In your Core Performance dance, you will need to demonstrate your knowledge, understanding and application of body skills. These body skills are varied and each of them needs to be performed safely with correct alignment and be prepared for with a specific warm up and stretching activity.

The body skills in your Core Performance dance will require certain training in order to maintain consistency in the movements which then will assist in increasing performance quality, and control.

To maintain the body for the demands of dance training and performance it is important to incorporate the principles of training. The principles of training which apply to dance are are below.

• Progressive overload
• Adjunctive training
• Specificity
• Reversibility
• Warm-up/cool-down.

Progressive overload

In order for the body to make a physiological adaptation or produce a training effect, exercise should be performed at a level progressively above that at which the individual usually performs.

The overload principle states that strength and endurance cannot be increased unless the muscles and cardio-respiratory system are stressed beyond their normal workload. To increase the workload, increase the frequency, duration and intensity of your exercise program. (Frequency, how often the exercise is performed; duration, how long the exercise lasts; and intensity, the difficulty of the exercise). (Clarkson& Watson, 1990)

Abrupt overload is defined as the sudden change of intensity of dance training or performance.

Adjunctive training

Adjunctive training is anything else that you do apart from a dance class to assist your ability to perform movements safely. These can include: pilates, swimming, yoga, running, weights etc.

Specificity

A training program needs to be directly linked to your Core Performance dance. Specificity in dance involves participating in a range of technique classes developing locomotor and non-locomotor skills incorporating the elements of dance.

This means that if you have many locomotor and elevations sequences that you would target strengthening and maintaining the specific muscles that will assist you to perform those movements.

Reversibility

The effects of a training program are reversible. If there is a break in the training program there will be a decline in fitness and skill levels. Participation in regular class work specific to the development of dance technique and performance quality is essential in the development and maintenance of fitness and skill levels.

Warm up/Cool down

Adequate warm-up should proceed every training session. This helps to raise body temperature, increase blood flow, and make soft tissue, such as muscles and tendons, more supple and prepare the body for the demands of the training or performance ahead. Cool-down reduces the phenomenon of venous pooling of blood and the possibility of sore or tight muscles.

A warm-up should be used to prepare the body for movements which require agility, strength, flexibility and coordination. It is essential to injury prevention.

The warm-up increases body temperature, muscle elasticity, blood flow and speed of transmission of nerve impulses. It also helps to focus for the training exercises.

A warm-up should start gently, gradually increasing in range, tempo and complexity. It should consist of both general and specific exercises.

In a general warm-up each major muscle group is dealt with. The movements should be non-strenuous and continuous (lasting approximately 15 minutes). They may include light to moderate strength-building exercises.

A specific warm-up includes exercises which correspond to the type of activity to be undertaken. For example, if a performance contains jumps, a specific warm-up would focus on knee, ankle and foot exercises as well as on cardiovascular preparation. The warm-up could include warm-up jumps and some specific combinations from the dance. (Vass, Williams, and Barnes,1997).

Gaining an understanding of the demands placed on the body by particular movements, phrases, combinations, sequences, styles of dance and choreographic styles will assist in the choice of the specific warm-up exercises required.

Bodies have different warm-up needs. Consideration of the body's capabilities and limitations is most important when devising a warm-up.

Coordination

The skills of balance, control of energy and accuracy of action are the subjects of coordination in dance training. In order to increase skill levels, the nervous system must be finely tuned. Through repeated practice in class, kinaesthetic awareness will increase and body skills will improve. The function of daily class is to practise technical skills. By movement repetition dancers build a link between commands and muscle memory. Gradually, as small memory pictures are stored in the brain, skills increase, improve and become more automatic. Once memorised the dancer can focus more on the nuances of expression for performance quality. In essence, coordination is controlled, maintained and improved through repeated practise of skills which in turn will increase your kinaesthetic awareness.

Coordination is essential in relation to the body skills. As dancers we need to be able to coordinate shifts of weight, control of placement of limbs and segments of the body through correct alignment and muscle control. For example: In a pirouette turn, a dancer would need to coordinate the shift of weight from two feet in a fourth position to one foot directly in relation to the line of gravity with the working leg placed in a retire position, simultaneously to engaging the latissumus dorsi to ‘whip’ the arm around to create momentum for the turn and the spotting of the head. All of this happens within a split second and it is through our kinaesthetic sensations that we are able to control and coordinate this.

Body Articulation

The HSC Dance syllabus defines body articulation as the ability of the dancer to isolate and combine individual body to communicate a desired intent.

Articulation is the skill of moving individual body parts independently of one another, these body parts can be moved singularly – one body part at a time for example, the arm moves or you can move a number of body parts at the same time. For example, the right leg, the head and the left arm. The more body parts that are moving the more complex the movement becomes.

In your Core Performance dance you will be assessed on your ability to present a balance of complexity, consistency and control of skills.

Balance/control

Balance is the ability to maintain the centre of gravity of the body while minimising postural swayng forces on all sides. Balance is achieved through the coordination of three body systems: the vestibular system, motor system and visual system. The vestibular system is located in the inner ear, the motor system is made up of muscles, tendons and joints, and the visual system sends signals from the eyes to the brain about the current position of the body.

Balance is found by continually shifting the body to make subtle adjustments. Dancing requires these quick changes in positioning of the body, especially in the feet, ankles, knees and hips. Because the eyes are not fixated on a single point, good balance is necessary to make smooth, complete moves.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why is it important to be correctly aligned in a balance?
2. How does correct alignment assist with performance quality in balances?
3. Write down some exercises you could do to assist in developing your kinaesthetic sense of balance.
4. Identify 2 balances (arabesque, développé etc.) Identify the muscles used and select a warm up activity that would prepare your body for each of these balances.
5. Select one of the balances above and discuss the coordination used in this balance. You may need to reference the movement that occurs before and/or after.

Ensure that you are using annotated pictures or sketches with correct anatomical and dance language.