IADMS New York 2002   [back to the Category]

Forum: Should School-Age Student Dancers Participate in Physical Education ("Gym") Classes?   [read the french version]

Author :   Tzaki Siev-Ner, MD & Al.

Forum:
Should School-Age Student Dancers Participate
in Physical Education ("Gym") Classes?


Moderators:
Tzaki Siev-Ner, MD
Israel Performing Arts Medicine Center
Tel Aviv, Israel
David S. Weiss, MD
NYU Medical Center, Harkness Center for Dance Injuries
New York, NY, USA

Panelists:
Marijeanne Liederbach, MSPT, MSATC,
Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, New York, NY, USA
Luana Poggini, MD, PhD
Accademia Nazionale di Danza, Rome, Italy
Boni Rietveld, MD
Dutch Medical Centre for Dancers and Musicians, The Hague, The Netherlands
Rachel Rist, MA
The Arts Educational School, Tring, Hertfordshire, England
Nili Steinberg
Department of Anatomy and Anthropology
Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel

Dance medicine practitioners receive many queries from parents about the advisability of participation in physical education ("gym") classes for school-age dance students. School-age dance students may participate in 9 hours or more per week of dance activity. Many students will be required to participate in physical education (“gym”) classes as part of their regular school programs. Whether this additional exercise, which may involve additional aerobic conditioning, is useful and or safe is controversial. There is a paucity of scientific research on this issue.

This forum will begin with a brief review of the present literature. Discussion will involve the presentation of the opinions and experiences of a group of medical practitioners, dance scientists, and dance educators. Audience participation will be encouraged. The goal will be to stimulate further investigations in this area.