Introduction:

Dance is a complex art, which uses the body to communicate, combining body movement with emotion. Professionals in this sector are regularly subjected to very demanding training to perfect the individual components of strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, balance and motor control, in order to ensure the excellence of their performance, in environments usually competitive.

Although injuries are expected to occur, sometimes so severe that they require an early abandonment of the profession, there are few published studies that explore the awareness of professionals regarding the risks, their behavior towards the use of personal protective equipment, the description of occupational accidents, the recognition of occupational disease or their perception about the work of the Occupational Health and Safety team.

Methods:

This is a pilot, exploratory, observational and cross-sectional study, designed with the purpose of the results being able to serve as base for the development of broader studies, capable of generating new evidence about this professional sector.

The data were obtained through an anonymous online questionnaire. The sample was obtained for convenience after contacting several schools and dance companies in the northern region between October 20 and December 31, 2020.

Results and Discussion:

The sample consists of 113 individuals, with an average professional experience of 14 years, most of them female, with higher education completed and who dedicate themselves exclusively to dance. The ergonomic risk factors (maintained postures and repetitive movements) that give rise to musculoskeletal injuries stand out, followed by psychosocial risks, related to the difficulty in managing personal life and job insecurity. The use of personal protective equipment is residual, although the Covid 19 pandemic has added new challenges. Most had accidents at work, from which sprains stand out, although with no serious sequelae. The most referenced symptoms are associated with musculoskeletal pathology but are linked with the less professional experience and those who perform the dance in part time. The perception of the existence of an occupational disease is residual, as well as the support received by Occupational Health and Safety team.

Conclusions:

The study represents a wide variety of styles and types of dance, providing a basis for the development of broader studies, capable of directing the provision of Occupational Health and Safety Services in the sector. The results confirm the main pre-existing evidence in the bibliography, of a predominance of musculoskeletal injuries, resilience in the face of pain and lack of monitoring by Health and Occupational Safety team, but it also adds a broader view on psychosocial factors in a profession sometimes with reduced longevity, which forces you to rethink the future at a very early stage of life. Inferences are also made about the salutogenic potential of occupational health in the development of preventive and professional training programs, in the face of risk factors/ occupational risks.

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