The approach to dancer cross training that has proliferated for far too long is to choose one of these attributes and to focus narrowly on it for several weeks, ignoring the others. But artistry without strength is possibly dangerous; technique without the stamina to last through a performance (or a season) isn’t helpful; and athleticism without artistry is better suited for sport than performance.
Read MoreIf gyms aren’t plentiful, choose an apartment based on whether it has even a small gym. If your only option is an LA Fitness—join. If longevity is something you desire, and if dancing with less pain is something that would help you express yourself artistically, then strength training must be a part of your consideration when navigating a new city. Don’t make it an afterthought.
Read MoreThe connective tissue between the brute force work and the rehabilitative/preventative stuff that we pack in is movement quality. It matters as much on the brute force work as it does on the smaller joint articulation movements. This is why we’re such advocates for strength and conditioning coaching in the professional dance world: artists can actually make themselves more susceptible to injury if their only focus is fitness and strength in a way that ignores movement quality. (I hasten to add here, we’re talking about gym movement quality. We all know that dancers care a lot about movement quality on stage.)
Read MoreThis is why we keep coming back to this idea of having an efficient system for strength training dancers. It’s not just that there are some exercises (like a reverse lunge) that are more effective for an athlete than others (like a seated leg extension on a machine). It’s that the dancer has to pay for any inefficiencies with more time spent exercising, which in turn diminishes the amount of time they have for other areas of their life that are critical for peak performance and general wellbeing.
Read MoreThis shift in programming is temporary to accommodate the reality of professional dance, and it returns us as reality always does to the phrase we can’t say enough: strength and conditioning professionals working with dancers must always be dancer specific, but not necessarily dance specific. Dance specific suggests that two ballet dancers have the same needs, but as we’ve seen repeatedly the needs of two dancers working through different choreography or with vastly different physical concerns require individual training program variation, perhaps especially during the performance season.
Read MoreTheoretically every client gets this same level of attention to detail, but in practice I know there is a time and place to hold a busy working mom accountable for every single repetition in the gym. Athletes hiring a strength coach, however, ought to expect exhaustive detail and accountability for every single repetition completed. That’s where the skill of strength comes from, and it could be the difference between a long career and one cut short by avoidable injuries.
Read MoreBut think about a dancer’s schedule. Class. Rehearsal. Learning new choreography. Often a side hustle. Time in the physical therapy room. Dancers are often busy from very early in the morning to late into the evening. This means that you can’t afford to waste time with a random group exercise routine that has little to do with your specific needs.
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