Preparing dancers for jumping following injury or holiday. Jumps and landings occur frequently in dance, with professional dancers often being required to perform very creative and athletic jump combinations. How do dancers make these jumps and leaps look so effortless? It requires tremendous amount of strength and coordination to execute them correctly. In this article, the importance of how a dancer lands and absorbs the impact from these jumps will be highlighted, with the two main reasons for this focus being injury prevention and power production. If a dancer cannot land properly or perform certain landing variations in a controlled environment, the risk of injury will be higher and the

Number ONE question I am asked on a daily basis... "Will I build muscle?" "But I do not want my legs to get bigger..." There are many factors to considered in physical preparation of Dancers and not as many of them revolve around the barbell and heavy weight as you might think. Plus, there are many ways to build "strength" for Dancers and not all of them are defined in the same way. For example, a strong Dancer, as defined by a Dance Teacher or Coach, may not be definitively strong in the eyes of the Physical Prep Coach or Strength Coach or Physio and Vice Versa. What must we consider? and what are the reasons visible muscle mass increases are fairly non-existent? Bigger muscle are only stro

Welcome to September with Science in Dance and a special Welcome to our Guest Author, Jodie Comer. You may have heard of Jodie from previous articles, as she is the latest cog to be added to Science in Dance Engine. Jodie is supporting Dancers at KS Dance and Science in Dance with Manual Therapy and Rehabilitation. This article is a brief overview on the role that Manual Therapists have in the World of Dance. Jodie is a great practitioner with a superb perspective. We believe that exercise is the best medicine for instability and movement related issues, yet, therapists have a key role in facilitating that movement and creating an environment where Dancers feel safe and secure when going to