His acknowledgment include:
- Maximising Physical Performance Margaret Papoutis, in Dance Addiction (Ed. Wally Olney)
- Dance to Your Maximum Maximilian Winkelhuis
- The fit and healthy dancer: Yiannis Koutedakis and N.C. Craig Sharp
- Amanda Harker; Personal trainer
Using all the above resources Arnold has compiled an excellent article about the Importance of Physical Fitness Training. He first states that 'developing correct technique and mastering the choreography is only half the battle' of which I deeply agree. Although he focuses on the physical training of competitive Latin American and Ballroom dancing the theory is the same and applied across the board. According to Arnold without it 'it is not possible to be successful' and is an integral part of dancing.
Arnold then goes on to specify the different components of fitness, and how it is important to achieve the right balance allowing dancers to compete at their 'physical peak'. 'Aspects of training include: cardiovascular training, weight training, stretching, ballet, diet and rest.' It's these combination's I want to look at and how to get the balance right.
Stamina is the next subject touched upon and why it is needed. Whether it be for dance competition or a show, a dancer has to have a good level of stamina. He proceeds to briefly outline the catagorical elements of anatomy, the processes involved, diet and what cardiovascular exercise one can undertake as part of their training to improve stamina. These are all aspects to consider when training an advanced dancer for a their professional career.
'Complimentary to muscle strength is muscle power.' Another paragraph ensues with information about weight training and that 'it is vital that a dancer increases muscle power and strength together; otherwise muscles can develop in a way that reduces mobility.' This is true using my own fitness instructor past I know from training people and helping them in the gym what is required to ensure body balance and the correct form for a dancer. Knowing the best type of training is imperative to my Inquiry. I want to be able to create dancers bodies that are muscularly appropriate and of course training differentiates between girls and boys.
Flexibility is important for dancers as they are 'required to make shapes with their body'. However, I could argue that some dancers are not flexible. I do not disrepute the fact that flexibility is important, but some dancers are physically restricted and have to make up for this using other qualities. This is not from lack of wanting or trying, some dancers are just not as naturally supple as others (due to joint restrictions etc). I agree with Arnold that 'flexibility is improved by progressing through a series of stretching exercises that encourage the muscles to become lengthened and more mobile.'
When discussing strength and core stability 'Amanda Harker, personal trainer and ballet teacher' is called upon to explain the core centre, stability, posture and the understanding of the use of these important aspects of dance training. Her philosophy is to use 'Ballet along with Pilates and weight training', to maintain comprehension of this allows dancers to 'use their body in a more productive way.' Harker is accurate when she implies that 'lack of understanding about how the body moves can result in injury.' I myself combine ballet and pilates in a body conditioning class that is designed to enhance dance training at the college I teach. I strongly support Harker's philosophy and what she has contributed to this article.
The importance of diet and nutrition is approached with details of its influence on a performers body. Arnold also pontificates that hydration is a 'key factor', controlling how well a dancer can perform. This of course is out of my control as a teacher when training advanced dancers, by any means appropriate advice can be given. Arnold makes a good arguement for good nutrition and hydration.
Again Arnold uses Amanda in his final words to communicate the amount of training that is required within any one week and that 'the fitness training needs to take place in addition to dance lessons and practice'. With this in mind, I concede that the 'rotating' through types of training 'allows the body to continue to develop', although we have to be careful of 'burn-out' (I will look into this as part of my Inquiry), knowing the right balance is an integral part of training and becoming a professional dancer.
This article is very useful and full of information widely supported by many researchers. All the information I found complimented my own understanding and previous knowledge on the subject. Even though Arnold wrote about couples training for Latin American and Ballroom dance, I feel that the type of training is very simular. An added dimension on advanced dance training maybe to look into the psychological and cognitive domain that can be influenced and developed through advanced dance training.
Arnold, S. Importance of Physical Fitness Training available from http://dance104.valuehost.co.uk/e107/page.php?10
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