While they appear to move gracefully and float through the air on stage, ballet dancing is physically challenging and injuries can stop some dancers from reaching their full potential.
For Lottie, 18, her dream to join a ballet company once she graduates from the Australian Ballet School is dependent on remaining healthy and without injury. Rehabilitation programs have been integral to her recovery from a sprain in her shoulder joint capsule sustained last year.
“Injury obviously affects our physical health and can come with pain and discomfort in the rehabilitation process. However, injury also has a really large impact on the mental and emotional wellbeing of a dancer. Dealing with the setback of an injury on our training is a challenging hurdle to overcome and takes mental strength and resilience to cope with,” says the Level 8 graduate student.
Lottie, pictured, will be part of an international injury surveillance program being conducted at the Australian Ballet School in Melbourne, to help improve adolescent dancer health and performance.
La Trobe University Sport and Exercise Medicine Research Centre and The Australian Ballet are collaborating with the Sport Injury Prevention Research Centre at the University of Calgary, Canada, and the Canadian International Olympic Committee (IOC) Research Centre - one of 11 IOC Research Centres for Prevention of Injury and Protection of Athlete Health.
The multi-country study, called SHRed Injuries Surveillance (Surveillance in High School And Community Sport to Reduce Injuries and their Consequences in Youth), is already underway at Alberta Ballet School and other private studios in Calgary, Alberta.
La Trobe University study lead and Principal Research Fellow, Associate Professor Ebonie Rio, said the program will help to design and monitor the impact of targeted injury prevention strategies that aim to keep young dancers healthy and participating for the long-term.
“Ballet is an extremely demanding craft. The rigorous training that professional ballet dancers undertake make them susceptible to musculoskeletal injuries,” she said.
“This research will support the development of programs that will help dancers have a long and healthy career, whether as a professional or recreational dancer. It will also help us understand the different types of injuries dancers may sustain over their training.”
The Australian Ballet School currently trains 86 full-time students across five year levels. Within months of graduating, 90% secure contracts with leading dance companies—both here in Australia and internationally, including Europe, Asia, New Zaland and the United States—affirming the School’s reputation as a world-class training ground for elite ballet talent.
Australian Ballet School Artistic Director & Head of School Megan Connelly said the physical health of students is integral to their future careers.
“The Australian Ballet School is committed to providing world-class education and training to our students. We understand the value of evidence-based research in achieving this goal,” Megan said.
“Our health team has long been known for its excellence in dancer health and wellbeing, and we are proud to collaborate with La Trobe University in this important international research program,” she said.
“Our students are the future of our art form.”
For Lottie, the program connects with her own experience with rehabilitation from injury.
“I think sports research is crucial in the recovery from injury for dancers, particularly those training at a pre-professional level. It allows our health team to be equipped with the specific and correct knowledge to rehab us back to dancing fully with the best efficiency and success. Being injured is a difficult time for any dancer so the ability to streamline the recovery process with correct treatment is amazing.”
“Our training as pre-professional dancers is very demanding on our bodies. It’s so important to stay on top of our physical health with recovery techniques, strength training, proper rest and adequate nutrition and hydration. This prevents injury and ultimately, prevents time off training.”
Another ABS student, Tom, managed a posterior impingement for the past five years. It took sports research and rehabilitation to finally help it heal.
“I think it helped tremendously and played a huge part in monitoring and maintaining my recovery progress,” said the level 7 student. “Physical health is extremely important because otherwise you are at a higher risk of injury.”
Tom, 18, said an injury could set a dancer back a long way.
“It depends on the specific injury, whether it’s the type that takes you out for months or a smaller injury that hurts for a short while. My injury affected my physical and mental performance in dance. I’m so happy to be fully recovered. The sooner you can get back, the better.”
Associate Professor Rio said La Trobe University continues to showcase the strength of its collaborations and international partnerships we are proud to be part of the IOC Australian Research Centre (La Trobe Sport and Exercise Medicine - LASEM) Research Centre in partnership with the Victorian Institute of Sport (VIS) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
