Update on inquiry process - Questionnaire (week 5)

Over the course of the last two weeks I have been preparing a questionnaire to send out to dance teachers. Here is a copy of the questionnaire if there are any other dancers/dance teachers out there on the course.  Please send responses to megan.bapp@gmail.com.

The preparation of the questionnaire, cover letter and gaining email addresses for the participants has been a time consuming but relatively easy process.

I started by brainstorming a list of questions I was interested in asking, and looking at the common areas of these questions, finally deciding on 6 categories:

1. Training
2. Anatomical Knowledge
3. Imagery
4. Execution of an extension line (developpé) above 90 degrees
5. Teaching
6. Students

Once I had decided on these categories and assigned the relevant questions to each category I worked on defining the questions, ensuring they were concise but not leading.  I also didn't want each category to be too long as I was concerned participants would not be keen to give up too much of their time. I decided on 4 questions per category.

During this process my VPN stopped working meaning I was unable to access any social media etc, and shortly after my laptop had to be restored to factory settings meaning progress was stalled for a week.  

After finalising the questionnaire (and getting my laptop and VPN fixed) I contacted a group of teacher and dancer friends via group private message on Facebook, sending a very brief explanation of how I needed their help and asked them to send me their email addresses if they were willing to partake and to add anyone else to the group I had forgotten or who they thought might be able to help.

Whilst waiting for a list of email addresses I sent the questionnaire to a colleague to answer in order to see if there were any flaws with my questions i.e. were the questions clear?  On receiving her responses I realised that I had not been clear enough in section 4 and had not specified that I required information on an extension line OVER 90 degrees. 

On waking this morning I had an inbox of email addresses and a lot of "joe blogs left the group" notifications - I would suggest to anyone who is sending a group message on Facebook writes in their message something along the lines of "once you have sent your email address, please feel free to leave the group as there is the potential for all these messages to be really annoying"  I think it's nice for people to know you've thought about it.

I wrote a cover letter for the questionnaire, with the following sections:

• About me
• About you
• About the inquiry

And sent it to my partner to see if he would understand it if he were to receive it. He suggested one edit for clarification, which I agreed with and made. 

Finally, I added everyone who has replied to the Facebook message so far to a BCC field, wrote a very brief email, added the attachment and sent...

Following on, I wondered if the questionnaire would translate into the fitness world - would a Personal Trainer be able to offer further insights?  Ones the dance world might not think of?  And so I sent it on to a Personal Trainer and look forward to preliminary discussions with him. 

Flexibility quote

Whilst researching my subject area I find myself flying about all over the place, one text leads me to another and before I know it I've added another 10 sources to my (already bulging) bibliography...but are they all specifically relevant to my inquiry?  And just how big is this going to get?

That said, I found the following in one of the books I've been reading and I hope it might make people feel better about their lack of (dancer) flexibility.  If 47% of one's hip stiffness, for example, is something they can safely do little about then maybe they will change their focus on the way they approach the issue.  Michael J Alter says in his book 'Sport Stretch':

"A question of great interest to all athletes is the relative importance of various tissues in joint stiffness. The joint capsule (i.e., the saclike structure that encloses the ends of bones) and ligaments are the most important factors, accounting for 47 percent of the stiffness, followed by the muscle's fascia (41 percent), the tendons (10 percent), and skin (2 percent). However, most efforts to increase flexibility through stretching should be directed to the muscle fascia. The reasons for this are twofold. First, muscle and its fascia have more elastic tissue, so they are more modifiable in terms of reducing resistance to elongation. Second, because ligaments and tendons have less elasticity than fascia, it is undesirable to produce too much slack in them. Overstretching these structures may weaken the integrity of joints. As a result, an excessive amount of flexibility may destabilize the joints and increase an athlete's risk of injury."

Sports Stretch

Alter, Michael J (1998). Sports Stretch. 2nd ed. USA: Human Kinetics . Part 1. Pg 8

Blog post find

I found this blog yesterday, which I think relates well to my blog regarding students not understanding your cues.

Update on inquiry process (week 4)

Interestingly, over the course of my research much of the information spoke of the importance of attending strength classes outside of the dance studio, in order to create a 'more rounded' dancer.  This resonated with me as whilst many of my students work religiously on their flexibility they are less keen to work independently on their strength.  From a students’ perspective, I understand this. They are able to reap the rewards of good mobility and flexibility, not only does their ability to create (although not hold) a line improve but they are able to ‘show off’ to their friends both inside and outside of the studio.  Many a playground has been impressed by someone dropping into the splits however few have appreciated someone who can hold to plank for 5 minutes straight!  It doesn’t have the same immediate ‘wow’ factor. 

This semester I am fortunate enough to have a dedicated ‘Strength and Stretching’ class within the Jazz programme’s schedule, and this allows me slightly more time to focus on the aspect of strength with these students, without the movement that a dance class involves. However I still try to encourage the students to seek out suitable strengthening opportunities outside of the studio along with ensuring they have the knowledge to continue the work we do in class in their own practice time, as they currently do with their flexibility. 

Over the last few weeks during stretching class, and more senior levels I have asked my students to sit against the wall with their legs at a right angle to their torso (like a seated version of the ‘forward stretch’ performed in Modern Dance or the ‘Waiter Bow’ used in physiotherapy) and asked them, whilst keeping their posture secure and their technique strong to lift their leg focusing on the use of their backs, pelvis and abdominals whilst relaxing their thigh (obviously they are not capable of this, but it I am using imagery to try to enable them to use the correct muscles as they main muscle).  The height at which they could lift their leg without the help of their arm strength (to help with the weight) and the height at which they could lift with the help of their arm were significantly different.  Once again, showing the need for a balanced relationship between strength and flexibility, and the students certainly at my studio having an in balance:  

I have sent a brief questionnaire to my peers within the industry to gain an insight into their observations.  Do any of you have any thoughts on this subject?

In addition to this we continue to practice the Forward Stretch as discussed in my proposal to help the students see the potential height they should be able to achieve with a develope and to see the improvements they are making within this area.

Update on inquiry process (week 3)

Changes in ‘search’ terms have enabled me to find many sources on or around my subject area. Due to the amount of information I continue to find I decided to write a research essay on these findings to allow me to easily look back.  This essay will be an ongoing process, which also allows me to put together my bibliography – which even now is proving very time consuming.

My current research and observations have confirmed my present thinking that the issue of achieving height above 90 degrees in a developpé in any position is due to lack of understanding of the muscle use, as discussed in my previous post. Although my inquiry is specifically on developpé devant, I believe the research I have looked at relating to  developpé a la seconde is also incredibly helpful.

The consensus of my research is that (along with other muscles) a weak Iliopsoas muscle is the common issue with the dancer being unable to achieve height in a developpé despite having the required flexibility.  

What/where is the Iliopsoas muscle?

The Iliopsoas is made up of two muscles: the psoas major and the Iliacus both of which belong to the group of muscles that make up the hip flexor.  In addition, the Iliopsoas also works as low back stabilisers and lateral thigh rotators and are located within the lower torso (abdomen).

Useful Links:

Here is a link to a useful website regarding the Iliopsoas (credit also goes to this website for the moving image on the left).

And here is a link to a youtube video, explaining the origin, insertion and function of the Iliopsoas. 

What muscles make up the hip flexors?

The muscles that make up the hip flexor are:

• Psoas Major

• Illiacus

• Rectus Femoris

• Sartorius

Some questions that came out of my research this week:

• What are the common exercises recommended to stretch and strengthen the Iliopsoas?
• Do I currently do anything in class that works this muscle? 
• If not, what can I do and where/how can I incorporate these exercises?
• How can I ensure my students are able to isolate, and in turn use this muscle?

References (specific to this particular blog)

Larsen, Amber. (2014). Everything you need to know about the Iliopsoas. Available: http://breakingmuscle.com/mobility-recovery/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-iliopsoas. Last accessed 14th October 2014.

Hub, Ken. (2014). Psoas Major Muscle - Origin, Insertion, Innervation & Action - Human Anatomy. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jEmfYBOPojI. Last accessed 14th October 2014.

Acland, Robert. (2013). Hip Flexor Muscles. Available: https://aclandanatomy.com/abstract/4010411. Last accessed 12th October 2014.

Update on Inquiry process (week 2)

This week (week beginning 6th October) I asked me students to make a particular correction and had a lot of blank faces looking back at me. This lead to a conversation within that class, which I took studio wide based on my initial findings.  It has become apparent that my students are lacking in anatomical knowledge and understanding of 'dance phrases', for example: 

Where do you turn out from?

What muscles do you use to turn out?

What does "close your ribs"/"pull up" mean? - Do all teachers use the same "terms" or imagery?!

I found this interesting given the majority of the students have been dancing for many years, and do multiple hours in the studio each week.  An additional note: this Studio is high achieving and competes internationally.

Having joined the studio in 2013 I have only been teaching these students for one year and had (wrongly) assumed much of this knowledge would have been covered in their foundations as it would have been if I was their teacher from day one. Or would it?  Am I as good at passing over this knowledge as I think or hope? Either way, it clearly hasn't, or maybe it has and they have forgotten it, and this is obviously something I need to be aware of in my professional practice and address in class, ensuring I give ALL information in every class, despite this being time consuming.

Due to the community the studio is situated within, I believe some of the problem could stem from students constantly coming and going (many do two or three years in one country and move on). This transient  international community is not something I have experienced before last academic year, having previously (on the whole) worked in schools where I have taken my students at 3 and watched them graduate at 18 with minimal comings and goings at levels other than beginners. That is not the case in my current situation.

I believe these findings are highly relevant to my inquiry, and as a result I started a conversation with some of my peers/colleagues regarding potential reasons for this.  Below is a mind map of my thoughts following these discussions:

I believe these are industry/profession wide issues - I wonder if anyone else has any thoughts on this?

If a student does not know where a movement is supposed to be coming from (which muscles to 'fire'), and the mechanics behind it how can they improve their execution?

Update on inquiry process

We're nearing the end of the first week of the final semester and I feel like I'm getting nowhere fast... 

All of the feelings of self doubt, uncertainty, nerves and stress that the last years study brought me are flooding back.  I'm determined to stick to my schedule, yet like so many of us have so much to juggle.  

On a positive note, I had a great chat with Paula and whilst I'm sorry to see Alan go, I think I can gain a lot from Paula this semester. Paula has given me some further places to search for literature, which is something that I have struggled with. My inquiry title is:

"Exploring the flexibility and strength of a dancer with particular reference to the execution and improvement of extension devant and the implications for dance teaching"

If anyone has come/comes across any literature, or has some personal findings to add to my inquiry I would be really grateful for your input. So far, my most useful piece of literature is a piece by Lisa Howell, however disappointingly there is no bibliography and I'm not sure this really counts as 'established text'.

Literature aside I was fortunate enough to receive great positive feedback from my inquiry.  Alan gave me some additional ethical issues to consider, which I have written up in task 7a but other than that my plan remains the same, I just need to get started with the execution...

Break a leg everyone! And if I can be of any help to anyone, I will do my best.  

P.M.A

WE CAN DO THIS!