Dance Program Administrators’ Perceptions of Athletic Training Services

DANCERS and other performing artists are a unique blend of both athlete and artist.1 Dancers are “aesthetic athletes” who endure years of intense and physically demanding practice with the aim of honing their skills for peak performance in front of an audience.1 Despite the physical demands and rigor involved with dance, relatively little attention has been devoted to the unique health care needs of dancers. In fact, dance medicine has been referred to as the orphan child of sports medicine.2 Recently, some professional dance and performing arts companies have begun providing specialized dance medicine services to their artists. Dance/USA, an organization that includes over 400 dance companies and other organizations, established a Taskforce on Dancer Health in 2005.3 The taskforce made recommendations for prevention of injury and illness and established screening protocols for professional dancers during the 2005-06 performance season. The taskforce recommendations do not address the needs of dance students who represent Mary Barnum, EdD, Med, ATC, LAT, Report Editor