A gorgeous spring day, dancers are performing for the community in a park, the audience is cheering and everyone is having a lovely time: what a wonderful scene! There’s only one problem with it, one many people may not recognize – the dancers are performing on concrete. That increases their risk for injury (both acute, or sudden, and overuse, wear-and-tear over time).
Dancers might find themselves in situations when there is no other option but to dance on concrete. Yet, learning more about why it’s dangerous, as well as ways to reduce the potential damage, could mean that these situations happen less often and are less harmful when they do. Dance Informa speaks with Dr. Emily Love, Director of Physical Therapy at Oklahoma City Ballet, in order to pass on that knowledge.
Chief among these harm-mitigation strategies are portable floors, those that are designed to support dancer health and safety in just those sorts of outdoor dancing situations. Stagestep has a variety of these floors for sale: lightweight, easy to transport and versatile. And now, take it away, Dr. Love!
Is dancing on concrete dangerous?
“Dancing on concrete is dangerous for a handful of reasons. The main reason is that concrete has zero give and provides no shock absorption; all the impact forces during dancing will travel directly through the dancer’s feet, ankles, shins, knees, hips and low back. The dancer will have to rely solely on their own muscles, tendons, bones, and joints to absorb and manage the impact.
Secondly, concrete often has inconsistencies in its texture. This can increase friction on the surface for the dancer to navigate depending on the type of shoes that they are wearing, or there may be cracks or divots in the concrete that can contribute to instability.”
In your practice, have you seen instances of injury (acute or overuse) from dancing on concrete? Is there anything that can be done, clinically speaking, at that point? (Things happen!)
“Yes, I have seen instances of injury from dancing on concrete. Acute injuries include stress fractures from repetitive impact, ankle sprains from cracks/divots, and bone bruising on the heel bone from landing on a hard surface. Chronic injuries include shin splints, plantar fasciitis and low back pain.
If any injuries do occur from dancing on concrete, I would recommend implementing injury management principles such as rest, protection, compression, ice and optimal loading techniques.”
When dancing on concrete occurs, it’s likely in cases of site-based performances, classes, and other events linked to community outreach, the like. What sorts of preventive measures can dancers, administrators, et cetera implement in these cases (for example, portable dance floors)? In such cases, what should dancers be aware of and, if possible, do for personal safety?
“For preventative measures, I would recommend a portable dance floor that offers some shock absorption even if it is not as much as the dancer is used to in the studio. I would also recommend adjusting rehearsal times when possible to give appropriate rest breaks and avoid high repetition of jumps and higher impact movements during rehearsals in order to reserve energy and intensity for performances.
Additionally, I would limit consecutive days of rehearsals on hard surfaces. Things that dancers can do to prepare for rehearsals and performances on concrete include wearing shoes with adequate shock absorption whenever possible, focus on landing mechanics with proper alignment and ‘softer’ landings, and prioritizing soft tissue mobilization with rolling out and stretching.
I always advocate for dancers to listen to their bodies. Early aches and pains should be warning signs for a dancer to address soon, instead of waiting for it to become a full blown injury.
It is also important to think about the overall volume of dancing on concrete between rehearsals and performances and knowing when to prioritize more impactful movements during a performance and reducing repetitions/volume during rehearsals, when possible. Lastly, safety should be prioritized for dancer longevity and not sacrificed for budget purposes.”
To shop portable dance floors and more, visit stagestep.com.
By Kathryn Boland of Dance Informa.
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