June 20, 2019

As you are now aware the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital has decided to close their Dance and Sport & Exercise Medicine department.  As the Consultant running this service I am very sorry that this has happened but unfortunately it was out of my control. I am sure that this has been very distressing for many of you.

Please be assured that we are in the process of putting into place a solution to address this set back.  As the Medical Advisor to the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, I have been involved in setting up several NHS clinics around the country since 2012 and we are therefore in a strong position to address this problem. In 2018 we set up a 2nd NHS Dance clinic in London at the Royal London Hospital under the stewardship of Dr Ian Beasley, a very experienced Dance Medicine specialist. He and his team have agreed to take over from the RNOH and provide an ongoing NHS service for dancers. Although there will be some differences in how their clinics operate, the quality of your care will not be affected. We hope to have this in place within a matter of weeks. If you have any concerns please contact the NIDMS Manager at One Dance UK on manager@nidms.co.uk .

Dr Roger Wolman MD FRCP FFSEM

Consultant in SEM

Medical Advisor to NIDMS

June 18, 2019

The recent sudden closure of the Sports and Exercise Medicine clinic at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH), which housed the flagship dance injury clinic, has left injured dancers without a treatment plan and has increased waiting times for treatment at other London Dance Injury Clinics. 

Helen Laws, Head of the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS) comments, “This decision by the RNOH to close the service without consultation or sufficient planning, after 7 years establishing such vital care for dancers, is hugely disappointing. Specialist dance services such as this enable dancers and dance teachers with training/career threatening injuries to return to work quickly and receive the support they need from a broad team of healthcare experts.”

The Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital dance injury clinic was established in 2012 as the first NHS dance specialist service in the UK. NIDMS has worked to raise awareness of this service and developed further NHS clinics in Birmingham, Bath and an acute clinical service in London, based upon this flagship model at the RNOH. Specialist dance medicine services are imperative for dancers and the trailblazing RNOH clinic has been a vital source of support.

Kim Hutt, Head of Physical Support, London Contemporary Dance School comments, “The RNOH dance injury clinic has provided an exceptional opportunity and service. This clinic quite literally supports the training and careers of hundreds of dance students, teachers, choreographers and dancers. This clinic is an asset to the NHS.”

The NHS service is essential for dancers who would otherwise struggle to access appropriate care:

“This is the best dance specific care I have ever received, and it was provided completely free. This meant that I was always able to go to treatments, no matter how much I was struggling financially after slowly returning to work.”

NIDMS has been able to negotiate continued NHS dance specialist care at Mile End Hospital, London with Dr Ian Beasley, and the dance specialist clinics in Birmingham and Bath continue to operate as normal, providing their high level of multidisciplinary care for dancers. Those seeking referrals in London are advised to contact NIDMS on 020 7713 0730 or manager@nidms.co.uk for advice and support. All referral information can also be found on our website www.nidms.co.uk 

We invite anyone concerned at this closure to show their support for the work of NIDMS in campaigning for the provision of dance specific injury clinics and wider healthcare services. You can do this by signing our petition http://bit.ly/dancersmatter and participating in the #dancersmatter campaign to highlight the importance of dance specialist healthcare and the lifeline this provides for professional and non-professional dancers.

-ENDs

For further information, images and comments please contact NIDMS on manager@nidms.co.uk

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March 21, 2019

The National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS) is pleased to welcome Mile End Hospital and Queen Mary’s University London (QMUL) as clinical partners, providing a NEW Emergency NHS dance injury clinic.

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As part of NIDMS’ ongoing aim to provide affordable access to dance specialist clinical services, we are continually striving to expand these services to meet dancers’ needs. We are therefore pleased to welcome a new emergency

pathway for dancers experiencing acute injuries in need of emergency medical care.

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This new service complements the existing London dance injury service at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital by providing a route to emergency dance specialist healthcare via A&E services. Dancers with need of urgent medical care will be able to visit the A&E department at The Royal London Hospital or Newham Hospital. After assessment the dancer will be referred to Dr Ian Beasley at Mile End Hospital for treatment at the dance injury clinic.

The Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine, part of Queen Mary University of London, runs the oldest Sport and Exercise Medicine course in the UK.  Both MSc, and intercalated BSc degrees are offered here, and leading figures in the field of SEM and allied subjects lecture on these courses. This includes modules on dance medicine led by Dr Manuela Angioi who sits on the research committee of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) and has published numerous studies in the field of musculoskeletal injury and physical fitness of professional and pre professional dancers.

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There is an extensive multi-disciplinary team that supports the NHS clinic at Mile End Hospital, with under- and post-grad students taking an active part in patient care.  Dancers are seen and assessed by a highly experienced medical team including Dr Ian Beasley, Dr Nikos Malliaropoulos, and Dr Ritan Mehta, who are all well versed in dealing with performers at all levels, and this setting is the basis of the clinical teaching taking place at the Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine.

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Helen Laws, Head of Industry and Artist Support/NIDMS says; “The NIDMS NHS dance injury clinics in London, Birmingham and Bath have been successfully treating dancers (over 1000 to date) since the first opened in 2012 and have proven to be a lifeline for dancers struggling with career affecting injuries, which are often overuse in nature. What is so exciting about this new partnership is that we can now also offer London-based dancers a dance specialist route at that really scary time having sustained an acute injury. Our NHS is fantastic at the point of an emergency, now dancers going through these A&Es can have the added reassurance that their immediate follow up care will be with knowledgeable sports and dance medics from the outset.”

As with all health conditions please consider if your injury requires urgent treatment before travelling to the A&E department. Remember these are urgent trauma centres, if you have sustained an injury but it is not medically urgent, please visit your GP to seek a referral to the dance injury clinic at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.

March 12, 2019

A celebration of the UK’s flourishing dance scene in collaboration with One Dance UK.

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Dancers rigged to 3D motion tracking bodysuits will show how science is pushing the boundaries of choreography as part of an unprecedented celebration of the UK’s dance scene, which will also include exclusive rehearsals and insights from some of the country’s leading practitioners.

These are just some of the highlights of #DancePassion, a dance festival being organised by BBC Arts in collaboration with One Dance UK, along with leading names and exciting new talent. Aimed at ‘those who love dance as well as those who don’t yet know they love dance’, #DancePassion will run across television, radio and online on the BBC from Sunday 31 March to Saturday 6 April, with a live streaming day on Friday 5 April.

Highlights also include:

- A #DancePassion live streaming day featuring 11 hours of performance, rehearsals and behind the scenes insights from across the UK.

- Organisations to use the BBC’s dance archive in innovative ways to tell compelling dance stories.

- A week-long focus on dance across television, radio and online including performances of Giselle and Atomos on BBC Four, Sound of Dance on BBC Radio 3 and dance specials on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio 6 Music.

#DANCEPASSION LIVE STREAMING

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As part of the live streaming day on Friday 5 April, the science of dance will take centre stage as Birmingham Royal Ballet conduct live experiments to demonstrate how 3D motion tracking is being used to push boundaries in choreography as well as protect dancers from injury. New research into how dancing can improve bone density will also be revealed.

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There will be exclusive rehearsals and insights from some of the country’s leading practitioners including Akram Khan Company, Candoco Dance Company, Company Wayne McGregor, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures, National Dance Company Wales, Möbius Dance, Northern Ballet and Kenneth Tindall, Rambert, Rosie Kay Dance Company and Viviana Durante Company.

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Audiences will be given a front row seat to English National Ballet and Scottish Ballet as they gear up for performances that evening at Sadler’s Wells and Theatre Royal Glasgow respectively, while DanceXchange, English Folk Dance and Song Society, Maiden Voyage Dance, Motionhouse, Phoenix Dance Theatre, Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and ZooNation Youth Company Birmingham will all show audiences why the UK’s dance sector is the best in the world.

Involving the four UK nations, dancers, independent artists and choreographers will take part in live broadcasts from dance ‘hubs’ located in Belfast, Birmingham, Leeds, London and Swansea, presented by Dr Ranj Singh, Katie Thistleton, Brenda Emmanus, Connie Fisher, Rebecca Jones and Marie-Louise Muir. Additional live streams will come directly from companies themselves: Scottish Ballet will be in Glasgow to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and Rambert will bring audiences exclusive behind the scenes access to the full range of their work, featuring leading French choreographer Marion Motin.

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Other exciting content will include choreographer Nathan Geering demonstrating how b-boying and b-girling (breakdancing) for the visually impaired is being used as a means of injury prevention and to improve spatial awareness. Rising talent will be showcased through streamed performances from dancers from the National Youth Dance Company and Yuva Gati, the Centre for Advanced Training National South Asian dance programme alongside a number of community dance groups from across the country including ACE Dance & Music in Birmingham as well as Dance Action Zone Leeds (DAZL) and RJC Dance in Leeds.

Ahead of the centenary of Merce Cunningham’s birth, the Barbican will Iivestream Not A Moment Too Soon as Trevor Carlson, close friend and Executive Director to Cunningham, reflects on the 12 years he spent as a companion to the choreographer, offering a rare insight into the final days of a master.

And to mark its 40th anniversary, Akademi will make available its performance of The Troth, a gripping wartime story of love and loss, told through powerful dance theatre. The Troth was commissioned by The Space. DANCE ON

TELEVISION AND RADIO

#DancePassion will be celebrated in dedicated programming across the BBC between 31 March and 6 April. TV programming will feature recent critically acclaimed performances of English National Ballet and Akram Khan’s Giselle and Company Wayne McGregor’s Atomos, both The Space commissions for BBC Arts which will be broadcast on BBC Four. BBC Four will also present an Arena special with a film featuring the English Morris Dancing tradition. Stopgap Dance Company’s film Artificial Things directed by Sophie Fiennes will be available on BBC iPlayer. The film explores human interdependence, strength, and vulnerability, featuring an ensemble of disabled and non-disabled dancers and is also a The Space commission for BBC Arts.

BBC Radio 3’s Sound of Dance presented by Katie Derham will return to coincide with #DancePassion and In Tune will have a themed programme focusing on the relationship between music and dance presented by Sean Rafferty. Mary Anne Hobbs’ show on BBC Radio 6 Music will be a #DancePassion-themed special. BBC Radio 4’s Front Row interviews Carlos Acosta about his forthcoming biographical film Yuli and his new role as Director at Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Following on from Radio 2’s Longest Ever Danceathon featuring Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly in aid of Comic Relief, in which the whole network is going to be given over to dance for more than 24 hours on 11 and 12 March, there will be another chance to hear BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night Is Music Night a dance themed edition presented by Strictly Come Dancing’s Head Judge and Queen of Latin Shirley Ballas as she shimmies, shuffles, spins and chassés us through a selection of her favourite music with Strictly stars Joe McFadden and Joanne Clifton.

BBC Sounds will also feature special #DancePassion inspired music mixes to get the whole nation moving.

ARCHIVE The BBC

Rewind and Archive editorial teams are working with dance organisations on a new storytelling platform, Canvas. Combining organisations’ expertise with the BBC’s archive, stories will include the history of Black Dance in Britain from One Dance UK; the dancer and choreographer Mona Inglesby from New Works Ballet Theatre; the story of the 51st Reel from Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and the history of Scottish Ballet.

Jonty Claypole Director, BBC Arts said: “Dance truly is a powerful and transformative art form. I’m thrilled that we’re working with One Dance UK and the whole sector to demonstrate exactly why this country is a world leader in dance. #DancePassion is for audiences who love dance as well as for those who don’t yet know they love dance. Whether it’s ballet, bhangra or ballroom – at one of our ‘hubs’ or at home – this week aims to get the whole nation moving in a celebration of dance.”

Andrew Hurst, Chief Executive Officer of One Dance UK said: “We are delighted to partner with the BBC to promote the very first #DancePassion and launch this exciting national celebration of dance, showcasing the cuttingedge creativity, artistry, and talent leading the way in dance in the UK today.”

January 29, 2019

The National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS) is pleased to announce the expansion of the London NHS Dance Injury Clinic to include the UK’s first RED-S/Endocrine clinic.

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Previously known as the Female Athlete Triad, Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S) refers to health concerns caused by a lack of energy available to support both exercise and normal physiological functioning. Health concerns associated with RED-S are described by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as ‘impaired physiological function including, but not limited to, metabolic rate, menstrual function, bone health, immunity, protein synthesis, cardiovascular health caused by relative energy deficiency'.

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Dancers who are experiencing symptoms that may be as a result of RED-S such as weight loss (sudden or gradual), periods stopping, periods less regular and infrequent, periods much lighter, increased frequency of injuries (either soft tissue or bone), or any bone stress injury, can now be referred to NIDMS’ London dance injury clinic to receive care, treatment and advice from specialists.

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The new NIDMS RED-S/Endocrine clinic will be jointly run by Dr Roger Wolman and Dr Nicky Keay at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Bolsover Street. Dr Roger Wolman, Consultant in Rheumatology and Sports and Exercise Medicine (SEM) has been leading the London NHS dance injury clinic since 2012, where he has treated over 1000 dancers over the past 7 years. Prior to joining the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Dr Wolman worked at the British Olympic Medical Centre and during this time carried out research on bone health and the Female Athlete Triad including studying bone mineral density in dancers. Dr Nicky Keay has extensive clinical and research experience in dance and sport endocrinology and a special interest and expertise in RED-S in both dancers and athletes. Dr Keay was a key contributor to One Dance UK publications Your Body Your Risk and Fit to Dance?2 and has recently written the British Association of Sports Exercise and Medicine (BASEM) website Health4Performance, which is a world-first educational resource to raise awareness of RED-S amongst dancer/athlete, coaches/teacher, parents/friends and healthcare professionals.

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“NIDMS is leading the way by supporting this UK first NHS RED-S dedicated clinic. Although RED-S stands for relative energy deficiency in sport, male and female dancers of all levels are clearly a group at risk of developing the consequences of RED-S in terms of injury, fatigue, illness, poor sleep, and psychological stress. As a dedicated dancer myself with experience of researching and working with dancers in the clinical setting, I am delighted and honoured to be helping my colleague Dr Wolman run this clinic. I am looking forward to working with dancers and athletes of all ages at risk of RED-S” – Dr Nicky Keay

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The addition of specialist care for dancers at risk of RED-S serves NIDMS’ mission to provide the dance sector with access to high quality, affordable, dance specific health care. NIDMS NHS dance injury clinics are also available in Birmingham at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Bath at the Royal United Hospital with further clinics in development.

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For referral information to the RED-S clinic please visit https://www.nidms.co.uk/red-sclinic or contact the NIDMS manager on manager@nidms.co.uk or 020 7713 0730

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For referral information to a NIDMS NHS dance injury clinic please visit https://www.nidms.co.uk/healthcare or contact the NIDMS manager on manager@nidms.co.uk or 020 7713 0730

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1. Mountjoy M, Sundgot-Borgen J, Burke L, et al. (2014) The IOC consensus statement: beyond the Female Athlete Triad—Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S) British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48:491-497.

2. Brinson, P. & Dick, F. (1996) Fit to Dance?, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation 

April 22, 2018

The National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS) today announces the opening of its much-anticipated new dance fitness screening centre in Edinburgh, coinciding with the launch of three new health packages for dancers, in partnership with One Dance UK.

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Renowned for its hugely successful screening centre services, NIDMS is excited to welcome a new screening centre partners, the University of Edinburgh and Taylor Physiotherapy. As the new Scottish hub for the organisation, the University complements the existing NIDMS screening centres in the Midlands (the Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Injuries and University of Wolverhampton) and London (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance).

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NIDMS is continually working to ensure that dancers have access to affordable, timely and specialist healthcare to reduce the risk of injury and to be able to seek help easily if an injury should occur. Part of NIDMS’ commitment to this aim is the provision of the Performance Optimisation Package (POP), launched in 2014 as an add-on to membership with One Dance UK, the national sector support organisation for dance. Following feedback from dancers, companies and schools who have been utilising the package since then, NIDMS has further developed the package to offer a variety of options for every budget and need.

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Today, NIDMS is pleased to launch three new tiers of the Performance Optimisation Package (POP) (Standard, Intermediate and Elite), allowing dancers to affordably seek private healthcare and receive one to one physical assessments from a dance-specialist team. POP is available to purchase immediately, and prices start at just £80.

All three tiers of POP offer a 12-month health cash plan from BHSF, through which dancers can claim back up to £700 in total on healthcare treatments including physiotherapy, osteopathy, dental and chiropody and private consultation (excluding surgery and imaging), allowing access to immediate care without the need for GP referral. The plan also provides discounted gym membership and access to a 24-hour helpline including GP, counselling, legal advice, and private prescriptions.

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The Intermediate and Elite packages will also provide dancers with a one-to-one musculoskeletal and fitness screening with a dance specialist exercise physiologist and physiotherapist, including measurements of muscular endurance, aerobic fitness, flexibility, and balance. Those selecting the Intermediate package will benefit from an individual exercise plan to support their dance training, along with their screening results. 

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The Elite package offers a more in-depth and bespoke overview of screening and training requirements. A one-to-one screening will be carried out in relation to the patient’s current dance practice, with the screening team viewing his or her current choreography to ascertain the physiological demands in relation to the screening results. This is in addition to a bespoke exercise plan, specifically aimed at preparing dancers for the choreographic demands of their current work as a performer, teacher or choreographer. 

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NIDMS Manager Stephanie De’Ath comments:

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‘NIDMS continually aims to expand the provision of healthcare for dancers throughout the UK, and has been striving to establish more support in Northern England and Scotland. We are really pleased that dancers in Scotland will now be able to purchase POP and access dance specialist screening services in Edinburgh, and we will continue to work hard to try and establish free-at-the-point-of-use specialist healthcare opportunities in NHS Scotland.’

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To purchase POP and book a screening at the University of Edinburgh please visit http://www.onedanceuk.org/memberships/

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For further information and images, please contact NIDMS, on 020 7713 0730 or manager@nidms.co.uk.

March 13, 2018

The Elite Sports Performance & Rehabilitation Expo is Europe’s leading event for the teams behind elite level athletes, providing them with innovative new ways to help their teams to perform better and recover faster. This year, this esteemed, industry leading show is being held on the 9th & 10th May, at the ExCeL in London.

We’re a proud partner of the show and have been allocated a limited number of FREE event tickets, which we would like to offer to all of our readers. Activate yours now at http://bit.ly/2I4DHoj

We’ve highlighted ten reasons why you should attend this year’s show:                         

1. NIDMS partner Dr Nick Allen, Clinical Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Dr Allen will be presenting 'Tipping Pointe' on Thursday 10th May. This session will look to introduce you to the nature of training and performance in elite ballet and explore where sports may use aspects from dance in their own pursuit of success.

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2. 90 Expert-led Seminars

Over the two days of the Elite Sports Expo, you can attend up to 12 hours of expert-led, CPD accredited seminars from like likes of: Ian Gatt, GB Boxing; Stephen Manuel, GB Powerlifting; Anna-Maria Watson, Ultra Marathon Champion; Carl Todd, FA and Chelsea FC, and many more…

3. Test and Compare Products from 200 World-class Suppliers

We’re giving you the unmissable opportunity to try, test and discover the very latest from leading global suppliers and innovators from the elite sports sectors. From companies such as Beet It Sport, who are giving Olympic medal winning athletes an edge over their competitors through proper nutrition, to innovators like Iron Neck, who are providing athletes from high impact sports – like rugby- with training equipment that will reduce the risk of them incurring head injuries during play.

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4. Live Demos: Discover the Elite Sports Innovators

How are Muhdo Health helping athletes to tailor their training to fit their genetic strengths and weaknesses? How do the VALD performance strength and performance testing systems work? These are just two of the industry leading suppliers who will be running live demos of their industry leading products, at the show. Make sure you check them out and harness the technology that could unlock that 1% difference between you team winning and losing.

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5. Free Masterclasses

We will be offering all of our registered visitors the opportunity to reserve a place on our coveted masterclasses. Over the two days of the show, you can learn about the new techniques and development from the likes of Rock Tape, Desmotec, and DJO Global (and more to be announced...)

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6. The Launch of the Women in Sport Panel

There has been a shift in the world of elite sports, there is now more coverage than ever on the issue of gender equality in sport. But what are the next steps? We will be hosting the first ever Elite Sports Expo Woman in Sports Panel at the year’s event. The panel will explore that next steps that need to be taken in order to achieve gender equality in elite sports. Want to get involved? Then email kelynn.renals@prysmgroup.co.uk

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7. Unrivalled Industry Networking

The Elite Sports Expo is the leading event in Europe for professionals that want to get more from their elite sports team. Do you want to meet the teams that are striving to win? Then come to the show and talk to the motivated, the innovative and the thought leaders from the elite sports sector.

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8. FREE CPD Credits

All of the seminars, all of the masterclasses, all of the amazing content from across the show is completely free and fully CPD accredited. Over the two days of the event, you have access to over 12 CPD hours. All of the seminars and masterclasses are run by the leading sporting minds from around the globe. This is an unmissable opportunity to learn about the very best from the world of elite sports.

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9. Free Access to COPA & Elevate

Three industry leading events will be running alongside each other for the first time in Elite Sports Expo history. COPA is the event for rehabilitation professionals to find the very latest from their industry and learn everything they need to know about getting the most from their practice. Elevate is the UK’s largest event for physical activity and fitness. Your free Elite Sports Expo ticket will grant to full access to all three events.

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10. Elite Sports Innovation Awards

The Elite Sports Expo Innovation Awards highlight and celebrate the products, services and technology that will pave the way for the future of elite level sports. Are you changing the game within the industry? Or developing the ‘must have’ equipment of the future? Then contact James at james.berryman@prysmgroup.co.uk

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Everything you need to find that 1% difference between winning and losing, under one roof, over to days. Make sure you don’t miss out on the opportunity to improve your team’s performance and improve their recovery and rehabilitation time, register for your free ticket now at http://bit.ly/2I4DHoj

March 03, 2017

Dance Longer Dance Stronger announces the launch of a new app designed especially to enable performers to locate – at the touch of a button – a range of specialist healthcare and reliable resources, right across the UK.

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The Performers Health Hub app brings together the most up-to-date information about dance specific healthcare, both private and NHS, together with reliable, evidence-based resources in an easy to use format.

The app has been developed in response to the high injury rate among dancers and the lack of time available due to the nature of their work, to conduct thorough research in locating top quality healthcare.

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Around 80% of all dancers will suffer an injury each year through training, rehearsal of performance* or as a result of fatigue and overwork, insufficient warming-up or cooling-down, recurring injury or not being able to respond to the early warning signs of injury**.

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Due to the nature of their work, and the demands of their complex schedules, dancers, teachers and choreographers can find it extremely challenging to find the sufficient time needed in order to locate reliable, dance specialist care and resources. This can lead to many dancers abandoning the search altogether and working through an injury.

This is where the Performers Health Hub comes in. 

The app will house up-to-date information about specialist healthcare, and reliable, evidence-based resources on a range of health topics including fitness, first-aid for dancers, nutrition and hypermobility, and will take the user to the information they need via a few simple questions.

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Director of Dance Longer Dance Stronger Claire Farmer comments: ‘By housing this vital information in one place, the app removes the need to spend precious time searching the internet and attempting to establish the quality and reliability of the information available there. Dancers can quickly find dance specialist healthcare practitioners and clinical services, providing the expert knowledge that can help dancers then return to the studio quicker.’

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Resources on the Performers Health Hub are drawn from a consortium of organisations at the forefront of dance medicine and science research and advocacy including National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, One Dance UK, Safe in Dance International and British Association for Performing Arts Medicine and will be continually updated as research progresses.

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We are already looking to the future for the Performers Health Hub, with plans to add USA specific healthcare over the next 6 – 8 months and add further countries in future, allowing performers to refer to one app when on tour.  To download the app please visit the Apple or Google stores.

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Disclaimer: The information on this app is not intended to diagnose an injury.  If you are concerned about an injury please always consult a registered healthcare professional.  To query any of the information highlighted in this app please contact the organisation or author directly.

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www.dancelongerdancestronger.com
Facebook: @dancelongerdancestronger
Twitter: @dancestronger

February 13, 2017

The National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS) is delighted to announce that The Royal Ballet has been welcomed into the NIDMS partnership alongside founding partners Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance injuries, One Dance UK, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, University of Birmingham and University of Wolverhampton. 

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Each NIDMS partner offers specialist expertise at the forefront of research, education and clinical services in dance medicine and science. Together their aim is to enhance the health, wellbeing and performance of dancers through a network of multidisciplinary partners, sharing expertise and providing information, guidance and services.

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The Royal Ballet’s healthcare for its company dancers has always been at the forefront of dance medicine provision. The Mason Healthcare Suite, which opened in 2013, provides company dancers with facilities on a par with that seen in professional and Olympic sports including: physiotherapy, massage, sports/dance psychology, Pilates, gyrotonics, and a well-equipped gym for strength and conditioning work.  More recently the Royal Ballet has fully integrated sports and dance science into its support for the dancers using an evidence-based approach to optimising the dancers’ healthcare, training and performance. Significant investment has been made to put in place the digital technology required (Smartabase, Athlete Data Management) for tracking dancers’ injury, health and day to day training which will enable the company to monitor and inform the effectiveness of its injury prevention strategies.

This kind of research-informed practice is fundamental to NIDMS’ aims. By coming on board as the newest NIDMS partner The Royal Ballet are committing to contributing their valuable knowledge and experience gained from the last 3 years developing this system. Having already begun to work closely alongside the Birmingham Royal Ballet to align injury surveillance methods and begun to roll this out in the Royal Ballet School, The Royal Ballet is joining the partnership at a time when NIDMS is stepping up efforts to secure the necessary funding and resources to be able to extend this research UK-wide, with the aim of providing the necessary framework for numerous dance companies and training establishments to collaborate on a ground-breaking, in-depth, dance injury epidemiology research project.

Greg Retter, Clinical Director, The Royal Ballet, says of the research: “I have helped facilitate similar projects in Olympic Sport which have been critical in understanding the injury burden which is inevitable when competing at a high level. This research project is an urgent and essential foundation-stone to better understand the true breadth and depth of injury across the wider dance sector, and we wholeheartedly support this initiative from One Dance UK and NIDMS, and look forward to close collaboration to ensure it is a success.”

One Dance UK Chief Executive Andrew Hurst says: “We are delighted to welcome The Royal Ballet as our new partner in the National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science, adding weight to and raising awareness of this ground-breaking area of One Dance UK’s work. We are actively seeking far-sighted funding partners to help us broaden the fantastic work of the NIDMS Team, to provide systematic data gathering on injury and fitness in the major dance companies and schools throughout the UK, to benefit all dancers.”