Dancer Wellness

The International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) was formed in 1990 by an international group of dance medicine practitioners, dance educators, dance scientists, and dancers.  Membership is drawn equally from the medical and dance professions, and has grown from an initial 48 members in 1991 to over 1200 members at present world-wide, representing 35 countries. IADMS enhances the health, well-being, training, and performance of dancers by cultivating educational, medical, and scientific excellence. Virginia Wilmerding danced professionally in New York City and is now a Research Professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, where she teaches for both the exercise science and dance programs. Courses include kinesiology, research design, exercise physiology, exercise prescription, exercise and disease prevention, and conditioning. She also teaches at the Public Academy for Performing Arts, a charter school. Ginny is formerly the Chief Executive Officer of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS). She is past president of IADMS and served on the IADMS Board of Directors from 2001 to 2011. Ginny was the Associate Editor of science for the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science. She has published original research in Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, and Idea Today. With Donna Krasnow she has coauthored resource papers for IADMS. Research interests include body composition, training methodologies, injury incidence and prevention, pedagogical considerations in technique class, and the physiological requirements of various dance idioms. Donna Krasnow is a Professor Emerita in the Department of Dance at York University in Toronto, Canada, and was a member of the Special Faculty at California Institute of the Arts in the United States. She specializes in dance science research, concentrating on dance kinesiology, injury prevention and care, conditioning for dancers, and motor learning and motor control, with a special emphasis on the young dancer. Donna has published numerous articles in the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science and Medical Problems of Performing Artists, as well as resource papers in collaboration with M. Virginia Wilmerding for the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS). She was the Conference Director for IADMS from 2004 to 2008 as well as serving on the Board of Directors. Donna was the Associate Editor for dance for Medical Problems of Performing Artists. She conducts workshops for dance faculty in alignment and healthy practices for dancers, including the Teachers Day Seminars at York University, and is a nine-time resident guest artist at Victorian College of the Arts and VCA Secondary School, University of Melbourne, Australia. Donna has created a specialized body conditioning system for dancers called C-I Training (conditioning with imagery). She has produced a DVD series of this work, and in 2010 she coauthored the book Conditioning with Imagery for Dancers with professional dancer Jordana Deveau. She offers courses for teachers in Limón technique pedagogy and C-I Training. Ginny and Donna co-authored Motor Learning and Control for Dance: Principles and Practices for Performers and Teachers, published by Humaan Kinetics in 2015.

Part I Foundations of Dancer Wellness

Chapter 1. The Dance Environment

Chapter 2. Dance Training and Technique

Chapter 3. Cross-Training and Conditioning

Part II Mental Components of Dancer Wellness

Chapter 4. Mental Training

Chapter 5. Psychological Wellness

Chapter 6. Rest and Recovery

Part III Physical Components of Dancer Wellness

Chapter 7. Optimal Nutrition for Dancers

Chapter 8. Bone Health

Chapter 9. Injury Prevention and First Aid

Part IV Assessments for Dancer Wellness

Chapter 10. Dancer Screening Programs

Chapter 11. Your Dancer Wellness Plan