As announced in March, until August we will be sharing select presentations from our 2020 iConference; free and open access here on the IADMS blog and on our eLearning page. Each month will focus on one of our iConference themes: Dance for Health (March), Dance Medicine (April), Dance Research (May), Interactive/Movement (June), Dance Education (July), and Dance Science (August).

Presentations will only be available for the specified month, so be sure to share them with your colleagues and friends while you can! All presentations from the 2020 iConference remain available for IADMS members via the IADMS app until September 15 2021.

This month we have three presentations from the ‘Dance Research’ theme. We also asked the presenters some questions regarding their experiences of being involved in our 2020 iConference.

Adapting research tools for addressing complex movement in dance: encouraging multi-disciplinary engagement in research questions

Margaret Wilson PhD

Video no longer available on this platform. IADMS members still have access to all iConference presentations until September 15 2021 via the IADMS app.

1. What was your motivation for being part of the IADMS iConference2020

To stay connected to the information, ideas and networking with other conference attendees. While not the same as being in person, the sharing of the information, and the availability of the information after the conference was a great consolation.

2. Could you outline the main topic/theme/exploration of your iConference presentation and why this is important for the dance sector/health professionals?

The main theme of my presentation was that the best research experiences I have had are those with professionals in other disciplines, or who bring a different perspective to my study. Adding another researcher more than doubles the quality of the research -- building an interdisciplinary team is even better.

3. What are the key ‘take-home’ messages from your presentation that the dance sector/dance health professionals should be aware of?

In addition to the topic listed above, I think one of the most important team members is someone who can look at the experience of the researched. I mentioned working with an ethnographer as an important element of my development as a researcher. To really understand the efficacy of the research, we need to look at it from the participants' experience as well as the more quantitative data we collect.

4. Could you tell us what you enjoyed the most about iConference2020 as either a presenter or attendee?

I enjoyed the access after the presentations and the generosity of IADMS to share these well after the conference. However, I am looking forward to seeing people in person later this year in Denver!

Complex systems: challenges and opportunities in dance injury research

Caroline Bolling PhD, PT

Video no longer available on this platform. IADMS members still have access to all iConference presentations until September 15 2021 via the IADMS app.

1. What was your motivation for being part of the IADMS iConference2020?

Because it is the biggest conference on the field of dance medicine research and is a unique opportunity to share ideas with the experts of the field.

2. Could you outline the main topic/theme/exploration of your iConference presentation and why this is important for the dance sector/health professionals?

In this talk, I guide you to the basic concepts of complexity, into the dynamic and the emergent nature of a complex system, and I explore how complexity can help us to understand dance injuries with a new perspective.

3. What are the key ‘take-home’ messages from your presentation that the dance sector/dance health professionals should be aware of?

The main idea to learn more about complexity is to be able to expand our view and look at the big picture of a dance injury. Revisiting the dancer’s health through the lenses of complexity allows us to explore and understand how the systems interact and evolve in a constant dynamic process - just like dance.

4. Could you tell us what you enjoyed the most about iConference2020 as either a presenter or attendee?

The conference was a great way to be in touch with other researchers from the field and learn from their expertise. Nice opportunity to know more about the new research findings within diverse topics.

Epidemiological headaches

Evert Verhagen PhD

Video no longer available on this platform. IADMS members still have access to all iConference presentations until September 15 2021 via the IADMS app.

1. What was your motivation for being part of the IADMS iConference2020?

I attended the 2019 conference and was amazed by the vibrant and open community. A refreshing and motivating experience where I walked away with new knowledge and friends. So attending this 2020 edition was a no-brainer.

2. Could you outline the main topic/theme/exploration of your iConference presentation and why this is important for the dance sector/health professionals?

I discuss some of the mistakes we usually make when asking scientific questions and when finding the appropriate answers. I share some lessons learned in the Sports Medicine field, a research field that also grew quickly in the past two decades. It is my belief that the field of Dance Medicine is at the brink of an equally - if not bigger - growth, and I hope my experiences will inspire and support researchers in Dance Medicine.

3. What are the key ‘take-home’ messages from your presentation that the dance sector/dance health professionals should be aware of?

My main message is that in a field where there are a lot of practice based solutions, we have to be aware that the research we do is not to prove our practical pearls right. Unbiased research is needed to support the health of dancers now and in the future.

4. Could you tell us what you enjoyed the most about iConference2020 as either a presenter or attendee?

Again, as in 2019, I greatly enjoyed the energy and vibrancy of the sessions and interactions.