More than 500 dance medicine and education professionals gather each year, both in person and virtually, to share and learn how to better achieve health for dancers, and health for our communities through dance. The most recent conference, held in Columbus, Ohio, in October 2023, hosted 121 presentations and movement/interactive sessions and 22 poster presentations by practitioners from all over the world. Here is a small sampling of the remarkable breadth of work presented and topics discussed.

Our top 10 picks for products staying well whether you’re taking class at home, rehearsing in a theater or winding down post-performance.

I would very much like to go back eight months in time and beg that naive version of myself to meet with a physical therapist before diving back into rigorous training. How I’m moving forward while managing an injury is this month’s topic.

I’m ready to start auditioning, and hoping that someone will take a chance on me. This month I’m sharing a bit about my process for finding auditions, submitting self-tapes and taking advantage of networking opportunities without an agent.

With the stressors of the pandemic still lingering more than one year later, self-care is, rightfully, a priority for everyone right now. But dancers have always known the importance of keeping their bodies and minds as healthy as possible. After all, your body is your instrument, and as we make our long-awaited returns to the […]

Health, as a state of balanced being, encompasses the physical, mental and emotional realms of our livelihood. As a dietitian for dancers, my expertise focuses on using food as a tool to enhance performance and health. And while most dancers work with me to achieve and maintain a healthy lifestyle, what is healthy for one […]

Dancin Power’s first student refused to dance. Morg’Ann was a teenager with a chronic illness who had been in the hospital for three months. “She looked at me and said, ‘I’m not going to dance; I’m in a wheelchair,’ ” remembers Dancin Power founder Vania Deonizio. But Deonizio is not one to give up. She […]

Injury prevention is crucial for dancers. But compared to the resources focusing on dance styles like ballet, modern and contemporary, guidance for dancers specializing in percussive forms—for example, tap, flamenco or kathak—is arguably less common. What kinds of injuries tend to affect these dancers, and how can they be avoided? What Are the Most Common […]