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Hip-hop Health Moves in the UK

October 2, 2019 by 4dancers

I am pleased to bring you a 2nd article by Nefeli Tsiouti, MA, MSc, one of the young leaders in the dance medicine world, who has been bringing attention to the injuries of dancers in the Breakin’ world. Her first article discussed how she started working in this field, and formed Project Breakalign.  In this one, she talks about the annual Breakin’ Convention held in London each year, and how she has been integrating her work into the conference. Please pass it on! – Jan Dunn, Dance Wellness Editor


by Nefeli Tsiouti, MA, MSc

In 2013, I decided to bring together a group of dance medicine and science specialists, sports coaches, doctors, physical therapists—people that are involved with health and Breaking, to decide how to save the world of Breakers from injuries. That was the beginning of the creation of the Project Breakalign team. We then started working in association with One Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Programme, at the time managed by Erin Sanchez, another dance scientist who had also joined our new-born team.

In 2014, we embarked on an annual journey with the Breakin’ Convention International Festival of hip-hop theatre, which takes place every May at Sadler’s Wells in London, UK. Together with Breakin’ Convention, One Dance UK (ODU), and the Project Breakalign team, we began providing—for the first time in such an established international hip-hop festival—workshops from specialists that can speak the hip-hop language. That is a very important trait to have when dealing with a group of people from such diverse cultural and movement backgrounds—a very interesting place to be as an educator–but also as a therapist!

Erin Sanchez, Nefeli Tsiouti, Karolin Krell, and Claire Farmer

From 2014-2019, we provided a Project Breakalign workshop in association with ODU, which usually consisted of conditioning strategies for Breakers and hip-hop dancers in general. I was teaching the workshop alongside one more team members each year, including: Mark Archer (Physical Therapist), Marius Mates (Bboy Marius from Romania), Johannes Hattunen (Bboy Hatsolo from Finland), and in 2017, 2018 and 2019, I took the lead by myself. What was special in these last three years was a new initiative of Project Breakalign and One Dance UK to bring education and treatments at the festival, for the performers of this big international dance gathering. This would not have been possible without the support of Erin Sanchez and Sarah Needham-Beck, at One Dance UK / The Healthier Dancer Programme.

So, on the days of the festival, myself as a sports massage therapist, alongside a physical therapist or osteopath, shared two rooms for treatments for the performers of Breakin’ Convention. The dancers had the opportunity to book free 30-minute slots for physical therapy or sports massage, and not only to receive treatment, but to also receive advice about their injuries and injury management. Most of the performers had also flown in or used trains to arrive in London, therefore their bodies definitely needed the hands of a specialist, to ensure their dance wellness – as well as their best performance for the evening shows of the festival.

The 2018 convention poster

What is amazing about Breakin’ Convention is that in a little area in the heart of London, all these spectacles, activities, social gatherings, educational workshops, and now also health treatments take place, and they are all tailored not only for the performers, but also for the supporters and fans of the hip-hop artforms. Jonzi D, director of Breakin’ Convention and his team, have been caring for the health of performers since the initial proposal we offered them for collaboration, and they have allowed the hip-hop dancers the opportunity to welcome awareness for prevention of injuries, in the heart of such an established and prestigious Festival.

And the journey continues…see you at Breakin’ Convention London 2020!

Learn more:

Visit Project Breakalign

Visit One Dance UK


Bio: Nefeli was born in Australia. She started dance in 1995 at Motion Art Studio and danced professionally in Greece & UK (2006-16). She studied: BA French Literature (University of Athens), MA Choreography (Middlesex University), MSc Dance Science (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music & Dance), Sports Massage Therapy Diploma (Sports Therapy UK) and is a BSc Physiotherapy student at European University Cyprus. Currently she is Associate Researcher at the Cyprus Musculoskeletal & Sports Trauma Research Centre & CEO of Breakalign Ltd, a prevention of injuries project for dancers. Moreover, she is a dancer & Choreographer, Member of the International Federation of Holistic therapists, from which she received the award Sports Therapist of the Year 2018. She won 1st Prize and Most Innovative idea Prize at the EUC-Peak entrepreneurship competition for start-ups in 2018. Her dance training has spread from ballet to hip-hop/Breaking. She has taught in dance schools and Universities since 2006 in Greece, UK, Cyprus and provided guest lectures across Europe, USA, Canada & Hong-Kong. Nefeli has a mission of preventing injuries for dancers and has been awarded many scholarships to support this vision. She is the organiser of the Dance Science Symposium in Cyprus since 2018.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Healthier Dancer Programme, hip hop dancers, hip-hop dance, Nefeli Tsiouti, One Dance UK, physical therapy, Project Breakalign

Dance Medicine & Science In the UK

August 8, 2017 by 4dancers

Aloha to all!

Erin Sanchez is our guest contributor for the article below, and we are so pleased to post the information she has to offer. Erin is one of the strong voices in the current younger generation of dance medicine and science (DM&S) leaders. A US dancer who received her undergraduate degree in dance at the University of New Mexico, she then went to London to pursue her MsC in Dance Science at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. She has remained in the UK, and currently is the Healthier Dancer Programme Manager at One Dance UK, and is also affiliated with the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS). It has been my pleasure to get to know her, and her work, over the last five years.

The UK has become a leader in the dance medicine field internationally, and organizations such as One Dance UK and NIDMS have greatly advanced the efforts to bring DM&S information to the nationwide dance community. I know you will enjoy reading what they have accomplished in a relatively short amount of time…….Pass it on!!

(And a side note — you may see a few unfamiliar spellings of familiar words — that is British English, a slightly different version than what we use here in the US !)

Aloha -Jan

Jan Dunn, MS – Dance Wellness Editor


Healthier Dance Program Staff and NIDMS Staff
NIDMS/HDP Road Trip!

by Erin Sanchez, MSc

One Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Programme and the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science

 

 

 

What is the Healthier Dancer Programme?

The Healthier Dancer Programme (HDP) was launched by One Dance UK in 1993 and is dedicated to improving the performance and physical and psychological health and wellbeing of dancers. We connect with dancers, teachers, choreographers, directors, administrators, healthcare practitioners (both medical and complimentary therapists), fitness professionals, researchers, academics, policy makers, (and anyone else who will listen!) in order to encourage open dialogue and collaborative working.

The National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science and a brief history of the HDP

The Healthier Dancer Programme is a part of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS). NIDMS was launched in 2012, and works to provide three key resources for the dance sector in the UK:

  1. Affordable access for all dancers to high quality, evidence-based, dance-specific health care and dance science support services.
  2. Research in dance to provide an evidence base for training, rehabilitation and healthcare in dance.
  3. Education for dance, healthcare and research professionals.

NIDMS has successfully opened three free dance injury clinics within the UK’s National Health Service in London, Birmingham, and Bath. Research undertaken by NIDMS partners ranges across many subject areas including psychology, talent development, physiology, biomechanics, and strength and conditioning.

NIDMS Partners

NIDMS is a consortium of seven partners: The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, One Dance UK, the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, University of Birmingham, and University of Wolverhampton. It was conceived by Helen Laws, who began her work with One Dance UK’s HDP in 1997. Helen undertook the second national enquiry into dancers’ health and injury in the UK, and published the findings in Fit to Dance 2. Based on the findings regarding the rates and causes of injury and access to injury care, she then began a programme of educational ‘road shows,’ information sheets and books, all aimed at providing information for professional and student dancers and teachers which could hopefully reduce preventable injuries. Helen also initiated an online listing of qualified, dance-specific healthcare practitioners across the UK, our Healthcare Practitioners Directory.

Advisory groups of expert medical practitioners and physiotherapists working in dance companies and professional training programmes were assembled to inform the work of the HDP, and now form our Dance Medicine and Science Expert Panel. Partnerships were developed with dance teacher training organisations, medical and research institutions, and dance companies and schools, to help disseminate key research in dance medicine and science.

However, during this time the lack of affordable options for dance-specific health services became more and more obvious. Ms. Laws began fundraising for NIDMS in response to this need in 2007. Since 2012, NIDMS has successfully opened three free dance injury clinics within the UK’s National Health Service in London, Birmingham, and Bath. Research underpinning both training and healthcare undertaken by NIDMS partners ranges across many subject areas including psychology, talent development, physiology, biomechanics, and strength and conditioning.

Key moments in the development of the HDP

The HDP has become the education and dance sector advocacy arm of NIDMS’ work. Specifically, the HDP provides dissemination of advice and information, delivery of workshops, and talks and conferences aimed at those working in the training and professional dance sector. Our work exists solely to educate and empower dancers and those working with dancers at every level. Further education work is carried out in partnership with Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music and Dance (London), and the Universities of Wolverhampton and Birmingham, who provide master’s and PhD level studies in dance science.

The Team

Dance Medicine Staff UK

The current team in the HDP is overseen by Helen Laws, the Head of Industry and Artist Support / NIDMS, and includes 3 team members: Claire Farmer and Stephanie De’ath, who are the Managers of NIDMS, and Erin Sanchez, the Manager of the Healthier Dancer Programme. There are also two emeritus team members, Dr Sarah Needham-Beck, who has just moved on to pursue a new position as a Research Fellow in the Occupational Performance Research Group at the University of Chichester, and Niamh Morrin, who is currently undertaking her PhD at Bucks New University.

Resources and information

NIDMS provides clinical care and strengthens the evidence base of dance medicine and science through research activities, as well as by taking a leadership role on postgraduate education in dance science. Dancers in the UK can access specialist dance injury clinics, which are entirely free, and provide for dancers’ medical needs throughout their injuries – this includes physiotherapy, MRI and bone scans and surgery, if necessary. NIDMS also provides preventative musculoskeletal and fitness screening and a health cash plan that provides up to £800 of injury care treatments, dental and optical cover, and GP, medical, counselling and legal helplines. Details on these services are available here.

One of the key activities of the HDP is Healthier Dancer Talks. These are educational workshops delivered to professional dancers, students, teachers and artistic and support professionals, and cover a broad range of topics – for example:

  • Nutrition and hydration
  • Rest
  • Overtraining
  • Psychology of injury
  • Dance specific conditioning
  • Interval and circuit training
  • Safe dance practice for teachers

In particular, the HDP has partnered with Safe in Dance International (SIDI) as a Registered Provider of courses leading to their Certificates for dancers and dance leaders. In addition, they have partnered with the University of Birmingham to provide training in developing healthy motivational climates, through the Empowering Dance training. To learn more about all our talks, visit this page.

Healthier Dancer Conferences

Another of our focused activities is an annual conference on a particular topic in dancers’ health. Our healthier dancer conferences are filmed and highlights, clips, interviews, and more are available via our YouTube channel. Our next conference in November 2017 will be a part of a conference season; 3 conferences, 2 days, 1 venue, and will feature specialist days for teachers, choreographers and health. The focus will be on mental health and the psychological and social aspects of injury.


Erin Sanchez

Erin Sanchez is the Healthier Dancer Programme Manager at One Dance UK in London, and with her colleagues within the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, organises dance science and medicine focused conferences and workshops for dance professional and students, as well as researchers and healthcare practitioners; advocates to government, employers and stakeholders in the dance sector; and develops resources to support dancers’ knowledge of physical and psychological strategies for health, wellbeing and performance enhancement.

Erin’s main interests in dance medicine and science are psychology, talent development and mental health. She pursued a BA (Hons) in Dance and Sociology from the University of New Mexico while training as a dancer. She moved from the US to the UK in 2009 to pursue an MSc in Dance Science from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.

She is a registered provider for Safe in Dance International (www.safeindance.com), a member of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (www.iadms.org), and holds the qualification in Safe and Effective Dance Practice. She also manages the Dance Psychology Network.

Filed Under: Dance Wellness Tagged With: Birmingham Royal Ballet, Claire Farmer, dance medicine, Dance Psychology Network, dance wellness, Dr Sarah Needham-Beck, Erin Sanchez, Healthier Dancer Programme, helen laws, iadms, National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, NIDMS, Once Dance UK, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Safe In Dance International, Stephanie De’ath, Trinity Laban Conservatorie of Music and Dance, University of Wolverhampton

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