Psychology

As a performing art, dance has its share of psychological and physical injuries but only in recent years have there been any serious research done to find out if there are relations between the two. Dancing requires extensive use of various body parts to learn skills and techniques over the years. Despite being one of the lowest paid performing arts and the shortest career span, dance has also a high injury rate.  In this topic we examine the relationship between the psychological and physical aspects of dancing and work up a way to use that knowledge in reducing the injury and psychological challenges faced by dancers.

According to Bowling (1989) dance injuries are often caused by the demands of performing advanced techniques. Over used body parts are prone to accidents that can lead to severe injuries. Typically dancers incurred severe injuries over the course of their performance that can later impair their performance level resulting to stress in which will ultimately lead to termination of position or status. Dance movements can place stress on the body when not performed correctly even if perfect form is used, over-repetition can degrade quality of performance and the body itself. Eighty percent of professional dancers will be injured in some way during their careers 50 percent of dancers from large ballet companies and 40 percent from small companies will miss performances due to injury. The prevalent injuries among dancers are hip injuries, anklefoot, knee, lumbar spine, cervical, thoracic spine and wrist injuries. Similarly, cigarette smoking is still prevalent in the dance population as a means of weight control, in spite of overwhelming evidence of its harmful effects (Book, Robson,  Wilmerding, 2002).

Since dance is a HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiPerformance_art o Performance artperformance art with emphasis on HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiAesthetics o Aestheticsaesthetics, dancers are also at a higher risk of HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiBody_image o Body imagebody image problems and HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiEating_disorders o Eating disorderseating disorders such as HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiAnorexia_nervosa o Anorexia nervosaanorexia nervosa (is the refusal to maintain a minimally normal body weight) or HYPERLINK httpen.wikipedia.orgwikiBulimia o Bulimiabulimia (characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by abnormal compensatory behaviors, such as self induced vomiting). In related findings the combined aesthetic and athletic requirements place dancers at risk of developing the female athlete triad and sustaining related injuries. The triad is a serious problem that requires medical treatment, but it could be avoided altogether through education and other preventative measures (Anderson, John J.B. Lee E. Thrash. (Sept 2000). A case study conducted to examine the meaning Israeli dancer placed on thin bodies and was found out that dancers interpret extra-thinness as an essential tool for the making of an ideal body-machine which allows entrance to a professional world of dancers. As such they pressured to restrain eating habits and reproductive tendencies to deter the bodys loss of control and thus loss of perfection. Moreover, a connection was found between body image and eating disorders in dancers (Benn and Walters HYPERLINK httpwww.informaworld.comsmppsectioncontenta904858179fulltext713240928 l CIT00062001 Hamilton HYPERLINK httpwww.informaworld.comsmppsectioncontenta904858179fulltext713240928 l CIT00181997 Vincent HYPERLINK httpwww.informaworld.comsmppsectioncontenta904858179fulltext713240928 l CIT00391989)

Unfortunately, professional dancers linked their appearance to a system of rewards and sanctions in which weight-gain led to non-selection for parts and negative reinforcement, whilst weight-loss was linked with praise and selection (146). Societys attitude s towards the ideal figure for a dancer is not parallel with the ideal figure that a dancer must possess for optimal health. Dancers feel pressured to meet societys demand to be thin, and may compromise their health and nutrition to follow suit.
 In the both the past and the present, dancers are viewed as forever young who cannot be faced with setbacks like injury. Nevertheless, dancers are now paying close attention when
something is amiss although some of them still view medical treatment in case of an injury, career threatening and an expensive undertaking. Gradually more dancers are beginning to feel
the need for psychotherapy as they no longer see themselves as purely psychical beings, but the fact that their minds and emotions are important too (Berardi, 2005)

Critical Analysis
Research of the psychological impact of dance injuries, in general, is in its infancy, and follows the lead from theoretical and empirical work in sport psychology. In addition to the physical damage, there can be negative or distressing psychological consequences. In the early 1980s sport scientists suggested that the psychological response to injury was similar to Elizabeth Kbler-Ross five-stage theory of grief (Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance). Later in the same decade, researchers began to conduct empirical studies to examine the psychological response to athletic injury. A study was conducted according to Williams, J. M.,  Andersen, M. B. (1998). Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, model of stress and injury and was found to be effective for enhancing targeted coping skills and reducing injury occurrence but only among Korean ballet dancers. Based on research conducted, statistic show how grave the risk these dancers are taking without the help of psychological knowledge to protect themselves. Dancers face not just psychological trauma due to injuries but they must also adhere to societys perceived image of a dancer whose body is reed thin not to mention the work related stress. And since dancers are perfectionist by nature, it is believed that the accumulation of life stressors taxes an individuals coping resources, thus increasing his or her susceptibility to fatigue, illness, or injury.  Research found that there is a positive relationship between injuries and psychological stress, injuries and perfectionism and psychological stress and perfectionism (Mainwaring, Ph.D., et al (2003). As a psychological
consultant it is important to discern the different stressors being displayed, the positive stress, (an essential stimulus for psychological growth, creativity and life satisfaction and may buffer the negative stressors that occur) and the negative stress. It becomes evident that conflicts exist in the current dance environment between skill enhancement, aesthetic ideals, and optimal health. It is to their advantage to have greater knowledge of the structure and function of their bodies as well as the nature and process of injury and recovery. The varied injury management strategies may have been based on lack of knowledge, availability of practitioners, or attitudes toward treatment (L. Mainwaring et al 1994). Very few information is made available to the teachers, choreographers and the dancers themselves are often left in seclusion about the importance of their health care. Although physical assistance is available less attention has been given to the psychological aspects of dance. Many suffering from mental and eating disorder were detected too late that their qualities of life have been compromise.

Summary
Dance is a highly competitive arena. Dancers suffer the risk of severe injuries, intense work and psychological stress in the form of perfectionism, and a higher risk of developing eating disorder. Most dancers are aware of the risk or have chosen to ignore the fact due to overwhelming fear of loss of employment. Dancers experience with injury are a cause of concern not only because if the alarming rate of injury, but also because few of the injuries are treated by medical professionals. Such findings imply that many dancers simply accept the need to live and work with pain and thus may increase the risk o long term or career-ending injuries. Psychological dancers suffer from the stigma society place on that with the perceptive image are only considered beautiful and fit for the part if they are thin looking. This perception has led to dancers developing eating disorders with dancers starving themselves to look the part. Dancers in general lack communications in their interactions with physicians, thus such experience with medical professionals often leave the injured dancer feeling misunderstood and inadequately treated.

Based on this research several key factors have been suggested to help remedy the situation. Primarily, from the point of view of a Psychological consultant, dancers must be made aware of the many repercussions of ignoring an injury both as a physical and psychological trauma. Only in helping them understand the gravity of such situations can there be acceptance. The mental state of dancers require an in-depth understanding, from their fears preconceived or otherwise, their point of views on life, career and their familys expectations and their innate drive for perfection and their notion that it is ok to abuse their bodies over and over, and taking suffering as their due in exchange for the better position. Although these guidelines may appear logistically difficult, every step in the proper direction will show the benefit in terms of performance and the psychological and physical health of the dancers. Also given that this field of study is relatively young, further effort is still needed to help develop and implement proper regimen for the health care of these dancers.
They slave themselves to give society an excellent entertainment, they should be recompensated for their effort