Tag: dance health

How to Take Charge of Your At-Home Dance Health

Despite all pandemic-related odds, you’ve more or less managed to keep up a dance training routine, whether it’s via your home studio’s Zoom schedule, Instagram Live classes, or Mark Kanemura’s living room dance parties. Slow. Clap. That’s a feat to be celebrated. But dancing in less-than-ideal environments—i.e., pretty much every at-home space—can take a real […]

A New Government Initiative Proves It: Dance Heals

It’s a clichĂ© because it’s true. Doctors in the United Kingdom will soon be able to prescribe dance classes or other artistic experiences to patients suffering anything from mental health struggles to lung conditions, according to The Times. This initiative, which the British government is calling “social prescribing,” is one part of a new preventive […]

Everything You Need to Know About Probiotics

Did you know that, right now, there’s a big party happening in your gastrointestinal tract, with billions of bacteria? It’s known as your microbiome, and it’s filled with both healthy and unhealthy bacteria, including probiotics—a healthy kind that can provide your dancer bod with a bevy of benefits. Dance Spirit turned to Tiffany Mendell, MS, […]

How to Deal with Dance-Related Knee Pain

Knee pain is, unfortunately, just one of those things that happens when you’re a dancer. But how can you be sure that an annoying pinch here or a crunch there isn’t something more serious? Dance Spirit turned to Marijeanne Liederbach, PhD, PT, ATC, CSCS—who is also director of the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries at […]

No Dairy? No Problem: Decoding Nondairy "Milks" for Dancers

“Whole, low-fat, or skim?” The question of which milk to drink has gotten a little more complicated lately, with a wide variety of nondairy milks popping up in grocery stores. To find out which ones are worth your milk money, we had registered dietitian Monika Saigal answer some FAQs. What’s in Nondairy Milk? Nondairy milk […]

The Benefits of Incorporating Different-Colored Produce into Your Diet

You already know the more fruits and vegetables you eat, the better. But did you know that the same goes for their colors? Those vibrant reds, greens, oranges (and everything in between) are pretty—and packed with tons of essential nutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins that’ll take your energy (and your dancing) to the next level. Dance […]

How to Deal with Muscle Cramps and Spasms

Muscle cramps and spasms can happen to any dancer, at any time. At best, they’re super-annoying; at worst, they can be totally crippling. Here, Dance Spirit breaks down this all-too-common problem, so it won’t cramp your style any longer. What They Are Cramps and spasms are involuntary muscle contractions that usually happen after an intense […]

Everything Dancers Should Know About Electrolytes

Chances are, you’ve heard of electrolytes—but you might not know what they really are, why you need them, or how to get them. Dance Spirit asked Emily Cook Harrison, a registered dietitian at the Centre for Dance Nutrition in Atlanta, GA, for a crash course on this key performance component. What They Are “Electrolytes are […]