You have conducted training sessions at the Tala Dance Center, the dance department of ADU, and now at SSP and ZPA training sessions. What are your impressions considering the various contexts you enter and the dancers from different backgrounds you work with?
Dancers’ bodies are extremely intelligent, capable, and adaptable, but what connects dancers of all styles is the lack of basic conditioning preparation. This includes improving motor skills (strength, speed, flexibility, balance, etc.), functional capabilities of organic systems (aerobic-anaerobic endurance), enhancing neuromuscular coordination, and more. The biggest weakness I notice is a lack of overall body strength. Dancers’ bodies are highly mobile and flexible, often even hypermobile. Most dancers of all ages I have worked with have told me, “I’m not flexible enough.” My response is always the same: you are not strong enough. My goal is to convey and explain the importance of developing strength in the musculoskeletal system, and then all other components of conditioning, to dancers in the dance scene.
Do you prefer to call your training “strength training,” “conditioning,” or something else? How do you see the difference between these terms?
At the Faculty of Kinesiology, I specialized in “Athlete Conditioning,” which is a broad term. Conditioning training involves developing motor, functional, and morphological characteristics. If we talk about motor skills, there’s strength, power, speed, coordination, precision, flexibility, and agility. Each motor ability correlates with another—for example, explosive strength, crucial for dancers, is a combination of speed and strength. It manifests in activities like accelerating one’s body, an object, or a partner. Regarding functional abilities, dancers need aerobic-anaerobic endurance. A change in morphological features would be reducing body fat and increasing muscle mass. In any training program/cycle, the most important thing is to know the goal and purpose before planning and executing training!
You’ve been dancing for a big part of your life. When deciding on your path, instead of an arts academy, you chose kinesiology. How has your perception of the body changed over the years through different approaches and techniques you’ve encountered?
My thinking evolved through university, maturity, and the tools and knowledge I gained there. I believe that in my profession, it’s crucial to start working with people as soon as possible because you learn the most through practical experience. One of my first experiences was working with the Lado Ensemble of Croatian Folk Dances and Songs. I always emphasize that Lado taught me how to work. As I accumulated experience in both sports and recreation, my knowledge and perspective on the body expanded.
The most significant personal change came from a spinal injury, surgery, and everything associated with that trauma. I didn’t trust my body, I was very insecure and weak, and I won’t even mention the pain and other sensations. That injury truly obstructs your life. It distanced me from dance, and I stepped away from it. My initial rehabilitation was at St. Catherine Specialty Hospital, and then I started training with Tamara Despot. That’s actually how my collaboration with Tamara began, where I spent the next five years conducting conditioning training for recreational athletes and professionals. It took me four to five years to overcome the psychological fear that was my biggest barrier. Recovery is a long and exhausting process.
When I started working at MotionLab, I discovered a more alternative approach to rehabilitation. There, I found people I could trust—I consider myself a community-oriented person; I need to “click” with someone to open up. That’s where I finally found people who share the same philosophy and approach to exercise and movement as I do. After a long time, I truly felt like I fit in and learned a lot.
Now I feel much more confident, stronger, and, most importantly, I understand my limits and what my body needs at any given moment. Bodies have always fascinated me because they are an inexhaustible source of information, and learning never ends. Although I chose Kinesiology, I am now part of ADU’s dance department, and working with students has added a new dimension to my work and approach. I feel very grateful for the opportunity to work with them.
How do you get to know the groups or individuals you work with, and how do you approach designing training sessions?
It’s essential to know the goal and purpose of training before starting the process. So, I always begin by talking to people to understand their reasons for training. These are mostly pain issues, sedentary lifestyles, post-operative rehabilitation, hypokinesia (reduced physical activity), or a desire for lifestyle change.
For group training with the Brutala Co. ensemble, I work with a younger population aged 14-16. The training focus is on improving motor skills to enhance movement quality and dance performance.
When preparing for classes with Academy students, it was important to familiarize myself with their program and needs. I attended their classes and observed. Based on that, I structured the winter semester Pilates classes to strengthen the core, specific muscle groups, and kinetic chains. After establishing a core strength foundation and basic movement patterns, I conducted conditioning training in the summer semester. Although I don’t have access to external weights, I use partnering and contact—key elements in contemporary dance—as a method, turning human bodies into external weights/resistance.
What’s your favorite exercise and why?
I feel best after training that includes a front squat and a deadlift. After spinal surgery five years ago, there’s no better exercise for me than the deadlift, which activates the posterior kinetic chain, and the front squat, which, besides activating the back, provides mobility and strength in the hips. If I don’t have time for a full workout, I do 3×10 reps of a 30kg front squat and 3×6 reps of a 60kg deadlift between client sessions. That way, I maintain the muscle tone I need throughout the day, as I assist clients, lift, carry, and move weights.
What’s your favorite muscle and why?
m. Deltoideus and m. Gastrocnemius
The shape and fiber distribution—they are unique.
Do you notice any attitudes, statements, or beliefs that hinder the potential of dancers’ bodies? What do you find crucial for their development and maintenance?
I think the main issue is that most dancers haven’t been exposed to conditioning training early enough for it to become a fundamental necessity for their bodies. Developing muscular strength and endurance is, in my opinion, the most critical missing element. I sometimes feel that dancers avoid muscle contraction, external resistance, and weights.
I used to avoid it too because we were taught that if we do a deadlift with a 50-60kg barbell and our spinal curvature changes slightly, we’ll get injured. But in reality, the deadlift is one of the best exercises for preventing spinal injuries. Over time, you realize you shouldn’t avoid any position—not spinal flexion, nor extension—because the spine needs to move through its full range.
Do you work with non-dancers?
Yes. At MotionLab, I work with the general population, and most of my individual clients are recreational athletes of various ages and professions.
Do you have aspirations for further education, learning new techniques, or expanding your field?
I have many ideas and hopes for the future. I plan to pursue a PhD at the Faculty of Kinesiology. For my master’s thesis, I analyzed the fitness status of Croatian breakdance dancers, and I believe I could contribute to the scientific community by researching contemporary dancers for my dissertation.
I also want to further develop my therapeutic knowledge in manual therapy. My biggest goal is GyroKinesis and GyroTonic certification, though they’re not yet available nearby—I might have to go to Berlin.