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Chaabene, H., Behm, D.G., Negra, Y. and Granacher, U. (2019). Acute Effects of Static Stretching on Muscle Strength and Power: An Attempt to Clarify Previous Caveats. Frontiers in Physiology, [online] 10. doi:10.3389/fphys.2019.01468.

Hopper, L.S., Blevins, P., Erskine, S., Hendry, D., Hill, R. and Longbottom, R. (2020). Sustaining dancer wellbeing through independent professional dance careers. Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, pp.1–17. doi:10.1080/19443927.2020.1740312.

Kozai, A., Surgenor, B. and Ma (2017). The Importance of a Good Warm-Up: Are you warm enough to start dancing? [online] Available at: https://iadms.org/media/3598/iadms-resource-paper-the-importance-of-a-good-warm-up.pdf.

Lorenz, D. and Morrison, S. (2015). CURRENT CONCEPTS IN PERIODIZATION OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING FOR THE SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPIST. International journal of sports physical therapy, [online] 10(6), pp.734–47. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/#:~:text=Periodization%20is%20defined%20as%20the.

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Nordin-Bates, S.M. and Kuylser, S. (2020). High Striving, High Costs? A Qualitative Examination of Perfectionism in High-Level Dance. Journal of Dance Education, pp.1–12. doi:10.1080/15290824.2019.1709194.

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Periodisation is 'the planned manipulation of training variables (load, sets, and repetitions) in order to maximize training adaptations and to prevent the onset of overtraining syndrome' (Lorenz and Morrison, 2015). At LCDS I have noticed it implemented in the way the term is structured, building and then dropping in intensity as well as the two short breaks allowing for rest and recuperation. I have filmed myself throughout the term and reflected on how this structure has aided my improvement.

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Flexibility has always been something I admired in other dancers. In ground based foundations I have had the opportunity to watch my peers improvise and have been inspired by their beautiful extension. Additionally, the movement of the exercises requires a lot of back flexibility and mobility in the shoulders and wrists. This has motivated me to create a stretching routine which I can use as a cool down between 3-4 times a week to improve flexibility.

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Studying warming up has made me aware of the greatness of its physical necessity: to prevent injury, increase reaction speed, increase body temperature and range of movement, decrease risk of DOMS and prevent dizziness. Preventing injury and soreness motivates me to incorporate effective warm ups and cool downs into my routine as I want to not be held back by preventable pain. Plastino (1990) points out that arm and shoulder joints, upper and middle back are often ignored in warm ups. Additionally, I have noticed that an area I often ignore is my wrists and hands which are vital to warm up in for ground based foundations. Learning about the RAMP structure of a warm up (raise, activate, mobilise, potentiate) taught me how to structure my warm ups. Additionally I have learned that 'the most important thing to remember is that the warm-up should be specific to the type of dance activity to follow' (Kozai, Surgenor and Ma, 2017). All this information helped me create a well tailored warm up for ground based foundations.

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R: rubbing of the body and moving through squat to side swings, getting gradually faster
A: activating the spine through cat cow and twisting
M: rotations of hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists and ankles
P: practicing back and shoulder stack, positions from class

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I have also learned of things I need to be mindful of when stretching. Most importantly, the time when static stretching (what my routine includes) is appropriate. For my mobilisation in my warm ups have included dynamic stretches as static stretches reduce muscle power (Chaabene et al., 2019) which is harmful for a class, particularly one as dynamic and power based as ground based foundations.

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My stretching routine also takes some inspiration from shadow yoga which was introduced to me by James Gallego Olivo when gave a class at LCDS. I felt very connected to my body after the duration of stretches and though they were uncomfortable and focused on stillness they energised me. I have further researched shadow yoga and connect to the idea of  'rediscover[ing] the natural rhythmic currents hidden within the body' (Remete and Balnaves, n.d.).  This has expanded my idea of stretching beyond having a purely aesthetic purpose and helps me feel it improves my experience of movement too.

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You will notice that my warm up is grounded in dance based movement as I feel it helps my intrinsic motivation and general enjoyment. This concept is reflected in the findings of the research done on Australian dancers in the company Co3. It was found that they were more intrinsically motivated to keep up their conditioning program when the movements were dance specific (Hopper et al., 2020). I feel it better forges the link between the class and the warm up.

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At the start of the term in a reflection lesson with Lucie we were asked what our goals were. I wrote down 'to make a career out of dance'. This has been my goal for a long time and what motivates me to train. However, it is a goal that also makes me feel very anxious about the future and has reaped little reward as it is for further into the future. Additionally, going into Arran's class for the first time I had the goal of 'being the best' and 'perfecting the class'. This, of course, led to a feelings of defeat and frustration when I couldn't do things immediately or I felt others were picking things up better than me.

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This was filmed after first learning shoulder stacks from a raised hip position. Raising the hips meant you could rely less on momentum and the positioning of the arms and head became more important. Early in the term, I still had a lot of energy so movement felt fairly easy but it was not refined and my energy was often misplaced.

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These two videos were filmed after learning the first half of phrase one for the first time. It was interesting applying the foundational knowledge of the class to a longer and more dynamic phrase. I really enjoyed the intensity of the classes gradually increasing.

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On the 18th of October, I took some time in the studio to rehearse material from ground based foundations. I started my studio session with Kyle's super 6 and some stretching as a warm up with helped me feel like I could better engage my body in the exercise as opposed to previous studio session where I had jumped straight in. Reflecting on the videos, I can see a big improvement in my clarity and strength compared to a week earlier.

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Learning about SMART goals helped me analyse my perfectionist tendencies and see them within myself. Dancers often have perfectionist attitudes which have been found to be ‘clearly detrimental to dancers, with correlates ranging from anxiety and debilitative imagery (Nordin-Bates et al. 2011) to complex problems such as disordered eating’ (Nordin-Bates and Kuylser, 2020). My perfectionist attitude has often made me feel very anxious about my improvement and I have found that using SMART goals can help combat this as Nordin-Bates' study found that dancers using more realistic goal setting had a better self esteem and attitude towards success.

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This video was filmed the shortly after learning phrase 2. The phrase felt very different to what I had previously done in Arran's class as it has less repetition and mixed low and high movements. It was interesting flowing through these and engaging with other parts of my training. I felt very strong and in my body from the more intensive schedule.

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This video was filmed after the second short week. I felt much more energetic and my movement felt more full. The periodized structure of the course is really helpful in helping me see my improvement and gain back energy I have lost.

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-Improve my fluidity in ground based foundations when moving in and out of the floor
-Feel stronger and more secure when taking weight on my hands
-Begin to feel better in London and keep on top of the chores of living alone

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Looking through the videos I have filmed throughout term and keeping my SMART goals in mind makes me feel positive. I can see a clear improvement in my fluidity and my confidence in the movement. Also, reflecting on my arm strength specifically makes me realise my progress as at the start of term I struggled a lot with shifting my weight onto my hands and my wrists felt weak and this is something I no longer experience. Had I not set these goals, I perhaps would not be able to notice my success as I have in no ways 'perfected' the class.

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Goal setting in relation to the Stress Injury Model

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Goal setting in relation to the Stress Injury Model

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For my third goal I chose something non dance related. Discussing SMART goals in reflection helped me understand how my life in and out of school is connected and how these 'small' goals connect to my ultimate goal of being a dancer. For me, adjusting to living away from home and with roommates has caused me a lot of stress and I wanted to 'begin' to relieve this stress. I am proud of myself as I believe I have achieved this though I still have a lot to learn. I think relieving this stress is particularly important when you look at the stress injury model (Williams and Andersen, 1998) which explains that 'increases in stress are likely to be associated with narrowing attention, greater distractibility, and higher levels of muscle tension' (Morris and Noh, 2009). I want to relieve as much stress in my life as possible through my SMART goals to help me grow as a dancer in a stable environment.

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Additionally, having my SMART goals for my dance practice helped alleviate the stress of feeling like I'm not improving or feeling as if I am in a highly competitive environment. Overall, the combination of analysing my perfectionist tendencies with SMART goals and seeing the physical benefits of not motivating myself through stress has improved my attitude towards myself as a dancer. I feel proud of what I have achieved this term.