ABSTRACT
This first brief chapter introduces nutrition and its role in dance health and optimal performance. It discusses why nutrition, usefully seen as an aspect of dance science, is essential as part of the support system for every dancer. The links between sports nutrition and dance nutrition are explored, with the benefits and limitations of using data from sports nutrition research to inform dance nutrition. The nutritional priorities for the specific requirements of different dance genres are discussed, due to the variation between and within dance genres, from ballet to contemporary, traditional dance, ballroom, jazz, hip hop, break dance, musical theatre and performance art. The links between the nutrition and fitness that a dancer needs for the demands of their genre are explored. The recognised role of nutrition within the growing field of dance science is discussed, including discussion of location specific as well as global resources.
