IADMS New York 2002   [back to the Category]

Negative Influence by the Intensive Rehearsals .....   [read the french version]

Author :   Mayumi Kuno-Mizumura, PhD & Al.

Negative Influence by the Intensive Rehearsals Toward the Competition in Japanese Female Dance Students


Mayumi Kuno-Mizumura, PhD; Misaki Yoshida, MA; Ryoko Sugimoto, MA
Division of Performing Arts, Faculty of Literatures and Education
Ochanomizu University
Tokyo, Japan


The purpose of the present study was to investigate the change in physical conditions during rehearsal for the competition of contemporary dance of university students to evaluate the negative influence by the intensive rehearsal. Subjects were 21 Japanese female university students of dance education in Ochanomizu University. All subjects were the participants of the national competition of contemporary dance for university students at the end of July in 2001.

Before starting rehearsals, we gave two-hours lectures to the students to emphasize on the importance for health-related matters for dance in May. Subjects were asked to keep the training log to monitor the changes in their physical conditions until the competition. After the competition, all subjects were asked to answer the questionnaire about the occurrence of injury and the changes in the physical condition during rehearsals.

From the results of the questionnaire, they spent 153.0±45.7min for the rehearsal 4.4days a week in May, 211.4±72.5min 4.9 day a week in June, and 381.8±137.0 min 6.7days a week in July. Nine out of 21 students have got injured during the rehearsals. Most of their injuries were sprain of the foot. Thirteen students have claimed the bad physical condition such as fever, sleeping disturbance, diarrhea etc. All students showed weight reduction during rehearsals. Mean value of weight reduction was 3.1±1.3kg. When the subjects divided into two groups depending on the amount of weight reduction during rehearsal, the group with smaller weight reduction showed significant higher rates of injury during rehearsal. It is indicated that the hard intensive rehearsal during hot humid summer induce negative influences to physical conditions of the dance students. Some measured variables by the training log would be useful index to monitor/predict the changes in physical conditions of the students and the occurrence of the injury.