How to become a dance medicine specialist


Dance Medicine Continuing Education | NYU Langone Health

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Harkness Center for Dance Injuries Education Dance Medicine Continuing Education

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NYU Langone’s Harkness Center for Dance Injuries offers both online and live continuing medical education (CME) and continuing education unit (CEU) certificate courses, including Principles of Dance Medicine: Clinical Management of the Dancer Patient. Additional CME and CEU courses are offered periodically as well.

Principles of Dance Medicine: Clinical Management of the Dancer Patient

Our Principles of Dance Medicine: Clinical Management of the Dancer Patient is a CME and CEU course for healthcare and dance practitioners who wish to understand the unique risk factors associated with dance training. The course also provides up-to-date and innovative treatment plans for the dancer patient.

Studies indicate that 80 percent of dancers will experience a major injury during their career, and 95 percent will experience repetitive stress injuries. This course provides evidence-based research on numerous intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with injury. Further, it discloses the best-known means of preventing injury and reducing the severity of injuries and teaches the skills dance medicine professionals need to improve health outcomes in their patients. Practitioners taking this course receive updates on the latest research findings in relevant areas, such as screening, nutrition, ergonomics, biomechanics, injury prevention, and rehabilitation.

This course is targeted to certified athletic trainers, chiropractors, nurse practitioners, physicians, physician assistants, physical therapists, podiatrists, and orthopedic surgeons, as well as dance educators, somatic practitioners, and dance scientists.

The following is an overview of the course’s educational objectives:

  • to be able to identify biopsychosocial (biological, psychological, and social) factors influencing injury occurrence among dancers
  • to effectively implement strategies to modify risk and prevent injury influenced by biopsychosocial factors
  • to recognize the value and limits of the screening process for adult and adolescent dancers and to be able to explain the place of screening in a broader epidemiologic model of prevention and intervention
  • to select appropriate conservative treatment, surgical interventions, and rehabilitation based on patient needs

Funding for this course is provided in part by the Harkness Foundation for Dance.

DanceMedU Online Course Series

DanceMedU (new users are required to create an account to login) is an online learning platform that allows healthcare practitioners, dance professionals, and students to listen to a series of individual lectures from anywhere in the world and earn continuing education credits at an affordable price. Lectures include Principles of Dance Medicine content and additional material. Purchase of the lectures gives you access for 90 days. You can register for free to see the complete course catalog.

Register through November 1, 2022, to access our previously recorded Summer Enrichment for Dance Educators educational workshops through DanceMedU.

Dynamic Warm-Up
Recorded Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Neutral Posture: A Foundation of Healthy Mechanics
Recorded Monday, July 11, 2022

Stretching Science
Recorded Monday, August 15, 2022

Live Dance Medicine Courses

We periodically offer live CME and CEU dance medicine courses. These courses cover Principles of Dance Medicine materials as well as other topics such as pelvic floor rehabilitation for dancers and managing anterior hip pain.

If you are interested in hosting a live course at your institution taught by Harkness Center for Dance Injuries clinicians, please contact us at [email protected].

Thank you for printing content from NYU Langone Health. © 2022 NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Dance Medicine & Science Certificate | School of Theatre & Dance | College of The Arts

Students interested in exploring the field of dance medicine and science have the option to pursue the Dance Medicine and Science Certificate. Open to degree-seeking (any major) and non-degree-seeking students, this certificate program will give you a basic understanding of issues pertaining to the wellness of dancers. Areas of study include typical injury and misalignment patterns, injury prevention and treatment, injury risk factors, effective conditioning, muscular analysis of dance movement, and current topics in dance medicine/science research. Enhance your specialized study through support courses that address the structure and function of the musculoskeletal system, the mechanical principles related to motor performance, the physiological effects of exercise, nutrition, and principles of motor development and skill acquisition.

As part of the experiential aspect of the DM&S Certificate Program, the DM&S labs consist of educational hands-on experiences where students explore particular topics relevant to supporting dancer training and wellness and engage in direct exposure to practitioners and to practices in the field. Examples include:

  • Somatic Techniques (e.g., Alexander Technique)
  • Nutrition for dancers
  • Mental Health for dancers
  • “Ask a PT” sessions with a dance medicine PT specialist
  • Dance Movement Therapy
  • Clinical assessment methods of the dancer
  • Approaches to injury prevention, management and rehabilitation
  • Tools for dance conditioning
  • Types/methods of stretching and strengthening

The lab opportunities may also incorporate engagement in Performing Arts Medicine Conferences/Dance Medicine and Science Conferences and site visits to clinics, studios or research facilities.

The certificate program culminates in a Capstone experience through the Research in Dance II course. Students will review a variety of research in the dance medicine/science field, then complete their own research project exploring a relevant topic in the field.

All majors are welcome. Dance majors, health science majors, exercise science majors, physical education majors interested in dance medicine/science are encouraged to apply.

Who is the Certificate For?

Students pursue the certificate for a variety of reasons: many are dance students who have goals of working in the health professions and use the certificate as a means of exploring their intersectional interests and supporting their educational pathway – with plans to enter PT School, Medical school, Athletic Training programs, Nursing, etc., some are dance teachers who wish to enhance their teaching practice by expanding their knowledge of dancer health, while others are dance students simply interested in advancing their own knowledge to benefit their own self-care and sustainability in the dance field. There are others who are health professionals or who are health science students with interests in the specialized field of dance medicine and science.

Benefits of doing the Dance Medicine and Science Certificate program:

  • Support your professional development aims as a dance artist, choreographer, teacher, researcher, etc. entering or currently working in the field, by expanding your knowledge of dance medicine and science research and practice.
  • Strengthen your understanding of health and wellness issues pertaining to dancers as well as the area of “dance for health”.
  • Develop skills and cultivate knowledge that contributes to graduate school expectations or further education/preparation in the health professions.
  • Create connections with dance and health professionals who specialize in the field of dance medicine and science.
  • Explore the intersections between two disciplinary interests: dance and medicine/science while building relationships with other students who have similar dual interests.
  • Be mentored in the development of an individualized capstone project/research project with opportunities to present your final project in larger forums/conferences.

Timeline will depend upon specific student situation. Degree seeking students may want to spread out the courses and fit them as possible around their major courses.

Non-degree seeking students may want to take the courses in a more compact manner. It is possible to accomplish the certificate in a year and a half, though two years is more ideal.

Recommended course sequencing:

Students should try to take Anatomy and Physiology 1 with Lab and Dance Kinesiology first.
Elective #1 and Elective #2 second,
And then Research in Dance I (fall) and Research in Dance II (spring) third,
With the final capstone project completed either over the following semester or year after the Research in Dance II course is completed.

View the Dance Medicine and Science Certificate curriculum and requirements in the USF Undergraduate Catalog.

Dance faculty member Dr. Morris is the Certificate Program Coordinator. Please meet with her as well to discuss your specific interests: [email protected]

If you would like to pursue the Dance Medicine and Science Certificate, please meet with the dance academic advisor. - [email protected]

 

"A dance therapist must be able to show sexuality himself" //Psychological newspaper

Natalia Yuryevna Oganesyan , Candidate of Psychological Sciences, clinical psychologist, ballerina, choreographer, dance therapist, head of the Department of Dance Therapy at the Institute of Practical Psychology, told about what sexuality is, how a dance therapist can work with it and why it can’t be done online. Imaton”, head of the additional education program “Dance Therapy: Theory and Practice”. I talked to Natalia Yurievna Elizaveta Druzhinina , dance therapist, head of the dance school "Free Plasticity".

- Many of your students ask questions related to the topic of sexuality. Dance, sexuality, femininity - everything is very close. What is sexuality, in your opinion?

- The word "sexuality" attracts attention in the advertising of trainings or courses in the same way as the phrase "dance therapy". However, in practice, it turns out that work is being done with space, the power of movement, with brain gymnastics, Pilates, and all this is tied to sexuality or dance. And that's not it. Exercises in dance therapy can also be used, but for warm-up, for example, give them no more than a third of the time. nine0009

If we talk about the definition of sexuality, I agree with this: sexuality is a combination of biological, psychophysiological, mental and emotional reactions, human experiences, actions associated with the manifestation and satisfaction of sexual desire.

WHO offers this definition: sexuality is a core aspect of human existence throughout life, from birth to death.

And the third definition: human sexuality is that through which we experience and express ourselves as a person of a particular sex. But in modern conditions, we can say that sexuality can be present in different guises. A man can express himself as a woman, a woman can express herself as a man. nine0009

Speaking of sexuality, we can distinguish three aspects: intellectual, spiritual and physiological. If all three of these general concepts are included, then a person will hopefully be sexual in some kind of relationship with the other sex. Here it must also be said that this is not necessarily a physical act. Sexual energy can be reformatted into creativity, into science, into any activity. If she cannot be satisfied on the physical plane, this sexual energy can be transferred to another field. nine0009

— It turns out that in dance-movement therapy we work with three levels at once: body, emotions, intellect. Firstly, we can choose one or another dance direction that liberates one or another center of the body. Secondly, in the dance, emotions are actualized, relationships are manifested. And thirdly, at the intellectual level, a person rethinks himself.

- If we continue the topic of what we are working with. It is advisable to work using Latin American dance styles, social. Because there is energy, temperament. And we need to “pull” this out of a person, and this can be done on the basis of some piece of music. Often people will put on a cliche and with this cliché they walk and dance like that. Sexuality - what is it? This is self-esteem and freedom of expression. A person feels free in any company when he is confident in himself, when he respects himself, first of all. Before sexuality, you still have to work and work - until it manifests itself. Maybe it won't show up at all. nine0009

A specialist can also have clichés - the cliche of “psychologist-trainer”. But we are friends in therapy, we dance together, we create dance together, we create dialogue. But in order to work like that, a specialist must be able to dance. And if you work with sexuality, then, first of all, you need to be able to show how you imagine it yourself.

I was asked if there could be dance therapy online. I said no. Online, we can't go out and dance together, I can't do a dialogue dance, hand in hand. When we dance together, there is an exchange of energy, close contact is important. If a dance therapist has more energy, creativity, he can transfer it. nine0009

- This is the difference between dance, which can be learned to some extent online, and dance movement therapy. What if we all dance together? Turn on the music - let everyone dance on their side of the screen!

But this is not therapy.

- I held similar online meetings, and many wrote about the change in their condition, people shared insights.

- Do not flatter yourself. Of course, people enjoyed it, learned something new. A person works, prepares dinner, then danced online, learned the movements, got emotions, but this will not be fixed for a long time. nine0009

Why do I work in medicine? I am responsible for the person I work with, I have to write a conclusion about what has changed in the person. There is also a third person between us - this is a doctor who can track the dynamics.

In the case of training, people are pre-configured to get something, pleasant emotions. They get it. That's enough.

- You are a professional ballerina in the past, this is a special caste of dancers. As a result, you have chosen in your life the clinical field and work with serious psychiatric diagnoses. How did you come to this choice? nine0005

- I did not immediately come to this, at first I was very skeptical about this. Even when I met Professor Erna Grönlund , she said: “You are very critical, Natalia.

An important role was played by my professor Edmond Georgievich Eidemiller , he introduced me to the medical environment. And I understood the high criteria of medicine: there you either cured the patient, or he began to exacerbate. Units can dance classical ballet. The longer I work, the more I come to the conclusion that in dance therapy the same thing: either flair, empathy, motor empathy is given, or it is not. Sometimes you see that a student lacks dancing skills, but he feels that he is able to transfer movements from disturbing to smoother, slower ones. Ask him why you did it, he doesn't know. If there is a flair, it means that he needs to gain more movements. nine0009

— It turns out that we need a synthesis of dance training and psychological education?

- Yes exactly. A dance therapist should be a bit of an artist, should be able to play different roles, improvise with movements, forming a psychotherapeutic contact. And this contact becomes just psychotherapeutic due to the fact that the dance therapist has training in the field of psychology, including clinical psychology. nine0009

— And what is contact from the point of view of sexuality? What explains the attraction between a man and a woman? Is beauty everything?

- No. This is a coincidence of the energy components of two people. It is not clear why he is drawn to this person. If it pulls, go. But in general, the topic of sexuality is complex, including for trainings, if you deal with it deeply, and not at the top. And when a person begins to engage in special trainings, to train in order to get in touch with his sexual part… “Enter this state…” This is horror! You cannot check whether he entered this state or not. "What do you feel?" You can say anything. How you feel is a tricky one. I don't always believe what they say. Because people understand that they were asked by a psychologist and he needs to answer something. They can hide behind their answer. nine0009

- For example, at this moment I observe the body more, how the person moves when he answers.

- This is your option. But dance therapists can also start to reason, move on to reflection, to conversation ...

- When we studied with you, you always said that we should move faster and talk less. Maybe that's why many people do not go to dance movement therapy, but simply choose dance classes, club latin, bachata. nine0005

- And rightly so!

— But there they encounter other difficulties: among a group of people there are more liberated and less, the question of self-esteem is very acute. Especially at a party: if a girl encounters refusals several times, with the fact that she is different from others, she may no longer come there, her mood may deteriorate, she may burst into tears. But these people do not go for dance movement therapy, although it could be beneficial. And what to do if a person continues to study at school, but is faced with his own psychological issues? nine0005

- If the teacher of this dance school is also a dance therapist, he can work this moment out. But if you come to a party, why are you standing against the wall? Dance for yourself! Not because you want to attract someone, but to get a charge of good energy! You should also have sex - for yourself! For your health!

ᐅ Where to apply and what should I take for a choreographer?

A choreographer is a specialist who choreographs dances of various genres for entire troupes, as well as for couples or one person. Where to apply for a choreographer and what exams to take, what are the key subjects? Let's find out! nine0009

In every type of dance, be it hip-hop or ballet, there is a choreographer who helps students learn new movements, their combinations, is a mentor for his wards, a creative leader.

Sometimes it seems that specialists can improvise and experiment with movements thanks to their talent. However, in reality, behind the creative impulses are years of training and learning this art.

  Contents:  
  • How to learn to be a choreographer?
  • Where to enter the choreographer after the 11th grade?
  • How to enter the choreographer after the 9th grade?
  • What subjects do you need to take for a choreographer?

How to learn to be a choreographer?

An indisputably creative profession is not mastered at once and exclusively in a dance school or only in a higher educational institution. In order to learn to be a choreographer, you need to go through several stages and devote many years to getting a profession. nine0009

How many years to study to be a choreographer? Technically, the more time spent, the better.

First of all, a future dancer should attend a dance studio, school or be a member of a dance group at the age of 7-10. At this time, it is most easy to master the sense of rhythm, get the necessary stretch, which will last for many years, and decide on the directions of dancing.

Where to study to be a choreographer? You can study both in college and in higher education. nine0009

A school student who wants to become a choreographer should evaluate his abilities and decide whether he wants to enter a university or prefers a good school.

It is worth noting that those 9th grade graduates who enter a dance school are much more likely to enter a higher educational institution for the corresponding specialty, since they do not spend their energy on studying subjects that are not related to their activities, and more part of the day is dedicated to improving their skills. nine0009

However, training to be a choreographer is not limited to university and college or college. A professional in this field must constantly improve his skills, so he needs to attend various courses, master classes, festivals, participate in collaborations with other dancers and choreographers.

All these activities allow the choreographer to acquire practical skills, which are the most important in his employment.

Where to apply for a choreographer after 11th grade? nine0005

After grade 9, school graduates have the opportunity to enter a dance college (or school). There are few specialized colleges with the status of dance colleges in the country. But choreographic schools are represented in abundance. Only in Moscow there are more than five of them, which is quite enough for the rare profession of a choreographer. And even more opportunities for admission are for those who have completed 11 classes.

Where to enter the choreographer after the 11th grade? These are not only colleges and schools, but also higher educational institutions. nine0009

Among the most famous universities specializing in the training of choreographers, we can distinguish the following:

  • Omsk State University. F. M. Dostoyevsky
  • Volgograd State Institute of Arts and Culture
  • St. Petersburg State Conservatory. N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov
  • South Ural State Institute of Arts P. I. Tchaikovsky
  • nine0105 Ufa State Institute of Arts
    im. Zagira Ismagilova.

A distinctive advantage of becoming a choreographer after grade 11 at the above universities is that in all these educational institutions a special emphasis is placed on practical classes, teaching various styles of dance. Among these universities there are those whose approach to education is quite conservative, for example, the St. Petersburg State Conservatory. N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov, and there are those where they adhere to modern teaching methods. nine0009

How to apply for a choreographer after the 9th grade?

The main difference between exams after grades 9 and 11 in the OGE or the USE. It is always easier to pass the mandatory state exam compared to the USE, the requirements for preparation are much lower, the questions themselves are easier. But in creative professions, the main thing is not grades in Russian or mathematics, not elective subjects, but creative tests.

And the tests themselves, which must be passed
upon admission to the choreographer after 9class from the tests of those who enter after 11 do not differ much. In fact, it's equally difficult.

Among the most popular colleges and schools that train specialists in the field of choreography, the following can be distinguished:

  • Leningrad Regional College of Culture and Art
  • Moscow State Choreographic School named after L.M. Lavrovsky
  • Choreographic School of the Academy of Natalia Nesterova. nine0106

These educational institutions are located in fairly large cities, which allows their students to immediately apply the acquired knowledge in practice,
participating in various festivals,
competitions, concerts. It is also worth saying that entering a choreographer after grade 9 in a college or school has an advantage. Here, not only more attention is paid to the pedagogical aspect of the activity of
choreographer, but after graduating from college it will be much easier to enter a creative university. nine0009

What subjects do I need to take to become a choreographer?

The main differences will be in the Unified State Examination or the OGE. The key exams that need to be taken as a choreographer in both cases are Russian and mathematics, which are mandatory for both 9th and 11th grade graduates.

Mathematics is not important in the profession, so it is important to get at least the necessary minimum. But it is important to pass the Russian language to the choreographer for the maximum score. The score for the GIA-9 or the scores for the exam for the GIA-11 will matter upon admission, the subject is specialized. nine0009

An equally important and profile subject that must be taken for a choreographer is literature. A high score is required.

In addition, some schools may add English, History or Social Studies as a third entrance test, so applicants should check the websites of universities and colleges every few months for changes in entrance tests.


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