9. Educating the Dance Community with Lisa Howell

Dancing with a hypermobile body brings its own set of challenges, from a general lack of stability to a slower recovery time. As a young pre-professional, a dancer might not understand why she must find conscious strength before subconscious strength; why daily activities must be examined through the same placement lens as a dance class; and why “boring” and “tedious” can equal “good for you”.  As a parent, helping a hypermobile dancer through the pre-professional years can be bewildering and frustrating for people who don’t understand why their daughter must wait another six months to go on pointe, or why they sometimes need to be “the bad guy” and advocate for their dancer at the studio.  Listen in as physiotherapist Lisa Howell explains what every dance teacher needs to know about hypermobile dancers. She discusses the complexity and subtleties of working with an injured hypermobile dancer, how to optimally develop readiness to go on pointe, and how abdominal pain can affect turns and extensions.  Lisa looks at why the key to greater flexibility is building stability, why the ability to self-assess is one of the most important things we can give dancers as human beings, and how this generation of pre-professional dancers will change the dance industry for the better.  Learn more about Dr. Linda Bluestein, the Hypermobility MD at our websites and be sure to follow us on social media: Websites: https://www.hypermobilitymd.com and www.BendyBodiesPodcast.comInstagram: @hypermobilitymd Twitter: @hypermobilityMD Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hypermobilityMD/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/hypermobilityMD/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hypermobilitymd/  And follow guest co-host Jennifer at the links below: Website: www.jennifer-milner.com Instagram: @jennifer.milner Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jennifermilnerbodiesinmotion/  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices