The dancer as an athlete

One of my first moments of clarity at work came in 2015, when a few Bharatanatyam dancers started training with us.

A performance could span anywhere from fifteen minutes to a few hours, demanding physicality, artistry and expression all at once. I focused on the physicality, and framed the problem as one of the dancer as an athlete — and the stimulus they need.

The key with any athlete is to understand what they have to do on the field or on the stage, and then provide a stimulus in the gym that helps them execute it better. An athlete is vulnerable to overusing certain muscles and joint groups. Our job is to make them aware of how to manage volume and intensity, and to emphasise nutrition and rest.

If a dancer needs to pace across the stage, leap, and land in a deep squat, we deconstruct it and help them with each element. We appreciate why a jump squat, a back squat, an overcoming isometric at the squat bottom, and a squat-drop landing might all look the same, yet produce very different changes in a muscle.

We deconstruct, and provide a controlled dose of movement — something precise, less strenuous, and, with a little mindfulness, something that transfers well to what they do on stage. We can also help them use muscles that get neglected in their art.

The deconstruction approach lets us complement everyone’s favourite compound lifts — deadlifts, squats, pushes and pulls — with less-appreciated drills: glute-ham raises, overcoming squat-bottom holds, drills to internally and externally rotate the hips and shoulders. We provide cardiovascular stimulus at varying percentages of maximal heart rate, to build the endurance to bounce back within seconds of an intense effort.

Takeaway

Not all contractions are built the same. Adaptations have to be carefully picked and primed. Execution and dosage make all the difference for an athlete.

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