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Safe danceSafe Dance 3Safe Dance: Are we making a difference?by Debra
Cookshanks In order to answer the question 'are we making a difference?' and as part of my Masters thesis as a student at the University of Sydney, I looked at the first Safe Dance Report, which was commissioned and published by Ausdance in 1990. Author Tony Geeves had surveyed 200 professional dancers, of which 172 questionnaires (86%) were returned. In 1998 I sent out 195 identical questionnaires to professional dancers, of which 135 (70%) were returned. Of the 135 respondents, 82 (61%) were female (57% in 1990), and 53 (39%) were male (43% in 1990). Fifty-six per cent (75) of responses were from classical companies, 27% (37) from contemporary/modern companies and 17% (23) from commercial companies. At the time the 1998 survey was conducted there were approximately 240 professional dancers in full time employment (i.e. contracted to one company for 6 months or more). The sample surveyed therefore represents approximately 56% of the entire full time dance population in Australia at that time. Dancers were asked about injuries sustained in the six months immediately prior to completing the questionnaire (termed acute), and those injuries still troubling the dancer for 6 months or longer (chronic). Dancers were also asked about area of injury, treatment sought (if any) and from whom, as well as about the dancer's own knowledge of injury management and injury prevention. Early findings indicate that 52% of dancers reported having sustained an acute injury, while 50% of dancers reported having ongoing problems with an injury for 6 months or longer. Results of the first Safe Dance Project report found that 56% of dancers reported having sustained an acute injury, while 65% reported having a chronic injury. This is the good news!Results from the 1998 report suggest a small decline (4%) in dancers sustaining acute injuries, but a large decline (15%) in dancers reporting chronic injuries. This suggests that while acute injuries continue to occur (as they do in all elite sport), they are being managed more effectively and are resolving more conclusively. The most prevalent acute injuries are reportedly the ankle (23%), foot (13%) and lower back (11%), while most prevalent chronic injuries reported are ankle (29%), lower back (25%) and knee (11%). The big improvement with both acute and chronic injuries is in the lower back, which in 1990 accounted for 34% of injuries in both categories. The report also sheds some light on the areas of injury peculiar to each style of dance, e.g. classical dancers predominantly sustain acute ankle (13%) and lower back (5%) injuries, with chronic injuries of the ankle (17%) and lower back (12%); contemporary dancers sustain acute injuries of the foot (4%) and ankle (2%) and chronic injuries of ankle (10%) and lower back (6%); while commercial dancers sustain acute injuries of the shin (3%) and lower back (2%) and chronic injuries of the lower back (6%) and neck (2%). The type of injury, e.g. ligament or muscle, where the injury occurred, e.g. during rehearsal, performance or cumulatively over a period of time, are details also addressed in Safe Dance III. Following the disturbing figures in his 1990 report which showed that 52% of professional dancers had sustained a chronic injury by the age of 18, Tony Geeves has since studied the incidence of adolescent injuries and published results and recommendations in Safe Dance II, published by Ausdance in 1997. A comparison can now be made with the 1998 results and those of the 1990 report to allow an assessment of the strategies employed in the interim decade. It is obvious that many teachers and teaching institutions took these recommendations seriously, and that dancers' training has steadily improved in Australia over the last ten years. The publication of the Australian Guidelines for Dance Teachers and the Interim National Competency Standards are further evidence of the ways in which the teaching profession has addressed the various Safe Dance recommendations. These are exciting times for dancers, dance teachers and educators. The 'SAFE DANCE' concept has proved its worth, with fewer dancers experiencing injuries, both acute and chronic, than was the case 10 years ago in Australia. I would encourage all involved with the training of young dancers to browse through Safe Dance III, and be encouraged and motivated to teach with the long term goal of injury prevention and prolonged careers in mind. |
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Copyright 2007 Australian Dance Council—Ausdance Inc. Acknowledgements |