Safe Working Practices: Performance and Preparation
Dancing pushes the body hard, so staying safe matters. Learn how dancers warm up and cool down, choose the right dancewear, eat and drink well, and perform within their limits to avoid injury.
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Free interactive practice on the decisions the assessment actually asks you to justify.
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Dancing safely
Dance pushes the body hard, so dancers work hard to stay safe and injury-free. Safe working practices happen before, during and after you dance. There are two sides to it: how you PREPARE (warming up, cooling down, eating and drinking well) and how you PERFORM (dancing within your ability and wearing the right kit). This module covers both.
Safe practice words
Four ideas run through safe dance practice.
Match the benefit
- Warming up
- Cooling down
- Drinking water
- Eating well
- Prepares the muscles and helps prevent injury
- Lowers the heart rate gradually and reduces stiffness
- Replaces water lost through sweating
- Gives the body energy from a balanced diet
The right kit
Which is the safest choice of dancewear?
- Suitable footwear, hair tied back, and no jewellery
- Loose jewellery and long loose hair
- Bare feet on any surface, whatever it is
- Whatever looks best, safe or not
Before and after
A warm up and a cool down do opposite jobs at opposite ends of a session.
Match the risk to the fix
- Cold, tight muscles
- Slipping on the floor
- Something catching as you turn
- Feeling faint and weak
- Warm up before you dance
- Wear suitable footwear
- Remove jewellery and tie hair back
- Eat well and drink water
Dance within your limits
Never push beyond your ability or copy a move you are not ready for. Dance with correct alignment, build up slowly, and stop if something hurts. Safe execution is how experienced dancers avoid injury.
Complete the advice
Before you dance you should _____ up to prepare your muscles. Afterwards you should _____ down to lower your heart rate. Wear suitable _____ and tie your hair back. Drink water to stay _____, and eat a balanced _____ for energy.
Safe practices
Which of these are safe working practices for a dancer? Choose all that apply.
- Warming up before dancing
- Wearing suitable footwear
- Drinking water to stay hydrated
- Dancing in loose jewellery
- Skipping the cool down to save time
Spot the safe choices
Tap the two sentences that describe safe working practice.
- She warms up gently before the routine.
- She ties her hair back and takes off her rings.
- He tries a jump far beyond his ability.
- He dances for hours without any water.
A safe session
Put a safe dance session into a sensible order.
- Warm up gently to prepare the body
- Dance within your ability with good technique
- Take breaks and drink water
- Cool down at the end
- Eat well afterwards to recover
Why cool down?
Why should a dancer cool down after performing?
- To lower the heart rate gradually and reduce stiffness
- To warm the muscles up before starting
- To learn new choreography
- To put jewellery back on
Getting ready to dance
You are preparing for a dance rehearsal. Choose the safe option at each stage.
- You have just arrived for rehearsal. What should you do first?
- Your hair keeps falling across your eyes as you turn. What is the safe fix?
- Halfway through you feel dizzy and thirsty. What should you do?
Before, during and after the performance
Explain how a dancer prepares safely for a performance. Include what they do before, during and after.
- Describe how they prepare before dancing
- Describe how they stay safe during the performance
- Describe what they do after dancing