Healthy Dancer Canada News - Healthy Dancer Canada

Dance Science Courses at the RAD Geneé 2019 in Toronto

2/7/2019

Royal Academy of Dance is hosting two days of CPD workshops on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 August alongside the Genée International Ballet Competition in Toronto. Workshops will take place at Canada’s National Ballet School and include dance science courses: Preparing for Optimal Dance, Dance Injury Prevention & Management, and Understanding Anatomical & Biomechanical Principles of Dance. Register today!

New HDC Workshops

10/9/2018

Healthy Dancer Canada is pleased to offer a broad selection of eleven NEW workshops for the dance community on topics that focus on improving dancer health and wellbeing, training, and performance. All of the workshops can be adapted to suit a specific audience including dancers, teachers, rehearsal directors, choreographers, health professionals, and more. HDC’s workshop content will fit your organization’s unique and specific needs. Please contact us at healthydancercanada@gmail.com for more information, and to organize a workshop in your area!

2018 HDC Lifetime Achievement Award - Dr. Donna Krasnow

9/29/2018

Dr. Donna Krasnow, one of Healthy Dancer Canada's founding members, was honoured at the Healthy Dancer Canada (HDC) 10th Anniversary Conference 2018 with the first HDC Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Krasnow is Professor Emerita of Dance in the Department of Dance at York University in Toronto. She has a distinguished career as a performer, choreographer, educator, author, and researcher. She was the founder of both the York Dance Ensemble (Toronto) and Dance Source (San Francisco), where she was also Artistic Director of it's resident company Möbius. She has taught dance and dance conditioning extensively in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan. She specializes in teacher training courses and workshops, and has certified teachers across North America in the conditioning system she created, C-I Training (conditioning-with-imagery training). Dr. Krasnow also specializes in dance science research, concentrating on injury prevention, conditioning for dancers, and motor learning and motor control. She has published numerous articles in distinguished journals, and educational resources for organizations such as HDC and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). She is the co-author of Conditioning with Imagery for Dancers with dance artist Jordana Deveau, co-author of Motor Learning and Control for Dance: Principles and Practices for Performers and Teachers with dance educator and research professor Dr. Virginia Wilmerding, and the co-editor of Dancer Wellness with Dr. Virginia Wilmerding. Healthy Dancer Canada would like to thank Dr. Krasnow for her service, and to recognize her outstanding contributions to dance education, dance science, and dancer health and wellness.

Updated HDC Resource & Companion Tool

9/6/2018

The Resources Committee is pleased to announce that the English version of the resource, Dancers and the Art of Stress Management, and its companion tool, 10 Stress Management Tools for Your Dance Bag, have recently been redesigned and updated. See these, and our other resources, on the Open Dance Resources page.

Call for Proposals - 10 Anniversary HDC Annual Conference 2018

4/9/2018

Summer 2018 Teacher Courses with Donna Krasnow

3/15/2018

RAD teachers receive CPD hours for the C-I Training courses!

New HDC Resource

12/31/2017

The HDC Resources Committee is pleased to share one of our new 2017 resources, A Guide to Neutral Pelvis, Core Support, and Trunk Stabilization, authored by one of HDC's founding members, Donna Krasnow, and co-author Virginia Wilmerding. It features the new look of HDC's resources, designed by Michael Ripley of Talented Mr. Find it on the Dance Resources page.

Call for Proposals - Conference for Dance Science and Somatic Educators

12/13/2017

Toward a Scope of Practice [of Dance Teachers]

11/30/2017

HDC President Andrea Downie's most recent article, Toward a Scope of Practice [of Dance Teachers], was just published in Dance International magazine's Winter 2017 issue, page 38. The article posits that dance teachers have a responsibility "to know and understand the extent of their expertise and to operate within those limits." On shelves now!

(Downie with dancers from Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre. Photo: Deborah Lundmark)

A Successful 2017 Conference in Calgary

11/13/2017

Thank you to Conference Coordinator Hailey McLeod and the HDC Conference Committee for their excellent work on HDC's Annual Conference 2017, from November 10-12 in Calgary, AB. Canadian and international attendees and presenters enjoyed an educational weekend of eclectic performances, thought-provoking presentations, lively panel discussions, engaging workshops and plenty of networking opportunities.

Congratulations to Siobhan Mitchell, recipient of the 2017 HDC Research Award.

"I have a greater understanding of the issues involved in maintaining dancer wellness, particularly in young dancers. I enjoyed seeing young dancers, experienced dancers, teachers, and healthcare professionals come together to network and discuss how to make dance better for everyone. I particularly enjoyed the panel sessions, where people from a range of backgrounds (academic, studio-based, healthcare-based, performance-based) shared insights on the same question or challenge posed. I also thoroughly enjoyed attending an open rehearsal of Decidedly Jazz Dancework’s upcoming show, and appreciate how dance from the host city of the conference was represented.
I was particularly impacted by Erika Mayall's session about dance’s role in social media, and how what we endorse or post on social media impacts dancers’ aspirations for their bodies and careers. I am inspired to create positive content for social media in different ways moving forward. I also enjoyed the session on the healing power of hoop dancing, and would love to see dance from more cultures represented at these conferences in the future. I am grateful to the Healthy Dancer Canada Financial Assistance Program for providing me with funding to attend this conference." (Mariel, Masters Student)