Members of the Task Force on Dancer Health are health care professionals who provide medical services to professional dancers. What we are not: We are not a dance medicine association, an educational meeting, a board of directors or a research group. To provide experienced and expert health information and support to professional dance companies regardless of size or budget. Connect with the Task Force via email at Dancerhealth null danceusa. Among these are physical therapists, physicians, athletic trainers, specialists in movement and injury, nutritional experts, and mental health specialists.
The Task Force communicates directly with the council of managers and executive directors of North American dance companies of all types β ballet, modern and contemporary. The Task Force produces informational papers on a regular basis that serve as brief educational overviews on topics important in the professional dance community.
These papers are meant to help guide and inform the dancer and are not meant to take the place of the advice of a medical professional. The first subject explored by the Task Force was nutrition and disordered eating. Next, the Task Force addressed the issue of smoking cessation among dancers.
Since the inception of these two white papers, several informational papers have been written. Notably, the program recommended by the Task Force focuses on a preventive approach to general health, nutrition, and mental health in addition to injury prevention. Based on feedback from the pilot companies, the Screen was streamlined.
Over the years, the screen has been updated to incorporate evidence-based research, dance-specific functional tests, and sports medicine literature. This screen is also being used in freelance dancers often in voluntary health screening days held in various cities throughout the United States. The goal of the Task Force Screen is to make preventive health care a routine part of every dance company.
