A researcher at the University of Wolverhampton is working in collaboration with Ochanomizu University in Japan to investigate how fatigue effects ballet dancers via Xsens motion capture suits.
Professor Matthew Wyon, Professor in Exercise Physiology at the University of Wolverhampton and former ballet dancer, Dr Mayumi Kuno-Mizumura at Ochanomizu University, Japan are working to discover the impact of fatigue on dancers’ quality and precision by the use of Xsens motion capture suits.
XSENS suits are lycra suits worn to analyse human movement and gain an insight to improve wellbeing or performance. Dancers seem to be able to negate the usual loss in movement skill and accuracy when tired and the project aims at examining how they are able do this.
The project, funded by The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, will help inform how dancers are trained and potentially have cross-over benefits to other high-skill sports and professions. The project plan and initial data collection has been completed during exchange visits by Professor Matthew Wyon and Dr Mayumi Kuno-Mizumura with the final data collection due September 2023.
Professor Wyon said: “One of the best aspects of research is collaboration, and this project has allowed me to work with an excellent researcher in Japan on a co-designed project. Dancers seem to be able to negate the usual loss in movement skill and accuracy when tired and we are examining how they do this by working together, combining our skills, expertise and experience to put to best use.”
The University of Wolverhampton is a world-leader in dance medicine and science research and this project is a continuation of the impact case study submitted for the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF 2021).
