Original Article

A Profile of the Demographics and Training Characteristics of Professional Modern Dancers

David S. Weiss, M.D.,† Selina Shah, M.D.,† and Raoul J. Burchette, M.A., M.S.

Abstract studied (N = 84) reported between two and profile of the professional modern dancer Modern dancers are a unique group of four different techniques. The dancers also should assist healthcare providers in sup- artists, performing a diverse repertoire in participated in a multitude of additional plying appropriate medical care for these dance companies of various sizes. In this exercise regimens for a total of 8.2 ± 6.6 performers. study, 184 professional modern dancers hours per week, with the most common odern dance (also known in the United States (males N=49, females types being Pilates, yoga, and upper body as “contemporary dance”) N = 135), including members of large weightlifting. The dancers wore many originated in the early part and small companies as well as freelance different types of footwear, depending on Mof the twentieth century. While bal- dancers, were surveyed regarding their the style of dance being performed. For demographics and training characteristics. modern dance alone, dancers wore 12 let has a basic underlying technique The mean age of the dancers was 30.1 ± 7.3 different types of footwear. Reflecting the (albeit with regional and stylistic differ- years, and they had danced professionally diversity of the dancers and companies ences), modern dance does not. Each for 8.9 ± 7.2 years. The average Body Mass surveyed, females reported performing of the originators of modern dance Index (BMI) was 23.6 ± 2.4 for males and for 23.3 ± 14.0 weeks (range: 2-52 weeks) discarded the techniques of their teach- 20.5 ± 1.7 for females. Females had started per year; males reported performing 20.4 ers and developed his or her specific taking dance class earlier (age 6.5 ± 4.2 ± 13.9 weeks (range: 1-40) per year. Only technique. Over the years, as dancers years) as compared to males (age 15.6 ± 18% of the dancers did not have any health have founded new modern dance 6.2 years). Females were more likely to insurance, with 54% having some type companies, additional techniques have have begun their training in ballet, while of insurance provided by their employer. been created. These include Graham, males more often began with modern However, 23% of the dancers purchased classes (55% and 51% respectively, p < their own insurance, and 22% had insur- Limon, Horton, Cunningham, Niko- 0.0001). The professional modern dancers ance provided by their families. Only 16% lais/Louis, and Hawkins techniques. surveyed spent 8.3 ± 6.0 hours in class and of dancers reported that they had Workers’ Today, professional modern dance 17.2 ± 12.6 hours in rehearsal each week. Compensation coverage, despite the fact companies around the world perform Eighty percent took modern technique that they were all professionals, including dances based on one or more of these class and 67% reported that they took many employed by major modern dance techniques. While the typical ballet ballet technique class. The dancers who companies across the United States. It is dancer performs a variety of ballets, specified what modern technique they concluded that understanding the training the typical modern dancer performs an even more diverse repertoire, incor- David S. Weiss, M.D.,† is at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries of NYU porating many different movements, Hospital for Joint Diseases and in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at New techniques, and styles of dance. Some York University School of Medicine, New York, New York. Selina Shah, M.D.,† of the larger modern dance companies is in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine, at in the United States today include Kaiser Permanente, Panorama City, California. Raoul J. Burchette, M.A., M.S., Paul Taylor Dance Company, Merce is in the Kaiser Permanente Research and Evaluation Unit, Pasadena, California. Cunningham Dance Company, Alvin †These authors contributed equally. Ailey American Dance Theatre, Hub- Correspondence: David S. Weiss, M.D., NYU Medical Center, 530 First Avenue, bard Street Dance Chicago, and Mark HCC Suite 5D, New York, New York 10016; [email protected]. Morris Dance Group. While there is a plethora of informa- This work was presented at the 15th Annual Meeting of the International Association tion on professional ballet dancers in for Dance Medicine and Science in Stockholm, Sweden, 2005. the literature,1-3 there is little informa- 41 42 Volume 12, Number 2, 2008 • Journal of Dance Medicine & Science

Table 1 Demographics Male (N=49) Female (N=135) All (N=184) Mean SD Median Mean SD Median Mean SD Current age 30.7 ±7.7 29 29.8 ±7.1 28 30.1 ±7.3 Height (inches) 69.8 ±2.4 70 65.1 ±2.6 65 66.4 ±3.3 (cm) 177.3 ±6.1 178 165.4 ±6.6 165 168.7 ±8.4 Weight (lbs) 163.4 ±19.0 165 123.9 ±12.7 124.5 134.6 ±22.9 (kg) 74.3 ±8.7 75 56.3 ±5.8 57 61.2 ±10.4 Body Mass Index (BMI) 23.6 ±2.4 23.1 20.6 ±1.7 20.23 21.4 ±2.4 Age at first dance class (yrs) 15.6 ±6.2 16 6.5 ±4.2 5 9.0 ±6.3 Years studied dance 14.55 ±7.0 13 22.5 ±7.4 22 20.4 ±8.0 Years danced professionally 8.9 ±6.8 7 8.9 ±7.3 7 8.9 ±7.2 tion on the professional modern dancer. modern dance techniques studied, The style of dance initially studied This may be due to the fact that the other forms of exercise, and health varied significantly by gender (chi- major ballet companies are relatively insurance. square p < 0.0001). Of the males, more large (greater than 60 dancers) and The inclusion criteria consisted of than half began their dance training in the logistics of collecting information any professional modern dancer in the modern dance (51%), another quarter from them are therefore easier. Most United States aged 18 or older. Exclu- began in jazz (23%), and an eighth modern dance companies are small (5 sion criteria included any dancer who began in ballet (13%). For females, to 10 dancers); even the largest of the was not dancing with a professional the modern and ballet numbers were modern dance companies (including modern dance company, any freelance reversed: more than half began their the ones listed above) have fewer than dancer who did not identify himself dance training in ballet (55%), less 30 dancers. In addition, professional or herself as a modern dancer, or any than a quarter began in jazz (19%), modern dancers living in major dance professional dancer less than 18 years and only an eighth began in modern cities in the United States often begin of age. Approval for the study was (12.5%) (Table 2). their careers as “freelancers,” dancing obtained from an independent ethics Dancers were asked to report on the with each of several very small part-time review board. number of hours they spent in class and companies for short periods during the Descriptive statistics including rehearsal each week. On average they year. The few studies in the literature nonparametric tests were used in spent 8.3 ± 6.0 hours in class (N = 168) on modern dancers have focused on the analysis. These tests included the and 17.2 ± 12.6 hours in rehearsal (N = university students,4 have combined Pearson chi-square test and Wilcoxon 176). Of those dancers who responded, data from professional and student rank-sum test. The Wilcoxon signed 80% took modern technique class. modern dancers,5 have combined data rank test was used to compare dancers Two-thirds of the dancers reported from professional ballet and modern with themselves at two different points that they took ballet technique class. dancers,6 or have reported data on less in time. The breakdown for the number of than a dozen dancers.7,8 The present hours spent in various dance classes study was performed to more fully Results each week is shown in Table 3. The describe the demographics and train- One hundred and eighty-five dancers breakdown for the number of hours ing characteristics of the professional returned surveys anonymously by mail, spent in rehearsal each week is shown modern dancer in the United States. for a response rate of 29%. One dancer in Table 4. did not meet inclusion criteria, so 184 Dancers were asked to specify the Materials and Methods dancers were included in the analysis. type of modern technique they regular- The directors of professional modern Of the total participants, 49 (27%) ly studied in class. Only 84 responded dance companies throughout the were male and 135 (73%) were female. United States were contacted by tele- The average age was 30.1 ± 7.3 years Table 2 Type/Style of Earliest phone or e-mail requesting permission (range: 18-55). The average Body Mass Dance Class (Number of to enroll their dancers in the study. Index (BMI) for males was 23.6 ± 2.4, Dancers) Eleven freelance modern dancers were for females 20.5 ± 1.7 (Table 1). also contacted. Sixty-three companies Males took their first dance class Type/Style Men Women All agreed to allow their dancers to partici- at age 15.6 ± 6.2 years, while females Ballet 6 74 80 pate. A total of 641 anonymous surveys started dancing at age 6.5 ± 4.2. Modern 24 17 41 were mailed to the dance company Females had spent 22.5 ± 7.4 years Jazz 11 26 37 directors and freelance dancers. studying dance, with 8.9 ± 7.3 (me- Tap 4 5 9 The self-reported survey consisted dian: 7) years dancing professionally. Hip Hop 1 2 3 of questions including details about Males spent 14.6 ± 7.0 years studying Pointe 0 3 3 demographics, forms of dance studied dance, with 8.9 ± 6.8 years (median: Other 1 8 9 past and present, types of shoes worn, 7) dancing professionally (Table 1). Total 47 135 182 Journal of Dance Medicine & Science • Volume 12, Number 2, 2008 43

Table 3 Time in Dance Class Per Week (Number of Hours) ance. Some marked multiple forms of insurance. Most commonly insurance Men (N=43) Women (N=125) Type/Style # Dancers Hours SD # Dancers Hours SD was provided by the employer (81 danc- ers, 54%), followed by self-purchased Modern 35 5.1 ±3.1 100 5.2 ±3.8 insurance (35 dancers, 23%), then Jazz 8 3.8 ±4.6 22 3.4 ±3.9 insurance provided by the family (33 Ballet 29 5.2 ±3.1 83 4.4 ±2.7 dancers, 22%), and finally, Workers’ Pointe 2 1.5 ±0.7 8 2.9 ±1.9 Compensation (24 dancers, 16%). Tap 3 1.3 ±0.6 4 1.5 ±0.6 Hip-Hop 3 6.0 ±7.8 11 2.2 ±2.0 Discussion Other 7 3.1 ±2.1 27 3.5 ±1.8 This is the first study conducted specifi- cally to describe both the demographics Table 4 Time in Rehearsals Per Week (Number of Hours) and the training characteristics of the professional modern dancer. Demo- Men (N=46) Women (N=130) Type/Style # Dancers Hours SD # Dancers Hours SD graphic data for professional ballet dancers and musical theater dancers Modern 45 20.1 ±11.1 126 14.5 ±9.6 are available for comparison. Limited Jazz 4 10.5 ±13.1 7 8.4 ±4.7 demographic data for modern dancers Ballet 5 9.8 ±11.5 13 11.1 ±10.3 are also available. Pointe 0 – – 6 5.3 ±4.2 Solomon and Micheli5 surveyed pro- Tap 4 3.3 ±2.6 0 – – Hip-Hop 3 11.0 ±16.5 3 5.7 ±1.5 fessional modern dancers in the Boston, Other 4 6.3 ±4.4 12 6.0 ±4.6 Massachusetts, area and modern dance students at four American universities. The focus of their report was injuries as Table 5 Styles of Modern Dance followed by the classic ballet slipper, they related to different modern dance Technique Studied in then socks. For pointe, most dancers techniques. Only limited demographic Class (N=84) used the classic vamp pointe shoe. For data regarding their 164 respondents tap, most used a shoe with less than a were presented, and this information Style Men Women Total one inch heel. For modern, dancers included data pooled from both pro- Graham 21 53 74 reported wearing 12 different types of fessional and student modern dancers. Horton 12 26 48 footwear. The overwhelming majority Chmelar7,8 reported on the physiologic Cunningham 13 37 50 of dancers wore no shoes for modern, profile (aerobic and anaerobic capacity) Limon 15 59 74 followed by socks, then the classic jazz of a small group of professional and Release 17 55 72 shoe, then the classic ballet slipper. student female dancers, both modern Acrobatic 9 16 25 Other 22 51 73 For jazz, dancers reported wearing and ballet. The nine female profes- eight different types of footwear: most sional modern dancers studied (30.4 used the split sole jazz shoe, followed ± 3.0 years old) were similar in height to this question, and most reported by barefoot, then the classic jazz shoe, (63.7 ± 2.9 inches), weight (117.3 ± 9.7 studying between two and four differ- then the jazz sneaker. For hip-hop the pounds), and BMI (20.4) to the pres- ent modern techniques (Table 5). preferred footwear was street tennis ent study, but no other demographic When asked to determine how often shoes, followed by the jazz sneaker. data or exercise characteristics were they performed each year the females Dancers were asked what other reported. Dolgener9 reported on the reported an average of 24.9 ± 24.3 forms of exercise they participated in body composition of female dancers in performances (range: 2-100) per year, and the number of hours per week they Cincinnati, Ohio, including 10 profes- or 23.3 ± 14.0 weeks of performance spent doing each. Some participated in sional modern dancers who were also (range: 2-52 weeks) per year; the males each of the fifteen exercise forms listed, similar in height (64.5 ± 1.0 inches), reported an average of 35.3 ± 30.2 exercising for a total of 8.2 ± 6.6 hours weight (117.0 ± 3.4 pounds), and performances (range: 4-130) per year, per week (Table 7). The most common BMI (19.8) to females in the present or 20.4 ± 13.9 weeks of performance type of exercise was Pilates (private, study. Bowling6 surveyed 188 profes- (range: 1-40) per year. Males report mat, or group classes), followed by sional dancers in the United Kingdom, significantly greater number of per- yoga, and then upper body weightlift- including ballet (N = 139) and modern formances per year than females (p = ing. Otherwise, 48 dancers participated (N = 49), and received responses from 0.02, Wilcoxon rank sum test). in walking, stretching, aerobics, jump- 141 dancers. There is no breakdown The type of shoe worn for each ing rope, sit ups and push ups, roller- of the response rate between ballet and style of dance studied is shown in blading, tennis, Alexander technique, modern dancers, and the demographic Table 6. For ballet, dancers reported Yamuna body rolling, and kayaking. data are not reported separately for using four different types of footwear; Concerning health insurance, 34 modern dancers. most used the split sole ballet slipper, dancers (18%) did not have any insur- Many demographic studies of ballet 44 Volume 12, Number 2, 2008 • Journal of Dance Medicine & Science

Table 6 Type of Shoe Worn for Each Style of Dance United Kingdom (West End).12 The re- ported BMI for musical theater dancers Dance Shoes Worn for Ballet Men Women None (barefoot) 2 5 in both the USA (males 23.8; females Socks 8 11 20.0) and the UK (males 22.8; females Classic Ballet Slipper 17 21 19.9) were similar to the modern danc- Split Sole Ballet Slipper 20 82 ers in the present study. Of interest is Total 47 119 the fact that the BMI for musical the- Dance Shoes Worn for Pointe Men Women ater actors (i.e., performers who were Classic Pointe Shoe 3 32 not trained as dancers) were higher Long Vamp Pointe Shoe 1 7 (USA—males: 25.0, females: 22.0; Total 4 39 UK—males: 24.2, females: 21.6). Dance Shoes Worn for Tap Men Women The age at which professional mod- (Tap) Heel < 1 inch 8 23 ern dancers first started taking dance (Tap) Heel 1-3 inches 3 13 (Tap) Heel > 3 inches 1 1 class in the present study (males: 15.6 Total 12 37 years; females: 6.5 years) falls within Dance Shoes Worn for Modern Men Women the range reported for ballet dancers None (barefoot) 45 129 starting classes (males: 12-16 years; Socks 8 12 females: 4-9 years)1,2 and for musical Foot Thong 2 5 theater dancers (males: 10.8-15.9 years; Half Sole 3 1 females: 6.5-8.5 years).11,12 In this study Classic Jazz Shoe 5 14 we find that female modern dancers Split Sole Shoe 2 3 began their dance studies more often Ankle Boot Jazz Shoe 0 3 with ballet than modern (55% vs. Jazz Sneaker 0 3 13%), whereas male modern dancers Classic Ballet Slipper 4 8 Street Tennis Shoe 0 1 began less often (13% ballet vs. 51% Other 2 3 modern). This may simply reflect the Foot Tape 1 2 types of training classes available for Total* 72 186 students at different ages, as females Dance Shoes Worn for Jazz Men Women begin studying at a much younger age None (barefoot) 8 25 than males. However, it may also mean Socks 2 3 that very young girls are more likely to Grecian Sandal 0 1 be attracted to ballet when they begin Classic Jazz Shoe 7 23 their dance studies. Split Sole Shoe 7 34 The average number of years of Jazz Sneaker 5 19 dancing as a professional is dependent Classic Ballet Slipper 0 1 Street Tennis Shoe 1 0 on whether any additional selection Total 30 106 criteria are applied. Hamilton and col- 2 Dance Shoes Worn for Hip-Hop Men Women leagues studied only principal dancers Socks 0 1 and soloists in two New York based ballet Split Sole Shoe 0 1 companies, and found that these dancers Jazz Sneaker 5 13 had danced longer professionally (male: Street Tennis Shoe 5 22 11 years; female: 13 years) than the Total 10 37 modern dancers of all levels who were *Greater than total number of dancers surveyed (184) since some dancers used more than one surveyed in the present study (males and shoe type for modern females: 8.9 years). Byhring3 surveyed all ballet dancers in a Norwegian company dancers have been conducted. Ballet underweight (BMI < 18.5) by World and found a slightly lower number of dancers’ average BMI ranges from 21 Health Organization criteria.10 Both years dancing as a professional (males to 22 in males and 18 to 19 in females.1 male and female modern dancers in and females: 7.5 years) as compared Byhring3 studied 41 dancers with the the present study were heavier than to the modern dancers in the present Norwegian National Ballet and found their ballet counterparts, with BMI for study. Musical theater dancers in the the BMI for males was 21.9 and for professional modern male dancers of UK spent about the same number of females 18.6. From a study of 28 prin- 23.6 and females of 20.6 (these BMI’s years dancing professionally (males: 8.5 cipal and soloist dancers in New York, are considered to be in the normal years; females: 8.4 years) as the modern New York, by Hamilton, the BMI can range, which is 18.5-25).10 dancers in the present study,12 while be calculated at 21.9 for males and Evans surveyed professional musical musical theater dancers in the US spent 18.3 for females.2 Thus many female theater dancers and actors in the United more years (males: 11.0 years; females: ballet dancers would be considered States (Broadway and tours)11 and the 9.5 years).11 Journal of Dance Medicine & Science • Volume 12, Number 2, 2008 45

Table 7 Other Types of Exercise Engaged in by Dancers All Men Women # Hours Per Week Hours Per Week Hours Per Week Exercise Method Dancers Mean SD Mean SD Mean SD Pilates private lessons 24 1.6 ±0.9 1.4 ±0.4 1.7 ±1.1 Pilates on own or small group 33 2.1 ±1.3 2.8 ±1.9 1.9 ±1.2 Pilates mat exercises 84 2.2 ±1.4 2.5 ±1.3 2.1 ±1.4 Yoga 89 2.9 ±2.4 2.2 ±1.4 3.1 ±2.6 Gyrotonic private lessons 11 1.9 ±0.7 3.0 ±0.0 1.8 ±0.6 Gyrotonic on own or small group 12 3.5 ±2.4 1.8 ±0.4 3.9 ±2.5 Run (treadmill or outdoors) 35 3.0 ±5.0 1.5 ±0.8 3.6 ±5.8 Bicycle (stationary or outdoors) 26 2.4 ±2.3 2.8 ±3.1 2.3 ±2.1 Elliptical or cross country ski machine 36 2.4 ±2.6 1.9 ±1.2 2.6 ±2.9 Swim 22 3.1 ±6.1 2.0 ±1.5 3.4 ±6.9 Lift weights upper body 64 2.3 ±1.8 3.3 ±2.1 1.7 ±1.2 Lift weights lower body 37 1.9 ±1.5 2.7 ±2.1 1.5 ±0.9 Martial arts 7 1.9 ±0.9 2.5 ±0.5 1.5 ±1.0 Gymnastics 8 1.4 ±0.6 1.5 ±0.6 1.4 ±0.8 Team sports 2 1.0 ±0.0 1.0 ±0.0 1.0 ±0.0 Other 48 4.7 ±6.3 7.9 ±12.0 3.8 ±2.8 Total 172 8.2 ±6.6 8.7 ±7.9 8.0 ±6.0

While the number of performances Most but not all modern dancers in The present study indicates that ranged widely, few comparison data the present study took some type of outside of formal dance training many are available in the literature. As part modern dance class (80%), studying modern dancers do participate in di- of a study on case management and anywhere from one to four different verse types of other forms of exercise. intervention in a large modern dance styles or techniques. The style varia- The most common form of exercise for company and its associated junior tion is likely due to the fact that most males was weightlifting, followed by company, Bronner13 reported 31 and companies utilize a range of modern Pilates; for females the most common 23 performance weeks per year, respec- dance techniques, while only a few was Pilates, followed by yoga. tively. Weiss reported that four large companies concentrate on one specific An unexpected finding of the pres- professional modern dance companies technique. Many modern dancers stud- ent study was that most of the dancers performed 24 ± 4.6 weeks during ied other forms of dance; ballet was the (72%) reported having some type of the one year period investigated.14,15 most common (67%), followed by jazz health insurance. Requa and Garrick16 However, both these reports presented (18%). This supports the commonly surveyed all dance companies in the San data from the dance companies on held notion that ballet class has become Francisco, California, area and found total number of contracted weeks an integral part of the day-to-day train- that 53.8% had Workers’ Compensation and not data provided by the dancers ing of the professional modern dancer. insurance and 42.5% had some type of themselves. In the present study it ap- As ballet alignment issues are different employer-provided insurance. They also pears that dancers in larger and better as compared to those of modern dance, found that dancers in smaller companies established companies performed more this is an important fact for healthcare were less likely to have health insurance. frequently. Males reported performing providers to consider when caring for However, on closer inspection of the more often than females. This may be the injured modern dancer. present study, one notes that many of due to the fact that there are fewer male As expected, most of the dancers did the modern dancers surveyed had pur- dancers, which might require them to not wear any shoes for modern dance. chased their own insurance, while others be used more often. However, 11 types of footwear were received insurance coverage through a Although most of dancers’ time is mentioned, including ballet slippers. family member. In the present study, spent in rehearsal, professional modern Several dancers reported using socks for 54% of the dancers had health insur- dancers, as expected, still take dance ballet, modern, jazz, and hip-hop. This ance provided by their dance company, class to keep up their technical skills. may create a potential for injuries caused similar to Requa and Garrick’s finding Ballet dancers almost always take a by slipping. Dance shoes in general do of 42.5%. regular ballet class, usually provided not provide much cushioning for jump Another unexpected finding is that by the ballet company itself (“company landings, except for the jazz sneaker. De- only 16% of dancers in the present class”). This contrasts with the practice spite the availability of the jazz sneaker, study reported that they had Workers’ of musical theater dancers, less than many dancers still used the classic jazz Compensation insurance for on-the-job half of whom took regular dance class shoe, probably because it is easier to injuries. Most employers in the United (USA—males: 31.2%, females: 39.3%; “feel” the dance floor, giving the dancer States, including dance companies, are UK—males: 43%, females: 48%).11,12 a better sense of control and stability. required by law to have Workers’ Com- 46 Volume 12, Number 2, 2008 • Journal of Dance Medicine & Science pensation coverage for their employees. the professional modern dancer. This professional ballet dancers. Am J Sports It is unclear whether this low percentage population has both similarities to and Med. 1992;20(3):267-73. is because the dancers work only part- differences from professional ballet 3. Byhring S, Bo K. Musculoskeletal inju- time or are freelance, because under and musical theater dancers. BMI for ries in the Norwegian National Ballet: a these classifications they are considered modern dancers is higher than ballet prospective cohort study. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2002;12:365-70. “independent contractors” and thus are dancers, but similar to musical theater 4. Mittleman K, Keegan M, Collins C. not treated as employees, or because they dancers. The modern dancer males Physiological, nutritional, and training have been told by their dance company were more likely to begin studying profile of university modern dancers. that they cannot file a claim even though modern dance, while the females were Med Probl Perform Art. 1992;7:92-6. they technically do have Workers’ Com- more likely to begin studying ballet; 5. Solomon RL, Micheli LJ. Technique pensation coverage. These questions all the age that they began studying was as a consideration in modern dance warrant further investigation. The pres- similar to ballet and musical theater injuries. Phys Sportsmed. 1986;14 ent study included dance companies of dancers. Two-thirds of both the male (8):83-90. various sizes, but likely missed some of and female modern dancers took bal- 6. Bowling A. Injuries to dancers: preva- the very small (and part-time) modern let technique class as part of their cur- lence, treatment, and perceptions of dance companies, and also likely missed rent dance training. Most, but not all, causes. Br Med J. 1989;298:731-4. 7. Chmelar RD, Schultz BB, Ruhling many freelance modern dancers. Both took modern technique class. Those RO, et al. A physiologic profile com- these groups are less likely to have health who did, studied between one and paring levels and styles of female danc- insurance, including Workers’ Compen- four modern dance techniques and ers. Phys Sportsmed. 1988;16(7):87- sation. also participated in a multitude of dif- 96. Five dancers did not report any ferent exercise regimens, with weight 8. Chmelar RD, Fitt SS, Schultz BB, et al. hours spent in modern dance rehearsal training and Pilates most common A survey of health, training, and injuries when they completed the survey. These for males and Pilates and yoga most in different levels and styles of dancers. dancers were verified to be members common for females. Most modern Med Probl Perform Art. 1987;2 (2):61- of modern dance companies, and did dancers had some health insurance, 6. meet the inclusion criteria. Although with about half having employer-pro- 9. Dolgener FA, Spasoff TC, St. Johns other dancers in these same companies vided insurance, and slightly less than WE. Body build and body composition of high ability female dancers. Res Q indicated that they spent time in mod- half having insurance either from their Exerc Sport. 1980;51(4):599-607. ern dance rehearsals, these five dancers family or by purchasing it on their 10. WHO. Physical status: the use and in- indicated that they rehearsed only own. Very few modern dancers had terpretation of anthropometry. Report jazz, tap, theater dance, or hip-hop. Workers’ Compensation coverage, for of a WHO Expert Committee. WHO These were self-reported responses. It is reasons that are unclear. Technical Report Series 854. Geneva: possible that these five dancers misin- Understanding the training profile World Health Organization, 1995. terpreted the survey question, perhaps of the professional modern dancer 11. Evans RW, Evans RI, Carvajal S, Perry because they personally had not been and the similarities and differences as S. A survey of injuries amongst Broad- called for any modern dance rehearsals compared to the ballet and musical way performers. Amer J Pub Health. during the one particular week when theater dancer should assist healthcare 1996;86(1):77-80. they completed the survey. providers in supplying appropriate 12. Evans RW, Evans RI, Carvajal S. Survey of injuries among West End The present investigation is limited medical care for this unique group of performers. Occup Environ Med. by the fact that the data were self-re- performers. 1998;55:585-93. ported by the dancers. The response rate Acknowledgments 13. Bronner S, Ojofeitimi S, Rose D. was only 29%, in keeping with similar Injuries in a modern dance company: studies, but still low and this is a possible We thank Daniel Vigil, M.D., and Joseph effect of comprehensive management source of bias in the results. Although Luftman, M.D., from the Primary Care on injury incidence. Am J Sports Med. we attempted to collect data from mod- Sports Medicine Fellowship Program, 2003;31(3):365-73. ern dance companies throughout the Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, Califor- 14. Weiss DS. Medical care of the profes- United States, we likely missed some nia, for their support of the research. We sional modern dancer (Abstract). J also thank Beth Moore, who provided Dance Med Sci. 2000;4:137. very small companies with part-time data entry. schedules. Contacting freelance dancers 15. Weiss DS. Medical care of the profes- sional modern dancer. Presented at the also proved problematic. We contacted References Tenth Annual Meeting of the Interna- some directly, and tried to reach others tional Association for Dance Medicine via the small dance companies. How- 1. Ryan AJ, Stephens RE. The epidemi- ology of dance injuries. In: Ryan A, and Science, Miami, Florida, USA, ever, freelance modern dancers are likely Stephens R (eds): Dance Medicine: A 2000. under-represented in this study. Comprehensive Guide. Chicago: Pluri- 16. Requa RK, Garrick JG. Do profes- bus Press, 1987, pp. 3-15. sional dancers have medical insurance? Summary 2. Hamilton WG, Hamilton LH, Mar- Company-provided medical insurance The present study describes the demo- shall P, Molnar M. A profile of the for professional dancers. J Dance Med graphic and training characteristics of musculoskeletal characteristics of elite Sci. 2005;9(3&4):81-3.