentioned that athletes such as footballers do ballet to not only help with their injuries but even to help with their game.  This interested me greatly so I decided to take it further by investigating this theory.

I came across this article and found this quote:

 “England captain Rio Ferdinand was so good he won a five-year scholarship to the Central School of Ballet before becoming a professional player. Former Manchester United striker Dion Dublin used the dance discipline to aid his recovery from a career-threatening injury. Queens Park Rangers had a tie-up with the English National Ballet, prompting the unforgettable sight of 6ft 2in, 100kg centre back Danny Shittu in a tutu. Even Wimbledon during the years of the so-called ‘crazy gang’, featuring the likes of Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise, trained with a ballet.”

I have highlighted a certain part of this quote as it refers specifically to an injury.  Although ballet did not cure him, it aided his recovery and although ballet was only a small contribution to his recovery, he was still willing to do it.  I wonder though whether this was recommended by a professional in the medical industry, someone within the sports industry or someone in the dance industry.

I referred back to my own experiences, the fact that a dance teacher recommended ballet to me to aid my recovery process made me wonder if other teachers were encouraging this.  Further into the article it states:

“Zalcman, a former professional ballet dancer who trained at the Royal Academy of Dance, has been taking classes at Pineapple for more than 20 years. ‘Often people are either very supple but weak, or strong but their muscles are tight,’ she says. ‘With ballet we try to achieve both strength and flexibility – it’s very unique in that way. Dancers need to be very supple but very strong. My classes are designed for anybody, regardless of experience, ability or physique, and I have people from all walks of life.”

I remember being hesitant about joining a ballet class as I didn’t want to draw attention to my injury by disrupting the class or by not being able to join in with certain exercises and having to explain myself.  I commend this person for opening up their class to all no matter what their ability or physique.  If this message was included in the advertisement of a dance class, would dancers recovering from an injury feel more willing to attend?  Are there enough dance classes out there opening up their lessons to those of all different abilities and physiques?
Another quote from the article is:

“‘Ballet is also very disciplined so it focuses the mind, which is crucial in football – there is a lot going on mentally in a match and you have to be aware of what’s going on around you, and my classes are the same. It’s also very elegant and very graceful, traits which could be attached to many of the greatest footballers to play the game.”

If ballet focuses on the mind as well as the physical aspect of it, could this aid how a dancer copes mentally with the recovery process of an injury?  The way in which ballet focuses on the mind can be very calming and help you to control your feelings and emotions, e.g. not getting overwhelmed/ or overreacting to the outcome of an injury and its effects on you personally. 

   “Joining Zalcman’s class on a busy Monday night isn’t scary at all. Sure, there are participants of a higher standard than me, I’m aching from the previous day’s game and I’m one of only two blokes, but once I’ve had a good stretch and mastered my stance, the backdrop of classical music makes the experience quite therapeutic”

Music has been said and proven to be a form of therapy for some individuals, but can it calm and aid dancers too?  From experience, dance classes always free me of any other worries or stress and I do find them to be very enjoyable and calming.  However, it’s only as soon as that music starts that I feel that sense of relaxation and letting go of all my problems outside of the studio.

This particular teacher who teaches at Pineapple dance studios states:

“‘We work a lot on the correct posture, which is very important not just for ballet but in everyday life, especially if you sit in front of a computer or have to stand all day,’ says Zalcman. ‘I teach people how to stretch properly so they can go away and do it safely themselves. This helps to prevent injuries such as pulling your hamstring or calf strains. For anyone doing any kind of physical activity ballet is really going to help them. You don’t need to be physically fit, but come regularly and you will get fit. You’ll be blown away by what you can achieve.”

I am pleased to know there are teachers out there who are addressing this issue and ensuring that people are made more aware of what they can do personally to prevent injuries.  In the last module I came across an article where a woman observed a dance class where the teacher did neither a warm-up or cool down.  During my training I did have a “led cool down” from the teacher, however, we were always instructed to cool down ourselves.  At the age and standard I was at, this was something I should have been able to do myself.
    The sentence that stood out the most to me personally was “You’ll be blown away by what you can achieve”.  This is a positive, forward thinking message.  More messages such as these and advertisements to the public encouraging all abilities to attend dance classes need to be put out there for all dancers to see.

http://www.metro.co.uk/lifestyle/818437-can-ballet-lessons-improve-your-football-skills

Literature Review 4: "One Giant Leap"

My Inquiry investigates the possibilities of being able to still have a career within the chosen industry once injured.  Whilst choosing who to conduct my interviews with,  I specifically chose who I was going to interview as I knew that by choosing randomly I would not necessarily find a variety of different options.  In order to conduct this Inquiry fairly I chose people of all different training backgrounds’, job roles and outlooks on the industry.

    One person I chose in particular was some who was in the year above me during my vocational training who found themselves injured and overtime managed to change career paths whilst still continuing to work in her chosen profession.  She decided to study Theatre Design as she was lucky enough to have the support around her at the time from those who knew how to go about it and the means (financial wise) to be able to go ahead with it.

   Whilst I was researching I came across an organisation called “DCD- Dancers Career Development”.  This is their mission statement:

“Dancers’ Career Development (DCD) offers a holistic and comprehensive range of specialist and confidential career support and retraining services to professional dancers in the United Kingdom.

We offer practical, psychological and financial retraining support services reaching from educational advice, career coaching, emotional counseling, CV & Interview guidance and school workshops for dance students to grants for retraining & business start-up grants for eligible professional dancers.

Our mission is to empower dancers in all dance forms, so that in overcoming any insecurities arising at the point they cease to perform, they are able to develop the remaining part of their career, within or outside the dance profession, by building on their distinctive strengths and transferable skills”

It was through this website that I came across a link to an article published by “The Stage” about someone who had a similar experience to the girl that I interviewed.

The man the article was written about was called “Jean-Marc Puissant”. 

“He studied ballet at the Paris Opera Ballet School and as a professional dancer he came to the UK to join the Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1990.  In 1998 he got a grant from The Dancers Resettlement Trust to study Theatre Design training at the Motley theatre Design course founded by Margaret Harris in London.”

Although the article does not state why he decided to go down a different career path (as that information is private to him) it does make me wonder.  He only began his career as a dancer in the UK for 8 years, so could there be a contributing factor to this such as an injury?

His training as a theatre designer paid off though as he went on to design theatre opera and dance in the UK, Europe and the US.

Jean Marc says: “Having been a dancer, I know the need of dancers both from the point of view of uncultured set-design and the use of fabrics but I really enjoy designing for Opera and Theatre- perhaps even more than dance”

Having trained as a dancer, working in this mind set has its advantages.  It is very similar to the girl I interviewed as she claimed without her knowledge as a dancer and performer she would have struggled more with this particular career choice.
   This is why it is so important to retain a positive attitude if ever in a situation such as this as skills are transferable and should not be wasted.

  The article goes on to describe all the various projects and shows he has worked for and his ambitions for the future.  This is a positive example and should be admired and valued by others who wish to venture down a different path.

I noticed when I came across this article that the organisation offers counselling.  In one of my interviews, a lady mentioned that she wished there had been the option of counselling provided for her during her injury whilst in training.  It’d be interesting to hear how someone may have benefitted from this kind of help.

http://www.thedcd.org.uk/documents/8%20The%20Stage%20Jean-Marc%20Puissant%2023-10-2003.pdf

Literature Review 3: Biography of Bob Fosse

At present I am in the process of conducting my interviews and organising my workshop for my Inquiry.  I believe it is important that I am constantly learning new things as I conduct this Inquiry in order to achieve the best possible results/ findings.

     Part of my Inquiry focuses on whether there are other options for dancers once they have become injured.  From my research and through surveys and interviews so far, many believe this to be true.  Some of these people talk form experience whilst others from what they have learnt from others around them, or by reading about famous icons in the dance world. 

  One person I interviewed mentioned “Bob Fosse”.  Although Bob Fosse never suffered from a specific injury, his body was not built/ designed to be a traditional dancer.  But in a way, this is a perfect example of how if you feel a love for dance inside you, you can adapt your body to a different area of dance, besides just performing.   Bob Fosse is a perfect example of this as my interviewee pointed out.

    In a biography I found, it describes why it was that his body was unable to meet the demands of a dancer: “Though he was physically "wrong" as a dancer, Bob Fosse never let those limitations impede his artistic ambition.”

“Though physically small and asthmatic, Fosse was a dance prodigy; by high school, he was already an experienced hoofer in Chicago's burlesque scene.”

“With pigeon toes and slouching posture, Fosse hardly fit the dance ideal so he focused more on rhythm and style to make up for what he lacked physically.”

The Biography also indicates that he started dance lessons at age 9, it was about this time that someone may have pointed out to him that he was “physically wrong as a dancer”.  This is difficult information to take in at such a young age and could have had a negative impact on his outlook on dance; however it had the opposite effect and only made him want to work harder.  At present I have been discussing with fellow dancers/ teachers whether dancers should be told at a young age (particularly if they’re injured) whether there are other options out there besides performing.  We had also been discussing the negative impacts something like this could have on someone so vulnerable and whether it’s worth addressing these options at an early stage or leaving such decisions till a more suitable time.  If Bob Fosse had been told at age 9 that there was no point in him continuing down this path, we would have never had such shows as “Sweet Charity” or “Cabaret”, etc.

      Instead of Fosse reacting in a negative way to his non-idealistic body structure, he chose to embrace it and make what he could of it.  This is how he created and choreographed his movements which led to the creation of his own individual style, which in time became one of the most danced jazz styles throughout the world.

    Is this something that all dancers should be made fully aware of? Not just of Fosse’s achievements in life, but how because our bodies may not represent the ideal dancer, the way your mind works still can.  I remember studying Bob Fosse in my training, I wrote an essay on him and we studied his style of dance in class.  I don’t remember much emphasis on how he managed to adapt his own way of moving into a different area of the dance industry.

    He focused on Choreographing and Directing as his career developed as he still had the mindset of a performer.  Is this the case for everyone who trained as a performer but finds later in life that they’re unable to fulfill this dream?

   One of my interviewees believed this is only the case if you truly want something enough.  If you truly want to continue down the dance path, you can make it happen, but you have to be prepared and willing to go down a different avenue.

     I am extremely pleased with the fact that I decided to investigate Bob Fosse further purely because someone I interviewed used him as an example.  What that person had to say was interesting and because I was listening I decided to take it to the next step.  This is what this Inquiry process is about for me; listening to people, constantly wanting to know more and never stopping until I have found the answers this Inquiry will lead me to.

http://movies.amctv.com/person/90209/Bob-Fosse/details