In February 2017 we wrapped up data collection for the 4th Safe Dance research project, Safe Dance IV – Investigating injuries in Australia’s professional dancers. This is a continuation of the important work started by Ausdance National almost 30 years ago, which aims to better understand the occurrence of injuries in Australia’s professional dancers as the landscape of professional dance continues to change.
Eligibility criteria for this study was broadened to include both company based and independent dancers, to better reflect the diversity of the Australian dance community. The content of the Safe Dance questionnaire was also expanded to collect data on the general health, wellbeing and quality of life of dancers, as well as injuries and health service access.
There were a total of 195 survey respondents, providing a vast amount of rich information. Much of 2017 will be spent analysing and interpreting this data in preparation for the launch of the 4th Safe Dance report later in the year.
In the meantime, here is a summary of the demographics of the 195 dancers that returned Safe Dance questionnaires:
- Average age of 28.5
- 65% identified as female
- Started dancing at an average age of 7
- 92% of dancers have had full time dance training,
- Full time training was an average of 4 years in length
- 70% of dancers trained in Australia
- The most common styles of full time dance training were classical ballet followed by contemporary
- The most common styles of dance employment were contemporary followed by ballet
If you would like to learn more about Safe Dance or other dance research projects at the University of Sydney, please email Amy, Facebook Dance Research Collaborative, or Twitter @amyjvassallo.