At some point in your dance career, friends might have used the word “obsessed” to describe you. Perhaps you smiled in response. Priding ourselves on how hard and tirelessly we work seems locked in our dancer DNA. That’s partly because dancers need a certain amount of laser focus to make it in the competitive professional […]

“So why did you quit?” It’s a question I’ve been asked hundreds of times since I stopped dancing over a decade ago. My answer has changed over the years as my own understanding of what lead me to walk away from greatest love of my life has become clearer. “I had some injuries,” I would […]

We already know that dancing is basically the greatest thing you could do for yourself. (Even if, ahem, your feet end up without toenails during sandal season.) But it’s always great when science proves us right. A small study out of the University of Brighton in the UK shows that dancing burns about 600 calories […]

Dance Magazine has been writing about fitness and nutrition for dancers since before the phrase dance medicine existed. For our 90th anniversary, we took a look through our archives to find out how we’ve advised readers through the years. It turns out, some of our health coverage stands the test of time better than others. […]

Dancers looking to increase their flexibility rarely think about their upper backs. But this common place of tension could limit your neural mobility. “The mobility of your back, especially your upper back, is very important when thinking about the mobility of the nervous system, fascial system and flexibility in general,” says leading dance physiotherapist Lisa […]

Summertime, and the living is…steamy. Studios can be hot. Outdoor festivals can be grueling—especially once those stage lights turn on. When the temperatures rise, movement feels harder and your body fatigues faster. What’s a dancer to do? Follow these steps to make the heat less taxing on your body so that it doesn’t keep you […]

My doctor wants me to get a sonogram-guided injection of cortisone to reduce the inflammation surrounding my os trigonum, a pea-sized extra bone in the back of my ankle. I’m relieved that surgery may not be necessary, but I’m afraid of the steroid. My friend ruptured his tendon after getting an injection. Am I doing […]

Let’s face it: The demands of a dancing life are extraordinary, and sometimes we would just rather not. “We all know those days where you have to wrench yourself out of bed and you’re shuffling to the shower because you’re so tired and it’s about all the effort that you can muster,” admits Pittsburgh Ballet […]