ABSTRACT
Dance science is the scientific study of dance and dancers through the subject areas of sports science such as physiology, psychology, kinesiology, and biomechanics. Dance science has been described as merely a systematic tool through which to deepen our knowledge of dance. Dance is a skill-driven activity where remarkable demands are placed on the dancer in terms of joint flexibility, coordination, and balance. A greater understanding of how the physiological, psychological, and biomechanical aspects of dance may lead to the development of better training techniques and healthier dancers might usefully inform those engaged in the creative, artistic, and training process. Science has become a major contributor to advances in sport training and performance, as evidenced by the number of sport science journals as well as the fact that athletes continue to beat world records. Models and principles of training taken from sports science and adapted by dancers are being applied to training more systematically to optimize dancer potential.
