Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Sustaining Dancer Wellbeing Through Independent Professional Dance Careers, Luke S. Hopper, Peta Blevins, Shona Erskine, Danica Hendry, Raewyn Hill, Richard Longbottom

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Dancers dedicate their lives to their art. The lucky few dancers who reach professional careers, must navigate a casualised industry, balance financial pressures and maintain performance fitness. This research aimed to provide practical considerations for dancers to support their health and wellbeing through independent, professional dance careers. Dancers from Australian contemporary dance company Co3 participated in a training program involving psychological and physiotherapy assessments and fitness training in conjunction with a major performance season. Focus groups with company dancers and staff investigated the perceived efficacy of the training program within the company schedule and in supporting dancer wellbeing. Dancers were …