The extensive website, 4dancers.org, is an incredible dance resource and source of information. Including features on training, interviews with young aspiring students and even information on cinema screenings of well-known ballets, 4dancers is the go-to for a wealth of dance information.
Recently the Dance Wellness segment of 4dancers has rocketed away from its previous stance. In 2012 the first article on Dance Medicine and Science – aka Dance Wellness – went live on the 4dancers website, introducing readers to information on that aspect of the dance world. The response from the 4dancers audience was so positive that a new section of the website was born: a new ongoing segment of 4dancers, entitled “Dance Wellness”, emerged and has been going strong ever since.
May 2015 saw a Dance Wellness panel created for 4dancers, following the eagerness of the audience to learn more about this important field of dance, and how it informs so much of the dance world we live in. 4dancers is the first source for this, spreading the word online about the many aspects of dance wellness and how it aids dance careers. The Wellness panel, therefore, is made up of a group of professionals from the dance science field, working together to inform and enthuse.
James Garrick, MD., is founder and Medical Director of the Center for Sports Medicine, at St. Francis Memorial Hospital in San Francisco. Dr. Garrick was physician for San Francisco Ballet Company, founded the clinic for dancers at San Francisco School for the Arts, and is currently on the physician panel for the San Francisco Ballet School.
Gigi Berardi, PhD has an academic background and performing experience that combined her interests in the natural and social sciences with her passion for dance. Over 300 of her articles and reviews have been published, including in Dance Magazine, Dance International, the Los Angeles Times, The Olympian, and scientific journals such as Journal of Dance Medicine & Science, Kinesiology and Medicine for Dance and Dance Research Journal.
Robin Kish, MS, MFA, is an Assistant Professor in the Dance Department at Chapman University. Robin blends her background in dance and science to creative innovative educational programmes supporting the development of safe and effective dance training programmes. She has presented research and developed lectures for the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) and the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).
Moira McCormack, MS, is Head of Physiotherapy at the Royal Ballet in London. After a professional dance career in classical ballet she trained as a dance teacher and then as a Physical Therapist, and has worked with dancers for the last 20 years. She teaches anatomy, dance technique and injury prevention internationally, with a main interest in the management of the hypermobile dancer.
Janice G. Plastino, PhD is Emerita Professor from the University of California Irvine in the Dance Department. She is regarded as the founder of the field of Dance Science, and established the first dancer screening/wellness programme in an educational setting at UCI in 1982. Her pioneering and continuing work in the pre-participation screening of dancers has been lauded by the medical, research and dance communities.
Emma Redding, PhD is Head of Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She has been Principal Investigator for several large-scale research projects including a 3 year government funded study into dance talent identification and development, as well as studies into the role of mental imagery within creative practice.
Erin Sanchez, MS is the Healthier Dancer Programme Manager at Dance UK, administrates the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation’s website for healthcare professionals and dancers, and manages the Dance Psychology Network. Erin is a registered provider for Safe in Dance International, a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science and holds the qualification in Safe and Effective Dance Practice.
Selina Shah, MD, FACP is a sports medicine and internal medicine physician, and the Director of Dance Medicine at the Center for Sports Medicine in California. She is the dance company physician for San Francisco Ballet School, Liss Fain Dance Company and Diablo Ballet. She takes care of the performers for Cirque du Soleil and various Broadway productions when they come to San Francisco Bay.
Nancy Wozny is editor in chief of Arts + Culture Texas, reviews editor at Dance Source Houston and a contributor to Pointe Magazine, Dance Teacher and Dance Magazine, where she is also a contributing editor. She has taught and written about Feldenkrais and somatics in dance for two decades.
Matthew Wyon, PhD, is a Professor in Dance Science at the University of Wolverhampton, UK, and a Visiting Professor at the ArtEZ, Institute of the Arts, The Netherlands. At Wolverhampton he is the course leader for the MSc in Dance Science and Director of Studies for a number of dance science and medicine doctoral candidates. He is a founding partner of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, UK.
Keep an eye in the 4dancers website for updates and wellness content!