Abstract

Although there is research into how physical therapy can be beneficial in the rehabilitation of dance related injury, the prevention of injury in the dance world is severely understudied even with annual dance injury rates as high as 95%. In this study I screened three dancers in the College of Wooster Dance Company for possible injury risk, gave them physical therapy exercises to strengthen weaknesses and correct misalignments, and choreographed a piece for the Spring Dance Concert. This process was used to determine how using physical therapy exercises to prevent injury could better the choreographic and rehearsal process for both the dancers’ and choreographer’s benefit. Through the duration of this study, I was able to foster a dance environment, both in my rehearsals and on a broader company wide basis, that demonstrated the importance of body awareness while giving dancers the tools to better identify injury predictive pain and to communicate this pain more easily to people they knew would be able to help. I was also able to address pains and weakness found during an initial screening of dancers to reduce pain frequency throughout the rehearsal and choreographic process and better the dancers’ experiences.

Advisor

Baird, Emily

Department

Theatre and Dance

Disciplines

Dance

Keywords

dance, physical therapy, body awareness, modern dance, injury, dance injury, screening, choreography, rehearsal, injury prevention, exercise

Publication Date

2022

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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