Ground-breaking health scheme will keep dancers on their feet

Published Tuesday 8 July 2008 at 16:55 by Lalayn Baluch

Plans have been unveiled for a £500,000 research project which will look into the fitness and health of professional dancers, in an effort to keep performers on stage and injury free.

According to figures from advocacy body Dance UK, which is behind the project, 80% of dancers incur at least one injury each year which affects their ability to perform. This costs the industry nearly £1 million annually in lost working time and a further £900,000 in medical bills.

The Dancers’ Health Pilot Scheme will be open to 100 performers across the country, who will have access to a full range of treatment and health provision through participating institutions.

It will evaluate existing methods of training and the way injuries are treated, and findings will be used to plan a healthcare service for dancers through the creation of a National Institute of Dance Science.

The scheme has been inspired by the upcoming 2012 Games and aims to provide artists with the same services that are available to athletes.

Dance UK director Caroline Miller explained: “It is an economic necessity that we take a step forward to deal with this problem. In the last 20 years there has been a huge advance in dancers’ health and the work everyone has been doing to tackle the problem.

“But we’ve reached a point where we need a more ambitious project to move us forward and that’s where the Dancers’ Health Pilot Scheme has come in. This research will really give everybody the tool to make informed decisions on how we can move forward.”

The project has been devised by Dance UK in collaboration with the Olympic Medical Institute, Laban, the University of Wolverhampton, and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries.

Dance UK estimates that the two-year project will cost £500,000. It has already received an £80,000 grant from the Jerwood Charitable Foundation and is awaiting to see if it has been successful in bidding for a £400,00 grant from the Big Lottery Fund.

The organisation, which will be fund-raising through the year, is also calling on individual sponsors to make a donation.

Meanwhile, dancers Bonnie Langford and William Trevitt of the Ballet Boyz welcomed the plans. They said it would be particularly beneficial for freelance performers, who do not have access to specialised treatment.

Trevitt said: “I know from experience that you have to see a specialist who has treated dancers before. An ordinary physiotherapist is keen, able and willing, but it is just not the same as having someone experienced.

“This scheme seems to be offering the opportunity for freelance dancers in particular to have specialist treatment.”

To donate to the scheme visit this website: www.justgiving.com/danceuk