An overview of important vision skills for Dance

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Dance

Just as many people don’t think “sport” when dance comes up, most people don’t realize just how important vision is for a dancer, especially those who dance at competitive levels. Dance is a sport in which precision, balance, and awareness of what’s around you are extremely important, and each of these is tied to vision skills.

Core Visual Skills For Dance

While there are a number of vision skills that are important for dancers, some are more crucial to performance than others.

Core vision skills for dancers include:

Visualization: Believe it or not, visualizing yourself performing a particular feat does help you physically accomplish it. In dance, better visualization gives a performer increased ability to carry out more difficult and daring moves.
Hand-eye-foot coordination: Dance is a sport in which precise control over every body movement is essential, and this must all be done while in motion. Improving hand-eye-foot coordination is essential in order to see improvement in dance overall.
Vision-balance integration: It should be obvious that balance is a key component of dance. What might be less obvious is that vision is a key component of our ability to balance. Improving this skill will have a major impact on a dancer’s ability to maintain balance while going through all the complex motions.

Secondary Visual Skills For Dance

Secondary visual skills for dancers aren’t necessarily any less important than core visual skills, though they are not quite as central to what is needed for a dancer to be successful.

Secondary visual skills for dancers include:

Visual attention: Visual attention is the ability to remain focused on a visual task despite outside distractions. Especially for a sport like dance, being able to completely “tune out” other things that might be on one’s field of view, such as the judges or audience, is a vital skill for dancers performing at high levels.
Dynamic visual acuity: This is the skill that enables someone to maintain clear vision while in motion. With dance, the performer is often carrying out complex motions at speed, so being able to clearly focus on one’s surroundings is a useful skill to ensure that no missteps are made.
Anticipation timing: This is a skill which enables one to better time key motions. In dance, this especially helps when the dancer goes airborne, and needs to properly time the landing.

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Dr. McBryar

Dr. McBryar runs a specialty optometry practice, Amplify EyeCare Chattanooga, located in Hixson, Tennessee. Dr. McBryar specializes in the fields of developmental optometry, working with children and special needs to realize their full potential.

She has many achievements in her field:

Diplomate of the American Board of Optometry (ABO)
Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD)
Candidate for Fellowship in the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA)

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Testimonials

Vision therapy is well worth the response, time and effort. Our Son had a hard time focusing and writing neatly. After vision therapy Seth could complete a task in half the time if previously took. His abilities to focus improved greatly and so did his handwriting.

Also, he was better at listening. As a parent, we wanted learning to be fun for our Son, and vision therapy made this possible.

Amanda T.

Vision Therapy is well worth the expense, time and effort. Our son had a hard time focusing handwriting neatly. After vision therapy Seth could complete a task in half the time it previously took his abilities to focus and improved greatly and so did his handwriting.

Also, he was better at listening. As a parent you wanted learning to be fun for our son and vision therapy made this possible.

Alexa H.

Vision Therapy has given or son the tools he needs to be able to scan and read the written word more effectively and efficiently.

He love working with John and these working sessions give him the motivation to gladly work on his homework assignments.

It amazed us to see the difference in the tracking of his eyes and along a line of it's from the beginning to the end of the treatment.

Dr. McBryar , Kristen and John are all marvelous and we would recommend them to anyone I only wish that we would have found them sooner!

Charlotte M.

Prior to coming to the institute for vision development my son complained of daily headaches. Therapy has eliminated his headaches completely. I love knowing my son is able to learn pain-free for the rest of his life because of the work that has been done over just a few weeks in this office. He he absolutely loved coming that didn't even feel like going to a doctor or therapy. We are grateful for the relief he was able to find by coming here.

Thank you!

Olivia C.

Seems much less frustrated with life

Reads non-stop and fast

Spelling abilities have been hugely improved

Seems much more confident

Thank You!!!

Kelly O.

When we first came to the practice, my son did not have huge issues, but lots of small ones- trouble with reading, sports (hitting the baseball consistently), coordination, etc- that were not easily detectable,but when put together presented issues. The staff here were all very professional and loving towards him. While I was concerned in the reading, my son was concerned with the athletic side. Seeing improvement night off the bat gave him confidence that i have nor seen in him and made him want to not only Come to therapy, but also made him want to work hard. He has surpassed his grade level and above in reading and hit his first home run this year! Thank you!!!