Throughout my PhD studies in a sports science focused university, I was envious of fellow PhD students who had sport-specific industry connections and a broad network to help guide and inspire their research endeavours. That was until my mentor Luke Hopper introduced me to IADMS. I attended my first IADMS conference in 2019 in Montreal. Receiving a Student Research Travel Award for my PhD research into the science of pole dancing provided a stepping stone to a conference which would enhance my career in ways I never thought would be possible. Connections made in Montreal in 2019 have led to meaningful and productive collaborations and wonderful friendships. Now based as a lecturer in dance and performance science at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, this year I was excited to return to IADMS to reconnect with colleagues and present research conducted with Australian pre-professional dancers. It was incredible to be immersed in current research and happenings within dance science and medicine internationally and to use key learnings to inform my practice as a lecturer, researcher, strength & conditioning coach, and dance teacher. 

Highlights and key learnings 

This year I attended sessions focusing on dance training, dance wellbeing education, periodisation, strength & conditioning, and nutrition. Listening to presenters from dance settings in other countries, it was reassuring to hear that similar barriers and strategies were being experienced by other strength and conditioning coaches, healthcare practitioners, and academics. It was wonderful to hear about initiatives and programs being piloted in dance training such as microdosing strength training, and grocery shopping tours and cooking classes for dancers moving away from home for the first time. It was also pleasing to attend numerous sessions focused on the recent International Olympic Committee Consensus Statements on relative energy deficit in sport (REDs) and concussion and their application to dance. A consistent message across many sessions at the conference was the importance of the team around the dancer and providing dancers with access to healthcare practitioners with dance-specific training. 

A highlight was observing the breadth of sessions including research on a range of dance genres including ballroom, breaking, tap, acrobatics, Brazilian and South Asian dance; transgender and non-binary dancers; and disabled dancers. This is a clear sign that dance science and medicine research is expanding becoming more inclusive. 

Stephanie Greenspan presenting a return-to-dance case study for a non-binary dancer with concussion.

Nicky Keay presenting on REDs and female hormone “choreography”. 

Reconnecting and building new connections 

Attending 2019 IADMS in Montreal led to developing connections with dance and circus research from around the globe and forging research collaborations. This year it was amazing to reconnect with Surveillance of Injuries for Research in Circus (SIRC) working group members Stephanie Greenspan from Artletic Science and Janine Stubbe from the Performing Artist and Athlete Research Lab (PEARL) at Codarts University of the Arts; and Dance Research Collaborative (DaRC) chair Rachel Ward, from University of New South Wales, as well as meeting fellow Australian DaRC members in-person for the first time. 

Similarly, it was wonderful to meet in-person with clinicians and dance science folk who I’ve connected with via social media or through research projects over the last few years including Amy Werner, Nicky Keay, Sarah Needham-Beck, and to engage in meaning conversations about dancer health, hormones, and the future of dance science research. Lunch breaks and spotting dance folk staying at the same hotel allowed for meeting new faces, learning about diverse areas of work within dance, and synergies across different countries. New faces included: Penny Kay, podiatrist and ballet teacher from the UK, Clare Frank and Alyssa Herrara-Set, Physical Therapists from USA; Noemi Verboczi physiotherapist, Progressive Ballet Technique educator and medical doctor in-training from Hungary; and Claudia Molders, Feldenkrais practitioner and ballet teacher from Germany. 

(L to R) Janine Stubbe, Stephanie Greenspan, and myself

(L to R) Sue Mayers, Claire Hiller, Thomas Swords, Rachel Ward, Alycia Fong Yan, Jenny Woods, and myself.

Future 

On returning from IADMS, Aussie’s who attended the conference met online and shared reflections and learnings with the broader DaRC group which has generated much excitement for the 2026 IADMS Conference in Melbourne Australia. I’m excited for the continued expansion of research into different dance genres and populations, and even more excited for the breadth of sessions at future IADMS conferences and being tasked with the challenge of choosing which sessions to attend when they all look equally important and interesting. I’ll likely revert to highlighting the majority of the sessions in the conference schedule and wanting to be in three rooms at the same time, thankfully many sessions are recorded which makes for an extended conference experience.