Dance Assessments

What is a Dance Assessment?

This is an assessment performed by a qualified physiotherapist. It assesses a dancer’s physical attributes to determine areas that may be prone to injury or that can be improved to optimize performance.

The assessment looks at:

  • Which muscles are flexible and which muscles need to improve in flexibility (e.g. flexible hamstrings will allow of good height of leg in devant)
  • Which muscles are strong and which muscles need to improve in strength (e.g. strong back and bottom muscles will improve arabesque height)
  • Structural features of the dancer that can impact on his/her ability to dance (e.g. scoliosis, “turn out” at the hip joint)
  • Identify faults in the dancer’s technique to assist in preventing injury (e.g. “sickling” the foot can lead to tendon injuries)

Why do a Dance Assessment?

  • Fix an injury
  • Prevent an injury
  • Optimize performance

When should I get a Dance Assessment?

  • During rapid growth spurt
  • When training hours suddenly increase (e.g. staring a full time dance course)
  • If you seem to have ongoing difficulties or get the same corrections in class
  • If you seem to be getting the same injury repeatedly