I attended my first IADMS conference in 2007 in Canberra, Australia while still a student finishing my physiotherapy program. It was the first ‘real’ conference I had ever been to, and I knew immediately that I had found my community.  Seventeen years (and 13 conferences) later, and nothing has changed. For me, the IADMS annual conference is still all about community and connection – and this year in Italy was no different.

Working with such a niche and underserved population can feel a bit lonely on a day to day basis. Which means there’s something extra special about surrounding yourself with 500+ likeminded people who are just as passionate about dancer health and wellness as you. The buzz and energy in the Palacongressi was palpable as people reunited with friends and colleagues, and met people in real life who maybe they had only known previously online.

Every year, there seems to be some ‘unofficial’ themes that emerge from the conference. Perhaps this is just a bias based on the sessions I end up attending, or perhaps it reflects a wider picture of what is currently happening in the dance world. For me, this year was all about bone stress injuries, RED-s, hypermobility, and breaking.

In the realm of bone stress injuries, sessions that stuck out to me were: A participatory action approach to bone stress injury prevention in professional ballet; the Association between GRF variables and stress reaction injury in ballet dancers: a cohort study and Causal inference approach to bone stress injury risk in professional classical ballet. 

With the correlation between bone stress injuries and RED-S, it’s no surprise that this was another hot topic this year. Multidisciplinary approach to dancers suffering with RED-S; Health awareness, low energy availability and risk of REDs among Australian pre-professional dancers; and Relative Energy Deficiency in Dance (RED-D): a consensus method approach to REDs in dance were all excellent presentations on the subject. 

Hypermobility has been well represented in many of the past conferences, and this year was no exception. From workshops (Holistic care of hypermobile dancers: neuromuscular coordination, breathing, fascia & tendon load), to movement sessions (Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos and dance: injury prevention, movement optimization and management) and lectures (Fascial perspective of hypermobile dancers: implications for diagnosis and clinical approach) the dance world certainly has a much better understanding of the far-reaching effects of hypermobility than perhaps the general medical community currently does.

Beyond community and connection, the movement sessions at IADMS are always a highlight for me. There are very few other physiotherapy/medical conferences where you have the chance to actually experience learning in such a kinesthetic way. I always appreciate the opportunity to hear other practitioners approaches to exercises and pearls of wisdom in fun and unique ways.

Movement sessions that particularly stood out for me this year were: Happy bladder, happy dancer: strategies to calm urinary frequency, urgency and bladder irritability; Plyometric jump training variation ideas for vocation (ballet) dancers; and Improve your jumping technique through strength training with squats and kettlebell swings. There’s nothing like seeing a packed room of dancers and ex-dancers learning how to swing a kettlebell!

And last but certainly not least, Breaking. Coming off of the increased visibility of Breaking at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, it was fantastic to see it so well represented at the conference this year. Although maybe not a genre we often hear or see as much about, it was amazing to see the progress that has been made when it comes to science and research surrounding Breaking. Antonio de Fano’s excellent presentation Breaking: at the crossroad of art, sport and science was one of the best, most in-depth summaries of both the art and science of breaking I’ve attended – and his dance moves were seriously impressive as well ;)

The 34th Annual Conference was another fantastic event, and one I am so happy I was able to attend in person. I feel so fortunate to have made so many amazing friends and professional connections through these conferences, and can’t wait to see everyone next year in Vegas!