The Dance Up!

Join Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Jesse Factor Former Graham Dancer as they discuss early introductions to movement and the fascination that surrounds the bodies athletic and artistic abilities. Learn about Jesse's multifaceted career, injuries sustained and the transition to higher education. Join our conversation as we consider the physical and mental aspects of dancers' injuries, both their own and their peers'. Uncover how when confronted with the fact that we are indeed not invincible we can build community to find a way through.

Join Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Carly Swanson discuss the pursuit of a Doctor of Physical Therapy under the 3+3 curricular model and how a supportive environment in dance growing up allowed for discovery and hobbies outside the studio. We discuss how dance can live holistically in one's body and life and how we can decide how it best fits in our wolds. In addition, we dive into identifying what we don't know as a positive means for caring for the dancer so that appropriate referrals can occur as well as the necessity to find health practitioners who are well versed in movement practices.

Join Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Kayleigh Danowski talk about retirement from dance, studies at Brown University and our identities as a dancer. We discuss the sunk coast fallacy, self-exploration, and discovery outside of dance. Hoping to drive the point home that while dancing is something we participate in, it does not have to serve as a definition of who we are. We also discuss Kayleigh’s participation in an archeological dig!

Dr. James D Walters and Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather chat about the humble beginnings of The Dance Up! Why we started this thing in the first place and what we hope to achieve in the future. Thank you to everyone who has listened throughout the year and an extra special thanks to our guests for sharing your stories and ultimately revealing that while we have common trends, we aren't monoliths. Better care starts with a deep understanding of what we need from healthcare and the ability to communicate that effectively. Thanks to you all! Please fill out the questionnaire, we want to hear from you!

Dr. James D Walters and Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather and guest Jenna Wurtzberger Educator and Entrepreneur, Owner of Bomiart Movement Society discuss Social Emotional Learning for both Young Dancers and their Teachers and how programs such as these can cultivate healthy relationships and communication in the Dance world to build a foundation of healthy emotions.

Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Professional Dancer Chip Abbott discuss his journey with back surgery and the impact his body has faced pre-injury and post injury. Chip selflessly delivers important messages to preprofessional dancers and professional dancers alike, highlighting that care for the body is of utmost importance and how pain can be an indicator of something more serious going on. We critically discuss Independent Medical Exams, Workers' Compensation, and the very real necessity of filling out Injury reports. Enjoy!

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.

Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Professional Dancer Tayla Kelly discuss how her Common Variable Immune Deficiency (CVID) diagnosis hasn't slowed her down one bit! Tayla let's us know how she learned to advocate for herself and her health in the professional ballet world and learned to use her voice. Along with sharing her story she also let's us know about her time on Dancing with the Stars and we consider how health care professionals can provide better care by understanding that dance is a livelihood for some of us and that getting us to our healthy body might require an extra push because our bodies are what support us financially.

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.

Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Professional Dancer Maddison Jayne Cole discuss how previous injuries as a pre-professional dance student can help us to find a team of individuals that can support us through our professional careers. A strong emphasis on learning how to advocate for our own health and a reminder that despite the fact that we are not the medical professionals, we do live in our bodies everyday and can have an acute awareness when something is wrong. We also touch on the importance of intercommunication between health care providers to support the patient.

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.

Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Professional Dancer Nova Gaffney discuss how injuries at the professional level are detrimental to our livelihood, which isn't easily understood by healthcare professionals. The idea that if we don't work, we don't get paid is often foreign to so many and is still a stigma that we often have to combat in our careers. Nova shares her story from injury to recovery. An emphasis on building confidence was created with a care team and company that were supportive and encouraging along the way. In this episode, we question the, "Don't dance" model for care and acknowledge that while sometimes this is necessary there are times when a more appropriate course of action is key.

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.

Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Dance Student Eliza Tarbet get into how an injury can be a sign of overuse, caused by an acute reaction, or a combination of the two. Sound advice for both dancers and health care providers is offered to develop more confidence and support to the injured dancer. Understanding that dancers' identities are often threatened when physical injuries occur and how mental health can be further affected is discussed. A model of care to integrate a support system both in the collegiate system and in health care professionals is also introduced. 

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.

Dr. James D Walters, Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather, and Multidisciplinary Artist & Researcher Kayla McClellan get into arts and health research, publishing, didactic, democratic, and collaborative choreographic processes, dance psychology, the biopsychosocial model of care, and the Eurocentric hierarchical structures that continue to shape the dance world. We ask some pretty important questions too: How can we use contracts to support our processes for advancing wellness and what de-programing do we have to participate in to effect change? Enjoy!

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.

Dr. James D Walters and Assistant Professor of Dance Danielle Lydia Sheather get into why we started the podcast and offer some ideas about how we can be actionable in our advancement towards cultural competency between the medical and dance worlds. Discussions include combating and dismantling stigmas we might have learned and still hear from time to time, National Standards for continuing ed in the dance and medical fields, and ways to move forward. Enjoy! 

Musical contributions by Alexandra Ausman, Graphic Design by Dr. Kelsey Elliot. Views expressed in this podcast solely reflect the authors' and guests' views and not any organization to which an affiliation might be present.