Join Jo-Anne La Flèche, clinical and dance psychologist, for Body Image and Self-Esteem in Dance: Challenges and Self-care Tips. This interactive webinar reflects on body image and self-esteem issues frequently encountered by dancers and other members of the dance community. Participants will learn to identify risk factors and warning signs about how they relate to their own body and self, and how they perceive other dancers. Attendees will also see how practicing daily self-care may nurture body and self-satisfaction. Webinar is recorded and available for one month to those who register but are unable to attend the live webinar.

Jo-Anne works as resident psychologist in a vocational ballet school in Montréal. She provides workshops and lectures on dancer mental health and dance psycho-pedagogy and has written many articles and informational papers. She does research on dancer maltreatment. Jo-Anne takes part in several international working groups on dancer mental health. She serves as HDC Board member and Co-chair of the Continuing Education Committee, as well as Past President (2021-2022).

May 22 2026 from 1-2:30 ET. Register at Body Image and Self-Esteem in Dance Webinar.

The Annual Healthy Dancer Canada Conference, coordinated by HDC Conference Coordinator Jamie Hawke, was held in Calgary AB on November 30 and December 1. Over 60 people joined us in-person and virtually from around the world, including Australia, Italy, and USA! Lecture presentations, workshops, performances centred on building community and collaboration in dance research and practice. We also welcomed guests from Dancer’s Studio West to speak about the role of community and collaboration in the creative process.

Additionally, we welcomed the National accessArts Centre as part of the Thomas Poulsen Symposium on Dance and Disability led by founding member and Past President Andrea Downie. The symposium included a panel discussion, a workshop, and performances by Meg Ohsada (AB), Propeller Dance (ON), and All Bodies Dance (BC). 

Universal dancer podcast host Leslie Zehr leads a thought-provoking roundtable discussion with special roundtable guests Claudia Moore, Mary W Kamp, and Megha Nancy Buttenheim, three exceptional individuals who have devoted their lives to the beautiful and transformative art of dance. The topic of their roundtable was Aging Gracefully: The Healing Journey of Dance. You can access the podcast here. 

The Journal of Dance Education: Vol 23, No 3 (Current issue) (tandfonline.com), Special Issue on the Mental, Emotional and Physical Health and Wellness of Dancers is open-access until the end of October. No miss these articles on dancer wellness, including HDC past-president and founding member Andrea Downie's Equity-Informed Dancer Wellness.

HYPERMOBILE DANCERS WEBINAR:
​While an asset in many dance forms, hypermobility can also present dancers with distinct physical and psychological challenges. Based on the most current research, this workshop will provide information about the signs, symptoms, and evaluation of hypermobility. Participants will also learn to address the special needs of hypermobile dancers, providing the necessary support, management, and training to help them avoid injuries and achieve their maximum potential. Join for the first quarterly webinar of 2023, on March 26, with Linda Bluestein, MD. 

​Dr. Bluestein is an international speaker on the forefront of research on pain, hypermobility and dance medicine. An integrative medicine physician with certification in Performing Arts Medicine, she takes a unique approach to the evaluation and treatment of this highly specialized population. Dr. Bluestein received her Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine followed by the completion of an anesthesiology residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. She is board-certified by the American Board of Anesthesiology. 

Note: This webinar is listed in Eastern Time. The zoom meeting will also be recorded for registrants that are unable to attend live.

National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) has made HDC founding member and Past President Andrea Downie's article Equity-Informed Dancer Wellness open-access for the months of August and September. Read the article at Journal of Dance Education: Full article: Equity-Informed Dancer Wellness (tandfonline.com).