Understanding Young Dancer Talent: The first findings from the - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

CAT Research Project

Sanna Nordin, PhD Imogen Walker, MSc

Understanding Young Dancer Talent:

The first findings from the Centres for Advanced Training research project

Sanna M. Nordin, Research Fellow Imogen J. Walker, PhD Student Emma Redding, Principal Investigator

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent? 2: What are CAT dancers like? 3: What kind of team is required to apply these findings in practice? 4: What does the future hold?

• Recent research indicates that by

taking a systematic, scientific approach we might better understand

– What talent is

– How it is best developed

• Talent models & research common in sport:

e.g. increased

– Recognition of the role of psychological and social factors in addition to traditionally emphasised physiological factors – Emphasis on the role of specific forms of deliberate practice over innate talent

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

• E.g. The model of potential talent

predictors in soccer (Williams & Franks,

1998; Williams & Reilly, 2000) includes:

• Physical Predictors

– e.g. Height, weight, body fat

• Physiological Predictors

– e.g. Aerobic capacity, anaerobic power

• Psychological Predictors

– E.g. Perceptual-cognitive skills, personality characteristics

• Sociological Predictors

– E.g. Parental support, coach-child interaction

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

In music, MacNamara & colleagues (2008) took a similar scientific approach, finding that:

“These [psychological characteristics] appear similar to those employed in other performance domains and support increasing empirical evidence of the development of psycho-behavioural characteristics as a core feature of talent development processes.”

(MacNamara et al., 2008, p. 335)

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

• Dance: talent is much talked about

& sought after, but definitions of what & how important it is are

– Varied – Lacking in research / systematic evidence –Traditional dance talent ID based on:

• Technical skill
• Physical characteristics (limb lengths, slenderness) & control
• Other dance-specific criteria: artistic/creative

– Sanders‟ Gifted and Talented Dancers: A Resource Booklet for Teachers deals largely with 2 factors:

• Psycho-behavioural characteristics
• Dance-specific criteria: artistic/creative

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

Some people seem to think that good dancers are born, but all the good dancers I have known are taught or trained.

(Fred Astaire)

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

And... Is it innate,

• r trainable?

Altogether, it appears that:

• Using a systematic, scientific

process has helped develop a better understanding of

– talent ID – talent development

in sport and music

• Aim: further such an understanding in dance

– Collaboration with CAT centres – Unprecedented participation - entire cohort of dancers labelled “talented” / “exceptional potential”

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

Overall procedure

• Profile & screen CAT dancers

– What are they like? – How do they develop?

• Longitudinal:

– Visit CATs twice yearly – 2.5-year period

• Interdisciplinary for a holistic view

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

Physiology

Adherence

Creativity Psychology Injury

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

Specific Research Aims

• Track CAT dancers across 3 years,

examining which factors in their

–Physicality –Psychology –Background, training

• Are related to

– Well-being (injury, health) – Performance outcomes (adherence, graduate destinations) – Creativity

… so that eventually, we may better understand how to best develop talent in young dancers

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

Data collection 1

• November – December 2008
• 324 dancers from all then-active CATs
• 73.8% female
• Mixed ethnicities; 78.2% White British
• 10 – 18 years old (M = 14.47)
• 1 – 60 months experience of CAT training (M = 14.58)
• 2 – 29 hours of CAT training per week (M = 3.34)
• 0 – 35 hours in other dance schools (M = 4.78)

In other words – a mixed cohort!

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Injury

• Dance literature: approx. 80% of

pre-professional & professional dancers are injured each year

(e.g. Laws, 2005)

• In CATs:

– 57.3% had been injured in the past year – 23% reported being injured at the time of screening

2: What are CAT dancers like?

16.6 32.7 2.3 25.3 23.0

Injury Locations

CAT class Other dance setting Mixed dancing Other physical activity incl sport and PE Outside all physical activity

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Injury

Injury

• Dancers injured in the past year:

– Were younger – Had spent LESS time in CAT training

• In other words - older dancers who spend more time

in CAT training do NOT seem more likely to get injured

Future research will examine whether psychological & physiological characteristics at „baseline‟ may predict injury over time – for instance, does fitness guard against injury?

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Fitness

• Indicators include:

– Jump height – Upper body strength – Flexibility – Turnout

• In general higher scores for:

– Older dancers (except turnout) – Males on jump height & strength – Females on flexibility & turnout

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Fitness example: Turnout

• Average 53.0°
• Range 26.7° – 73.2°
• No relationship between turnout (average or

discrepancy) and injury In other words, having large or small external hip rotation, or uneven turnout, does not seem to be associated with injury proneness

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Fitness example: Turnout

• Favourable comparison to 1st year

undergraduate contemporary dance students:

2: What are CAT dancers like?

50.00 50.50 51.00 51.50 52.00 52.50 53.00 53.50 54.00

Females Males 1st year Undergraduates

Turnout

Fitness example: Jump height

• Favourable comparison to contemporary

1st year undergraduate dance students & to contemporary professional dancers:

2: What are CAT dancers like?

10 20 30 40 50 60 70

CAT students 1st year students Professional dancers

Females Males

Many other women kicked higher, balanced longer,

• r turned faster.

These are poor substitutes for passion.

(Agnes de Mille)

1: How can dance science inform us about dancer talent?

Passion

• 78.7% met criteria for being classified

as passionate about dance

• Most display an adaptive form of passion – dance fits

into their lives and exists in harmony with other activities

• Some report a more obsessive passion – dance

threatens to “take over” and become the main focus for their identity

– Previous research suggests such passion is related to injury

Future research will explore potential health implications for different types of passion

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Self-Esteem

• Most dancers display healthy levels
• f self-esteem – comparatively high

scores (M = 3.06 on 1 - 4 scale)

• Previous literature suggests dancers suffer from

low self-esteem (e.g. Bettle et al., 2001; Buckroyd, 2000)

• Is this a thing of the past?

Future research will explore what aspects of dance leadership and feedback is related to

• ptimal levels of self-esteem

2: What are CAT dancers like?

Motivational Climate

• Psychological atmosphere in the dance

studio has previously been found to relate to well-being (e.g. Quested & Duda, in press)

• In CATs, the motivational climate appears very

favourable – and more in line with recommendations for how to structure optimal dance and sports training than

• CAT dancers‟ other (“home”) dance training

Future research will explore what aspects of the motivational climate is related to health and well- being over time

2: What are CAT dancers like?

• Science appears capable of

generating:

– Valid findings – Meaningful relationships between variables

• Thus, we believe that dance science can be of

assistance in promoting dance health and performance

• However, it is not a „be-all, end-all‟ approach -

simply a complement to existing teaching and training methods

3: What kind of team is required to apply these findings in practice?

Translating findings into practice

• CAT results are fed back /

presented:

– To individual dancers

– To teachers (with dancers‟ consent) – To CATs (as group presentations) – At national & international conferences

• 8 presentations planned for 2009

– As peer-reviewed journal articles

3: What kind of team is required to apply these findings in practice?

Translating findings into practice

• Overall, we advocate a team-based

approach to optimising student performance and well-being, e.g.: – Dancers & CATs – what do you want to know? – Open communication between

• CATs
• Therapists
• Dance science support staff
• Teachers
• Research team

keeping all on the same page

3: What kind of team is required to apply these findings in practice?

Translating findings into practice

– Dance science/Health professional can help

• interpret research findings
• support students
• give talks on relevant topics

– Can use results for

• goal setting
• individual training plans
• Informing pedagogy (e.g. is flexibility improving?)

– Researchers always available for information

• „Use‟ us to make results applicable to the real-life dance

setting!

3: What kind of team is required to apply these findings in practice?

Today represents a (very) small

• verview
• Findings related to 311 variables...

... Thus, only presented a very small selection here!

• Many „become interesting‟ over time rather than

now (development & change rather than level)

– E.g. aerobic fitness scores at one point in time say little – changes over time more valuable

4: What does the future hold?

Today represents a (very) small

• verview

4: What does the future hold? Background Psychology Physiology Injury Performance- related

Demographics Self-esteem Jump height Type Adherence / Dropout Hours of dance &

• ther activities

Anxiety Upper body strength Body area Graduate destinations Dance experience Perfectionism Flexibility Location Reasons for leaving Health & injury background Eating attitudes Hypermobility Severity Performance experience Motivational Climate Anthropometry, incl. growth Interruption to dancing Passion Aerobic fitness Treatment Turnout Perceived causes

Examples of future potential

• How do talented young

dancers develop across time? E.g.:

• Does fitness improve?

– Is this related to the type of dance training?

• Does well-being change over time?

– Is this related to the motivational climate?

4: What does the future hold?

Examples of future potential

• Are there discernible differences

between dancers who

– adhere to the training – do well

compared to those prone to unfavourable

• utcomes, e.g.

– injury – dropout?

4: What does the future hold?

Examples of future potential

• Are physical and psychological

health related to creativity?

• In-depth qualitative research strand to

begin in 2009:

– What are some conceptions of creativity? – Do these differ between students and staff? – Is creativity related to well-being?

4: What does the future hold?

Examples of future potential

• Are predictors of favourable
• utcomes (e.g. progressing well

in dance):

– static characteristics of individuals? – dynamic characteristics of training?

In other words, are there elements of talent that are trainable?

4: What does the future hold?

Summary

• Many examples of

favourable results

• As in most samples, range is

wide, with some students faring excellently and others (a minority) not so well

4: What does the future hold?

• Future work will help uncover some of

the reasons why this might be so

CAT Research Project

Sanna Nordin, PhD Imogen Walker, MSc

Thank you for listening! Any Questions?

Sanna Nordin: S.Nordin@laban.org Imogen Walker: I.Walker@trinitylaban.ac.uk Emma Redding: E.Redding@laban.org Photo credits: Belinda Lawley & Mark Pepperall

CAT Research Project

Sanna Nordin, PhD Imogen Walker, MSc References

• Bettle, N., Bettle, O., Neumärker, U., and Neumärker, K.J. (2001).

Body image and self-esteem in adolescent ballet dancers. Perceptual and Motor Skills. 93(1), 297-309.

• Buckroyd, J. (2000). The Student Dancer: Emotional Aspects of the

Teaching and Learning of Dance. London: Dance Books.

• Laws, H. (2005). Fit to Dance 2: Report of the second national

inquiry into dancers‟ health and injury in the UK. London: Dance UK.

• MacNamara, A., Holmes, P., & Collins, D. (2008). Negotiating

transitions in musical development: the role of psychological characteristics of developing excellence. Psychology of Music, 36, 335-352.

• Quested, E. and Duda, J.L. (in press). Perceptions of the

motivational climate, need satisfaction, and indices of well- and ill- being among hip hop dancers. Journal of Dance Medicine and Science.

• Sanders, L. Gifted and Talented Dancers: A Resource Booklet for
• Teachers. Commissioned by the Dance Network.
• Williams, A. M. & Reilly, T. (2000). Talent identification and

development in soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences,18, 657-667.