It might seem odd for a writer known for hard-hitting action adventure stories to switch to the world of dance, especially as there is a tendency in our culture to see male dancers as somehow “wussy”.

 

But the reality of the dance world is something that few people realise. To say that it is tough is to underplay what dancers – of both sexes – put themselves through. The injuries, physical punishment and long hours are on a par with the military and it takes a person with grit, determination and a will to succeed to even make it on to the stage, let alone make it big.

 

The rigours of Ballet are perhaps the best known of the dance world – largely due to fly on the wall documentaries – but dancers of all genres push their bodies to the limit.

 

Street Dance is possibly one of the most demanding. There are many sub-types: hip hop, b-boy, break dancing, lyrical, bone breaking, tutting, popping, locking, krumping and many more. But what they all have in common is sheer effort it requires to perform the moves. If you look at the pictures below, you can see what I mean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s not just the moves themselves – it's the amount of practice needed to perfect the art. Most professional dancers (from any genre) rehearse for at least 5 hours a day just to stay on point. If they’re preparing for an up-coming performance, it can be 8 hours or more: that’s more than most Olympic athletes! And professional footballers? They train for 3-5 hours per day with 2 rest days per week. Added to which, they have an army of nutritionists, physios and doctors helping them stay in tip top condition. If they sustain an injury, they are supported, treated and, while they’re on the bench, their jobs are assured.

 

Dancers, especially freelancers, have little or none of this kind of support. If they slack off or miss a performance, there’s always a queue of people itching to take their place and so they simply push through the pain.

 

Is it any wonder that the majority of professional dancers are burnt out by their thirties?

 

In the UK, the situation has become so bad that the NHS has set up a specialist dance injury clinic. The rate of injury with dancers – from all styles – is reckoned to be 80% in any given year.

 

One such is Kate Prince, from dance group Zoo Nation. She was rehearsing for the Paralympic handover in Beijing when she landed badly, breaking several bones in her foot. It ended her dance career but she was one of the lucky ones and the company retained her as their artistic director of Zoo Nation.

 

She highlights the ruthless nature of the industry:

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"When you're injured they'll just find someone else - I know it sounds cutthroat but if you're the employer you just need someone who can go on and do the job. So dancers just do continually dance on with pretty awful injuries."

 

It’s not all bad, though. Dance is a great form of expression and even back as far as the 1970s, youths from poor backgrounds could find an outlet in street dance crews as an alternative to joining a Gang. The same is true today and London in particular has a thriving culture and has given rise to a number of world-class crews, such as Diversity. There are mixed crews and all-girls crews too and street dance is easily accessible. There are groups who are literally life-savers for young men and women who have disengaged from society and school.

 

So perhaps, now, the switch from military action to dance action doesn't seem so odd? It takes courage to do both jobs and as a writer, there's the added bonus that whether soldier or street dancer, there's plenty of eye-candy to work with!

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Best

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Alex