Testing and Training for Physical Fitness in Contemporary Dance: Investigations

Dance training has developed eclectically to serve the different approaches to dance performance and making, however there is a discrepancy between the physiological demands of training and dance performance. It is no longer acceptable to train contemporary dancers without due regard for physiological concerns if they are to be prepared appropriately to meet the demands of current choreographic work. This doctoral thesis contains six published studies (chapter 3), five of which have been published as papers in peer reviewed academic journals and one as an abstract in a peer reviewed academic journal. The main thrust of each of the studies falls under the umbrella investigations of dance specific ways of assessing and training for physical fitness in contemporary dance. More specifically, the aims of the progressive research were: to investigate the physiological demands of dance training and performance; to assess the role of supplementary fitness training in dance; to examine new dance specific methods oftesting and training dancers. The thesis also comprises a supporting document (chapters 1,2,4,5,6) which places the work in its overall context, articulates the coherence and contemporary relevance of the work and critically evaluates its application to, and implications for, the broader dance context. The relationship between each study and how the six studies address an overarching question about the appropriateness of today's contemporary dance training is considered and some recommendations proffered. Specific limitations of each study and of the studies collectively, are articulated with recommendations for where future research efforts might be focused. Application of the research from the educator and researcher's perspective is suggested, and the significance of the work is highlighted