Freelance seminars

Dance injuries, treatment and prevention: Over 80% of dancers get injured during their careers. This lecture will provide dancers and teachers with the knowledge to recognise dance specific injuries, provide basic initial care to injuries and discover prevention techniques. Particular emphasis is placed on safe practice with additional handouts providing information on warming up/cooling down, injury recognition injury management and nutritional requirements.

Psychological issues in dance: performance anxiety, motivation & goal setting, and how to boost confidence & self-esteem. Dancers and teachers will learn psychological techniques that they can put into practice to enhance their dance performance and training. This lecture can include all elements or focus on just one or more of the topics in further depth.

Drug use and dancing: The effects of cigarette smoking and recreational drugs on the dancers’ body and performance. Topics covered in this lecture will include the general effects of smoking and ‘street’ drugs upon body systems, long term effects as well as instantaneous effects specific to dance performance. Information can be offered on where confidential help and support can be sought in relation to covered topics.

Nutrition and hydration needs of the dancer. This lecture aims to provide dancers with the information to make healthy food choices. Particular focus is given to basic food groups, hydration requirements, pre-performance meal scheduling and the reasoning behind why good nutrition is so important for a good performance. The dancer will learn ways to create their own healthy eating plan on a budget.

Explaining dance specific scientific findings. Dance medicine and science is a rapidly growing area dedicated to improving dancers’ health and training. This informative lecture will provide an overview and explain some of the latest findings in ‘Plain English’. Aimed at the teacher and dancer particularly interested in the technical advancement of dance training techniques.

How to stay fit over the holiday break: prevent losing fitness and flexibility and minimise the risk of injury at the beginning of term. A lecture principally designed for vocational students and professional dancers, it will include general information on ‘fitness to dance’ Students will learn how to plan a personal holiday training programme as well as applying the fitness knowledge to their term time activities.

Getting fit for dance not staying fit through dance. Including some of the points from the previous lecture, the focus of this topic is incorporating supplementary training within the dance training framework. Dancers and teachers will learn to balance techniques to improve aerobic capacities & stamina, strength and relaxation without resulting in overtraining and burnout. The elements of physical fitness will be discussed along with the importance of being ‘fit’ to dance.