Why sports science is stepping onto the stage with professional ballet in Leeds
Sports science is stepping onto the stage with professional ballet in Leeds.
Leeds Beckett University (LBU) and Northern Ballet are to collaborate on an innovative new research-informed project to improve the health, wellbeing and rehabilitation of professional dancers.
Drawing on LBU’s expertise in health and sport, the project will bring together academics with Northern Ballet’s Artistic Director and Head of Physiotherapy to design a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for dancer care – covering workload management, strength and conditioning, nutrition, psychology and wellbeing.
The ground-breaking collaboration, a 30-month Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP), part-funded by UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) through Innovate UK, will bring significant innovation to the ballet landscape.
The project is led by Dr Chris Brogden, senior lecturer in the School of Health at LBU and a sports scientist specialising in rehabilitation, injury risk and screening.
Dr Brogden said: “We are delighted to continue and further develop our exciting collaboration with Northern Ballet. The KTP will create an actionable, holistic framework, to be embedded across the whole organisation, replicating and adapting successful sports science principles and approaches from professional sport.
“Each dancer will be set up with a dashboard which will monitor and inform their workload, recovery and wellbeing. This aims to help improve physical performance and decrease injury risk, therefore reducing lost time and increasing efficiency across Northern Ballet, whilst further helping to establish the company as a thought leader in the sector.”
David Collins, executive director at Northern Ballet, said: “The KTP is an exciting opportunity to build on our existing partnership with LBU to explore how focused sports science can assist dancers. We have already achieved positive proof-of-concept results.
He added: “Continuing to support our dancers’ health and wellbeing is paramount to the success of Northern Ballet, whilst also reducing injury risk and maintaining sustainable careers. By developing this innovative framework for recovery and wellbeing, we aim to increase our performance excellence and continue to attract the best dancers so that we can bring the joy of dance to as many people as possible. We'll also be able to create a knowledge base that we can share with other dance companies through consultancy and professional development.”