Developed by a team of experts in Dance Medicine including a Sports Medicine physician, physical therapist and psychologist along with input from former professional dancers, this program's mission is to provide the pre-professional and conservatory dancer with the tools needed to maintain health and wellness as they transition to the next phase in their careers.

 

The program includes a weekly conditioning/injury prevention class that focuses on functional dance movements designed to address commonly seen imbalances found amongst dancers. By correcting imbalances, dancers will decrease risk of injury and find better success in the studio. 

 

Ongoing surveillance of the dancers through a weekly studio visit to evaluate aches and pains will help to identify issues early on and make corrections before they become actual injuries.

 

In addition, the program will provide regularly scheduled seminars on topics related to dancer health and wellness. Topics include:

 

• Anatomy for dancers

• Ways to cross train safely

• Smart recovery techniques

• Avoiding overtraining and burnout

• Nutrition for dancers - healthy snacks, recovery nutrition and cooking demonstrations

• The importance of hydration

• Sleep to recover

• Surviving summer intensives injury-free

• Tackling performance anxiety

• Balancing dance and school

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Outside Referral Resource for "Mental Health Services”

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“Dr. Lia Panos is a postdoctoral psychology fellow at Balanced Awakening, a private practice in Chicago. She earned her B.A. in Psychology at The Ohio State University and her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Midwestern University. Classically trained in ballet under renowned instructors, and a founding member of a contemporary ballet club at OSU, Lia has firsthand insight into the physical and emotional challenges dancers face. She specializes in supporting dancers with body image, injury recovery, performance stress, disordered eating, and women’s health concerns. Lia offers both in person and telehealth therapy. More information and booking details can be found at: https://balancedawakening.com/lia-panos-psyd”

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