Anatomical and Biomechanical Principles of Alignment for Dance

SUMMARY

This interactive webinar is the fifth in a series of webinars on healthy dance practice. It will introduce participants to principles relevant to the maintenance of functional and safe genre-specific static and dynamic alignment. Participants will explore fundamentals of anatomy and biomechanics, and how they apply to dancers’ abilities and technique.

This webinar includes some simple, stationary movement components.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This webinar is Core Principle 5 of the Safe in Dance International (SiDI) Healthy Dance Practice Certificate (HDPC), a certificate that participants may choose to undertake while completing the webinar series. Those who choose to pursue the HDPC certificate will be referred to the course tutor to liaise with Safe in Dance International. An additional fee to SiDI is required to pursue certification, which will be co-ordinated between the participant, course tutor, and Safe in Dance International. The 2022 sessions will be available for registration shortly. Please find the schedule below, with all sessions taking place from 1-3pm:

• CP 6: Individual Anatomical Anomalies & Adaptations in Dance – Jan 23/22
• CP 7: Group Specific Needs & Risk Factors in Dance – Feb 27/22
• CP 8: Dance Warm Up & Cool Down – Apr 21/22
• CP 9: Integrated & Complementary Conditioning for Dance – May 19/22
• CP10: Structuring, Sequencing, Progressing, & Learning Considerations in Dance Part I – June 9/22 Structuring, Sequencing, Progressing, & Learning Considerations in Dance Part II – June 23/22

LEARNING AIMS

• Explore fundamental aspects of human anatomy;
• Explore fundamental aspects of biomechanics and consider force and motion factors within the dance context;
• Examine general concepts of alignment and dance technique and discuss how to address common problems;
• Discuss the practical elements of assessing and encouraging functional bone and muscle relationships, and the maintenance of safe biomechanical alignment in stylistic frameworks.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Have an increased understanding of functional anatomy and biomechanics, and be able to gauge the current abilities of dancers;
• Have greater understanding of how to effectively communicate, promote, and provide feedback on healthy style-specific alignment;
• Recognize technical deviations from ideal alignment and the potential impact of ineffective or inadequate technique on safe execution of genre-specific movement;
• Be equipped with knowledge of the fifth core principle of Safe in Dance International’s Healthy Dance Practice Certificate (HDPC), a certificate that participants may choose to undertake while completing the webinar series.

This webinar is worth 2 hours of Time-Valued CPD.

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS

• Step 1: Buy a ticket via Eventbrite for the webinar(s) you wish to participate in.

• Step 2: Once you purchase your ticket, your Eventbrite Order Confirmation email will contain a link to register for the Zoom webinar (scroll down to the bottom, the link will be under Additional Information). Please ensure that you copy and paste the link into your browser and register for the Zoom webinar.

• Step 3: Once you register for the Zoom webinar, you will automatically receive an email from Zoom with meeting access information (Meeting ID & Passcode).

Only those who have purchased tickets via Eventbrite AND have registered through Zoom will be able to access the webinar. Once you have registered for the webinar, you will receive access to the live version as well as the recording which will be sent out post webinar.

PRESENTER BIO

ANDREA DOWNIE

PhD. Candidate, MA, HonBFA

ANDREA DOWNIE is a dance educator, choreographer, and kinesiology instructor with 25 years of experience. She teaches across Canada and internationally, working with new and experienced teachers and dancers of all ages, levels and abilities, enthusiastically sharing her passion for dance.

Andrea is the Founding Director of EnhanceDance, a founding member and Past President of Healthy Dancer Canada, and a Registered Provider with Safe in Dance International for the Healthy Dance Certificates. She is also a third-party CPD course provider for Royal Academy of Dance Canada, a faculty member at School of Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, and an adjunct professor in dance at the University of Calgary. No matter what and where she is teaching, her classes are intelligently structured, founded on evidence-based principles of training and best teaching practice, and strive to cultivate and sustain an equitable and just learning environment.

Andrea is currently pursuing a PhD in Kinesiology at University of Calgary, focusing on transformative experiences and the integration of dance science, somatics, and social justice in dance education. She received her MA in Dance Studies and her HonBFA in Dance Performance from York University. Her master’s research focused on motor learning and ways dance teachers can enhance dance skill learning. Andrea is also a certified Level 1 & Level 2 Conditioning-with-Imagery (C-I) Training teacher, the provider of Level 1 C-I Training Teacher Course & Certification, and a certified teacher of Simonson Technique.