Week 1 Assessments

Day one of my conditioning program is a lot of information gathering.  In order to determine the most strategic and appropriate tactics for conditioning, it's imperative to begin with a thorough round of various assessments. On the first day the dancers were exposed to:

• Fitness testing -- measuring cardiovascular endurance through resting and active heart rate
• Flexibility assessment
• Strength assessment
• Agility assessment
• Mobility assessment
• Squat assessment
• A visual assessment by their partner

I blend commonly used practices inside the dance field (flexibility and mobility testing) as well as methods used in fitness and athletic training (agility testing, squat assessment) as I feel these are related to the work that modern dancers do. 

Let's take a look at one for today: Agility is the ability to start, stop, and change directions quickly.  Many modern dance choreographers require skills such as these to execute movements.  The students are learning the repertory of Robert Battle this summer and agility is ESSENTIAL to this work.  I assessed the students using two athletic tests:

1. The Davies Test to assess upper extremity agility: In this test the dancer placed their hands 36 inches apart while maintaining a push up position.  The hands moved to tap each tape mark for 15 seconds.  Completed taps were recorded. Watch Erin completing this movement: 

1. The Shark Skill Test to assess lower extremity agility: In this test the dancer stood inside the center space of a numerical box 

on one foot with hands on their hips. They were given a pattern and instructed to hop to each number and then back to the center box in between each. If their hands came off their hips, they missed a box, or their foot touched the floor, this was taken into consideration. They were timed.  Take a look at Kai completing this test.  They first time was a challenge: 

 

And the second time, her trial, was a success:

I think dancers should consider these athletic assessments as informative and essential to the overall picture of skill level and ability.  Tomorrow we'll take a look at some of the strength and flexibility assessments that the students completed.