Overtraining and recovery in dance: A case study approach

Background: Elite level dance performance involves intense physical training (Wyon, 2010). Dancers are susceptible to overtraining (Koutedakis, 2000), burnout (Quested & Duda, 2011), stress (Noh, Morris, & Andersen, 2003), and fatigue due to overload (Leiderbach, Schanfein, & Kremenic, 2013). Sport science research indicates a balance between training and non-training stress and recovery is needed to achieve performance improvements (Kellmann, 2002; Richardson, Andersen, & Morris, 2008). Little is known about how dancers manage stress-recovery balance to maintain and improve performance. This research provides insight into the experiences of dancers managing the heavy training loads and stress of vocational and professional dance environments. Methods: Professional ballet (n=4) and contemporary (n=8) dancers participated in semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis revealed participant experiences indicative of under-recovery, overtraining, and burnout. Results: This study supported the suggestion that dancers experience high levels of physical and psychological stress (e.g., Noh, Morris, & Andersen, 2003), and may have limited understanding of the importance of recovery in preventing maladaptive responses to training such as overtraining or burnout. Further investigation should focus on the importance of recovery as a key component of dance training, including monitoring training load and stress-recovery balance in vocational dance, and investigating methods for improving recovery in dance training. Conclusions: This research encourages discussion regarding best practice for dealing with stress-recovery balance in dance and increasing awareness and responsibility for individual recovery needs.