ODC Presents Month For Dancers' Health

ODC and the ODC Healthy Dancers Clinic have announced that September is Month for Dancers' Health, a celebration of dancers' wellness. Physicians, nutritionists, and physical therapists who specialize in dancers' health have joined together to volunteer an array of online workshops, panels, and pre-recorded videos, free to anyone, throughout the month of September.

Sessions are carefully designed for dancers who have dance-related questions for healthcare professionals during times of COVID-19, who want to learn more about dancers' wellness, or are interested in the latest information about public health issues and how they affect the dance community.

"We are thrilled to be able to expand our offerings digitally this year and to reach the larger dance community," said Kendall Alway, Director of the ODC Healthy Dancers' Clinic. "ODC Healthy Dancers' Clinic volunteers are the very best in the field of dance medicine. It is a tremendous personal reward for them to be able to continue to support dancers, particularly through these difficult times."

"I am grateful to the extraordinary people volunteering with the ODC Healthy Dancers' Clinic--profoundly grateful for the ways in which they empower and champion the health of dancers and of our shared community, and for the many essential ways in which they have deepened my personal understanding of what "health" is and can be," said ODC Executive Director Carma Zisman. "There is an urgency to everything this year, but front and center for me is the urgency of recognizing and addressing health as an issue of equity and justice-coming to understand in deeper and essential ways that systemic racism thwarts access to care, to resources vital to health."

Keynote Address: Addressing Racial Equity in Dance Medicine Community - What are we doing? What can we do better?Tuesday, September 1, 5pm PDTLet's kick-off the Month for Dancers' Health. ODC's Brenda Way and HDC's Kendall Alway introduce the month of events and our keynote speaker, renowned dance medicine expert Nancy Kadel, MD. Dr. Kadel will be presenting a status update on the efforts of the dance medicine community to address racial equity.

Dancers' Emotional Support GroupSunday, September 6, 4pm PDTA monthly, online support group specifically designed to provide a safe haven for movers to express their feelings within a structure guided by experts within the psychology and movement therapy realms. The focus is on integrating mind, heart and body by utilizing evidence based theory and methods to enhance psychological flexibility and improve individual emotional health, and to develop a supportive community. Nancy Marks M.D., Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist, and Jennifer Bury, Developmental Somatic Psychotherapist, combine their expertise to guide this group.

Foot and Ankle Health for Dancers with Nancy Kadel, MD and Josephine Lee
Tuesday, September 15, 5pm PDT.

Nancy Kadel, board certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle reconstruction and the care and treatment of dancers, and Josephine Lee, expert pointe shoe fitter and owner of The Pointe Shop, talk foot and ankle health for dancers.

Fuel Well! Nutrition for Dancers Wednesday, September 23, 6-7pm PDT
Panel discussion with health professionals Tammy Chang NC, Celina De Borja MD, Kirsten Graves RD, and Libby Parker MS, RD, CDN

Nutrition without rules! Use a non-diet approach to fuel your body and health. Dancers may adhere to special dietary practices for various reasons, which may include health and weight management. Fueling a dancer requires proper understanding of nutritional and energy requirements in order to maintain adequate health and wellbeing and prevention of injury or medical complications.
Be Heard: Advocating for Yourself in the Healthcare Space

Thursday, September 24, 5-6pm PDTMedical professionals Alyssa Herrera-Set DPT, SCS, and Milly Patel DPT host a space for presentation and Q&A with local choreographers and dancers. A virtual space to listen and be heard about topics including, but not limited to: health insurance, speaking to health care providers, accessing care to address nutrition, body image, pain, and other stressors associated with dance.

Dance for Healthy Youth and Teens with ODC Youth & Teen Staff and Celina De Borja, MDTuesday, September 29, 5-6pm PDTDance has unique benefits to our physical, mental and social health and wellbeing! Join us on this collaborative online session to learn more about ODC's dance programs for youth and teens, and how to maintain a safe and enjoyable virtual dance experience throughout the season, with special attention to good practices for health and injury prevention.

Relaxing the Pelvic Floor: Pelvic Health for Dancers with Karah Charette, DPT Wednesday, September 30, 6-7pm PDTThe pelvic floor is essential to our everyday movement and functioning! Karah Charette, DPT trained in pelvic health and rehabilitation, is thrilled to offer a 1-hour session sharing practices for finding and releasing the pelvic floor in one's own body.

The Healthy Dancers' Clinic at ODC, through the volunteer collaboration of academic health care professionals, strives to improve the well-being and healthcare of the dance community through education, musculoskeletal screening, integration of health services, enlightened treatment protocols and injury data analysis, hoping to culminate in prevention. Our main objectives are to provide guidance and advise dancers/performance artists on injury management, recovery and longevity.

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