The Dance-Specific Fitness Tests are the first scientifically validated tests designed specifically for dancers.
Research shows that cardiorespiratory fitness is an important part of a dancer’s training because the physiological demands of dance performance can be extremely high. Dancers need good stamina to work at their best, delay the onset of fatigue and help prevent fatigue-induced injuries.
There are two tests
The Contemporary Dance Aerobic Fitness Test
The High-Intensity Dance Aerobic Fitness Test
The Contemporary Test comprises four-minute stagesof movement that increase in intensity. The High-Intensity Test comprises a series of one-minute movement phrases interspersed with rest periods. Both tests have been choreographed to a set tempo with pre-recorded audio accompaniment.
The tests have been developed
using well-known dance
movements in contemporary
and ballet styles. They are
used by dance educators,
teachers and rehearsal directors to measure a dancer’s
cardiorespiratory capacity to
meet the physiological demands
of dance.
The tests are suitable for highly
skilled professional dancers of
all dance styles as well as
recreational and novice dancers
of all ages. They provide ‘easy-to
-use’ methods of evaluating the fitness
capabilities of dancers as they
improve over time. A dancer’s
progress is tracked through the
recording of his or her heart
rate as well as through the
observation of his or her dancing.
