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Section 1: Cunningham technique
Section 2: Flexibility and Supporting Evidence
Section 3: Hip Anatomy and Supporting Evidence
Section 4: Sleep/Rest and Supporting Evidence
Section 5: A Reflection on Periodisation
Section 6: Reference List and Bibliography

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Availing myself of the fact that stretching should dynamically occur before class has greatly influenced my Cunningham practice given that 'active warm-up may be protective against muscle strain injury' (Gleim and McHugh, 2012). This knowledge concerning injury thus permitted me to entwine my prior cognisance of stretching with a new, effective format. Having been brought up to believe that you must stretch to the point of pain, it was instilled in me that flexibility was a paramount form of training. As we know 'flexibility has been the main component which dancers have regularly sought to improve' (Koutedakis et al., 1996a as cited in Koutedakis et al. 1996, p.108), I can now see that this was a misguidance of which I used to adorn myself. In appreciating the true benefit of stretching, I could disparage myself from the Instagram idyllic perception of flexibility and focus on its genuine application - for safe practice and aesthetics.

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Making capital of all the aforementioned information, it is critical to discuss its implementation into Cunningham technique. During our practice, we engage with multiple exercises which test our flexibility and strength such as développés, grands battements and retirés. The coupling in these scenarios of flexibility and performance is evident as it aids the aesthetic look required for a codified technique like Cunningham. In its essence, 'the technique  Cunningham devised and taught is conservative; the dancers have exemplary turnouts, extensions, arm and head carriage, flexible strong feet' (Paxton, 1999, p.6) which only further illustrates this aesthetic value, one of which I strive towards. Coming from a balletic background, this form has always been very extrinsically placed onto me and although it is something I intermittently wish to stray from it is still rooted deeply within my practice.

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Reflecting on my own practice, previously having poor warm-up and cool down procedures as well as being told to be stretching at a pain level of eight out of ten- I made many adjustments to enhance my flexibility and unlearn bad habits.

Primarily, I devised a dynamic warm up protocol (see figure 1) to engage and prepare my muscles for the larger movements of the class such as our battement exercise (see figure 2) or développé exercise (see figure 3). Commencing this, I saw improvements in my extensions which I  practice regularly after class to work my flexibility (see figure 4).

Secondly, I created a cool down routine to improve my flexibility (see figure 5). Since doing this, I have seen large improvements especially in my hip mobility (see figure 6).

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Cunningham technique is our sole class in which we use turnout- an area of dance that I have consistently struggled with due to wanting to push further than is natural for me. Reading further that 'the most common problem was identified as misalignment of the patella' (Fitt, 1981-1982, p.33), I was able to adapt my practice to fit proper technique in lieu of forcing turnout. Furthermore, studying hip anatomy to find that 'there is a vast array of individual differences in human bodies' in terms of the angle of the neck of the femur and direction at which the sockets are facing (Wilmerding and Krasnow, 2011, p.6), allowed me to recognise my own facility. Despite the fact that turnout can be strengthened, I learnt that my own physiology should not/can not be pushed- key unlearning from my preceding training.

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Athwart my prior training, during tendu and plié exercises, I have begun to fix my turnout into my natural position (see figure 7) to strengthen the correct turnout muscles and deter injury. Struggling with this antecedent recently, hurting my hip/groin due to improper gripping of the hip flexor to amplify turnout, utilising the information about the hip was crucial in rectifying this.

Intertwining flexibility and turnout is also essential to this practice as acknowledging that creating a spiral and thus opposition 'gives the body a natural sense of stability and support, without the need for stiffening and bracing' (Tezca, no date). This pairing enables the correct placement for a turned out, higher leg - crucial in not only battements but also in phrases containing arabesque lines (see figure 8). Gaining this, I can now sense my turnout in a more grounded sense, feeling more connected physiologically and metaphysically.

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My greatest development, as I have frequently drawn upon, must be my evolving knowledge of my own body and turnout which now allows me to execute moves in a more grounded, safer manner by virtue of hip anatomy. Reflecting on my previous teaching of pushing for a higher degree of turnout and somewhat disregarding tracking of the knee, I can now overlook this to focus on myself.

Regarding injury, I have implemented certain exercises (see figure 9) as suggested via a physiotherapy appointment so that I no longer grip with the hip flexor but focus on the deeper turnout muscles such as the piriformis as well as more superficial muscles like the abductors (Fitt, 1981-1982, p.32). In doing this, I have since noticed greater use of correct muscles and therefore reduced injury.

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Sleep has rarely been something with which I have struggled but rest from training is truly a weak spot. Not wanting my technique nor ability to slip, I would always push myself beyond my limits and end up burnt out or injured; therefore the subject of rest and its coalition with sleep seemed essential to me. Given that, 'sleep deprivation was shown to result in slower reaction time and decreased hand-eye coordination and accuracy' (Williamson and Feyer, 2000 as cited in Robson and Salcedo, no date, p. 8), a lack of rest is clearly key. The link between this and overworking is clear as pushing myself harder in my work does oft cause less sleep via stress. Reinforcing the need for sleep, Eide and Showalter (2012) found that a lack of sleep incurred a lower attention and memory time.

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In Figure 10, the phrase requires a great amount of attention to the specific, precise timings of the sharp movements. In improving rest and not overworking myself, I am able to pay better attention to these movements whilst more easily remembering the phrase. In revisiting these phrases every week, rest is also crucial so that I can more easily recall corrections from class to class. When unrested, I find it much more difficult to focus and thus take on alterations to my technique. This can clearly be seen in figure 11. During this exercise, being tired, I was given the same correction repeatedly to soften my chest though as I became less overworked over the week (having grasped how to take care of myself), I was able to make most of the correction- enhancing my technique.

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Educating myself on the significance of rest, I have made many developments in my training.

First and foremost, I have started to properly rest my body after classes whereas formerly I continually worked over weekends and our short weeks. From this I have found that I can perform much better in class as my body is not consistently exhausted.

The second and more superficial change is in terms of social life. Working all through the week with days running from 9am to 8-10pm then going out and socialising both nights of the weekend proved unsustainable. The constant exhaustion impaired my training thus making me realise that I had to have some down time to properly rest. This has aided me greatly as I now feel much more alert in class and can now find a better balance rather than constantly going full throttle.

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Periodisation: 'a way for athletes to maximize training gains for peak performance, decrease the risk of injury, and prevent training from getting stale' (Tipane, 2021). Employing this information into practice, I have been able to train more successfully alongside a number of challenges.

As previously mentioned, I struggle with not dancing at one hundred percent all the time thus causing periodisation to be unusual to me. At the start of term, I would initially find ways to keep busy by taking extra classes and training regularly in the gym to achieve my constantly rigorous training- though something had to give.

Upon getting ill early on in the year, likely from overworking, and then becoming injured, the paramount nature of periodisation became apparent. Changing my norm was difficult, though by sticking to periodisation and implementing it into my extra training as well, I have seen great growth in areas such as muscle hypertrophy, focus and especially in my dance practices.

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I chose Cunningham technique as my practice because most of my training has been in ballet and Cunningham. Though this may seem an easy option, I would argue that there is still an immense amount to learn from researching in this area given that I have had to unlearn many habits and retrain myself in order to allow for safe practice and good technique: especially with regard to my chosen areas of dance science.

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Eide, E.R and Showalter, M.H (2012). ‘Sleep and Student Achievement’, Eastern Economic Journal, 2012 (Fall) Vol.38, No.4, pp. 512-524 [Online]. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/23271228 (Accessed: 30 November 2022).

Fitt, S. (1981-1982). ‘Conditioning for Dancers: Investigation Some Assumptions’, Dance Research Journal, Vol. 14, No. 1/2, pp.32-38 [Online]. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1477947 (Accessed: 28 November 2022).

Gleim, G. and McHugh, M. (2012). Flexibility and Its Effects on Sports Injury and Performance. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-199724050-00001#citeas (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Koutedakis, Y., Pacy, P., Sharp, N.C.C. and Dicks, F (1996). ‘Is Fitness Necessary for Dancers?’, Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dancers, 1996 (Winter), Vol.14, No.2, pp.105-118 [Online]. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1291004 (Accessed: 17 November 2022).

Paxton, S. (1999). ‘Reflections While Reviewing “Merce Cunningham Fifty Years”’, Dance Research: The Journal of the Society for Dance Research, 1999 (Winter), Vol. 17, No. 2, pp.3-8 [Online]. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1290836 (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Robson, S. and Salcedo, N. (2014). Behavioural Fitness and Resilience.

Tecza, A. (no date). Opposing Spirals for Stability and Support. Available at: https://www.dynamiccoordination.com/home/opposing-spirals-for-stability-and-support (Accessed: 29 November 2022).

Tipane, J. (2021). Periodization Training: A Beginner’s Guide. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/fitness/periodization-training (Accessed: 30 November 2022).

Wilmerding, V. and Krasnow, D. (2011). Turnout for Dancers: Hip Anatomy and Factors Affecting Turnout.

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Chertoff, J. (2019). The Benefits of Dynamic Stretching and How to Get Started. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/dynamic-stretching (Accessed: 16 October 2022).

Marshall, A. (2018). What is the RAMP Method (as used in Exercise & Fitness)?. Available at: https://bootcampmilitaryfitnessinstitute.com/2018/09/17/what-is-the-ramp-method-as-used-in-exercise-fitness/#:~:text=A%20RAMP%20warm%2Dup%2C%20developed,raiser%20such%20as%20a%20jog. (Accessed: 16 October 2022).

Translating Research Evidence and Knowledge (no date). Periodisation. Available at: https://exercise.trekeducation.org/principles/periodisation/. (Accessed: 30 November 2022)