The Dancers’ Health Pilot Scheme is a research project that responds to the most pressing problem facing the dance industry today, which is keeping the workforce of dancers healthy and performing at their best.

Fit to Dance 2, Laws, 2005, found that 80% of dancers incur at least one injury each year that affects their ability to perform. This high level of injury is costing the sector an estimated £1 million a year in lost working time, and a further £900,000 to treat the injuries.

The Dancers’ Health Pilot Scheme is claimed to be the largest and most detailed research project of its kind investigating dancers’ health and fitness and the causes and treatment of injury. It will give dancers taking part access to the full range of dance medicine and science services available at the project’s partner institutions in order to study the effectiveness of a whole range of injury prevention and supplementary training measures. The study will reveal the best ways to prevent injury and maintain the highest levels of performance. The findings will be used to plan future long-term provision based on hard evidence, establishing the most cost effective healthcare and dance science support services for the UK’s dancers. Helen Laws, Healthier Dancer Programme Manager, said: “At briefing meetings for the dance sector that we’ve been holding around the country for the last year and a half, artistic directors, dancers and dance health practitioners have been feeding into the development of this project and have shown their overwhelming support for it. There is a real feeling that if we really are to move on in the prevention of dance injury and treat dancers as the elite artistic athletes they are, then this co-ordinated approach is the way forward.”

The Dancers’ Health Pilot Scheme research project has been devised by Dance UK in partnership with internationally renowned sports and dance medicine and science experts at the Olympic Medical Institute, Laban, the University of Wolverhampton and Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries. This prospective epidemiological research will include an in-depth screening of the professional dancers taking part, consisting of injury history, a health questionnaire, assessment of physiological fitness parameters, biomechanical and muscular function, nutritional and psychological health. The circumstances around any injuries incurred and medical treatment needed over the course of the research will also be recorded in detail on a central database. The data will be analysed for trends and used to develop and test appropriate training and injury prevention intervention strategies. Roanne Dods, Director of the Jerwood Charitable Foundation who have pledged the first £80,000 to the project, said: “We expect our dancers to operate as elite performers and artists. To do this we need to work rigorously and scientifically to help them develop physically throughout their careers. This initiative has been designed with the best minds in the field, and has the potential to transform the lives of dancers and their ability to live up to our expectations in ways that are inspiring, effective, and healthy. I am extremely pleased that we have been able to be the first to commit to what will be an exceptional initiative.”

The pilot scheme is a unique partnership project, inspired by London 2012, which will radically improve the knowledge transfer between sports and dance medicine and science. It builds on existing expertise and will strengthen the links between dance and sport to create a lasting positive impact on both dancers’ and sports men and women’s health and performance, a true Olympic legacy.

The pilot scheme will take place over a two and a half year period, with findings published in 2012. It will cost a total of £500,000 for which Dance UK and the project partners are continuing to fundraise. The Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Minister for the Olympics said: “This is exactly the type of project that we hoped the London 2012 Olympics would inspire; a dynamic and ambitious partnership project that brings the sports and dance worlds together.”

Individual dance supporters who are keen to make a personal contribution to the project can make private donations by visiting the ISTD website at www.istd.org or www.justgiving.com/dancershealthpilotschemedanceuk. You can choose to make a one-off donation, monthly donation or set up your own fundraising page in support of the Pilot Scheme. Any amount will help, £2000 pays for one dancer for one year to be a part of the project, £650 will pay for medical insurance for one dancer for one year, £100 will pay for a thorough health and fitness profile for one dancer, £30 – £60 will pay for one physiotherapy or massage treatment.

Tamara Rojo, Principle of the Royal Ballet, explains why this pilot is so important: “A dancer’s body is a fine-tuned instrument that must be cared for as the most valuable asset of their career. Only with injury prevention, knowledge and expert care can dancers achieve their maximum potential”

For further information please contact Helen Laws, Dance UK, on 020 7713 0730 or email helen@danceuk.org.

Ela Drewett

Photo: Andrew Ross

If you would like to donate money to the scheme please click here