It is often thought that safe practice is about restrictive health and safety legislation but there are many more aspects to take into account. Research into this multi-layered approach will lead you to learn more about the necessity of understanding how the body works biomechanically to promote good alignment, discover how good injury awareness and management can protect dancers, why proper nutrition and hydration is important to maintain dancers health and performance while they dance and why psychological elements should be taken into consideration to ensure a safe and effective learning environment. While these are all essential to providing a positive dance experience, it is vital that they are applied with the specific participant group’s needs, abilities and desired outcomes in mind. Your submitted materials will demonstrate both your knowledge and application of all of the Core Principles, with direct attention paid to your specific dancers and stylistic context. This course is specifically designed for dancers, choreographer, rehearsal directors and dance educator who will undertake the Safe in Dance International (SiDI) Healthy Dance Practice Certificate (HDPC). This 30 hour training course, prepares the participants for the certification and provides them with the knowledge that is specific to safe dance practice, teaching and training. The training is given by a registered provider of SiDI who also has an MSc in Dance science and is a member of Healthy Dancer Canada (HDC)  and the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS).

To learn more about these certifications visit Safe in Dance International’s website

This workshop will be focusing on performance enhancement and injury prevention during rehearsals, creative practices and performances. It will be specific to the needs and realities of choreographers, rehearsal directors and dancers. 

The workshop will include : 

• Warming up and cooling down – rehearsal and pre-performance
• Supplemental training for performance – pre and post performance 
• Safe spaces - Safety and creativity going hand in hand
• Thoughts on psychological and emotional baggage and background. Awareness
• Feedback – corrections/notes/feedback, also including group dynamics

I stand corrected! From correction to constructive feedback The purpose of this practical session is to understand how constructive feedback can enhance dancers’ performance, skills acquisition and self-efficacy.  We will explore the difference between positive, negative and constructive feedback using examples common to dance practice. Anatomical and metaphorical imagery as forms of feedback will also be considered. Drawing on knowledge from positive psychology, motor learning and somatics, tools and exercises will be provided to develop feedback autonomy in dancers and dance students (partner work and self-evaluation). Finally, participants will be encouraged to evaluate the impact of their own feedback patterns.  

This movement session is tailored for dancers, choreographers, rehearsal directors, dance and movement teachers and dance scientists. The purpose of this session is to demonstrate the potential benefits of using somatic principles such as breath, imagery, rest and touch in dance and movement based training and performance. Embedding knowledge of science and somatics, participants will be informed of the benefits and the reasoning behind the integration of somatic principles in training and performance enhancement.

Based on research and scientific evidence, the aim of this workshop is to provide participants with valuable information about the prevention of injuries in dance settings. Injury management and facilitating communication among the dancer, dance educator and health professional during rehabilitation will also be discussed.

Based on evidence-based knowledge, this participatory workshop will provide a deeper understanding of the physiological needs to prepare the body for dance classes, rehearsals and performance as well as the needs to prepare the body to return to a resting state. The warm up will include elevating the pulse, joint mobilization and muscle lengthening. The cool down will comprise of reducing the pulse, joint easing, muscle stretching, and active relaxation.

Based on research and scientific evidence, the aim of this workshop is to provide participants with knowledge on the physiology of stretching. Different types of stretching will be explored, as well as timing and injury prevention when stretching.

Psychological Skills - preparing for performance  Taken from research in the positive psychology field, these sessions are tailored to dancers, teachers choreographers, dance students and rehearsal directors. Through practical exercises, a direct application of the theory into practice will be explored. 

• Self-talk and imagery - skills to improve performance, reduce performance anxiety and enhance mouvement dynamics.
• Performance profiling and goal-setting for dancers



The aim of this workshop is to provide an understanding of the science of nutrition, and how to fuel the body for optimal performance in dance with specific consideration to training intensity, styles of dance, body types and more. The workshop will have an open ended Q & A to allow exchanges specific to the needs of the group.

The purpose of this session is to demonstrate the potential benefits of using touch in dance training. Derived from a variety of different somatic techniques, the exercises chosen for this session will allow dancers and teachers to experiment and find their own ways of using touch in their practice. Embedding knowledge of science and anatomy, participants will be informed of the benefits and the reasoning behind the integration of somatic principles in dance training. Participants will be introduced to different types of touch, highlighting the difference between corrective touch and informative touch relevant to dancers, choreographers and teachers. This exploratory workshop aims to raise awareness of best practice when giving and receiving either corrective or informative touch. It is also designed to guide dancers and teachers to develop their own distinctive styles of touch. 

Based on research and scientific evidence, the aim of this workshop is to provide teachers with tools to help them teach hypermobile dancers. Information will be provided to teachers to help them understand the challenges of living and dancing with hypermobility as well as providing them with tools to help students overcome those challenges and dance to their best abilities and reduce their risk of injury.

Based on research and scientific evidence, the aim of this workshop is to provide dancers with tools to help them improve their balance and proprioception. Exercises will be tailored to the dance style, level and ability of the dancers, ensuring they understand how to test and improve their balance and proprioception which in return will help them improve their dance skills.

Based on recent evidence based research as well as on the IADMS resource paper (https://www.iadms.org/?303) dancers and teachers will get an understanding of the importance of each component of fitness, and learn to create their own exercises and training programs, focusing on performance enhancement and injury risk reduction.

The components of fitness will include :

• Aerobic fitness – associated with moderate, longer-term levels of activity.
• Anaerobic fitness – associated with high intensity, maximal, short bursts of activity.
• Muscle endurance – the ability of a muscle to produce continuous movement.
• Strength – the ability of a muscle to produce a maximal force on one occasion.
• Power – the explosive (speed-related) aspect of strength.
• Flexibility – the range of motion at a joint in association with the pliability of a muscle.
• Neuromuscular coordination – associated with balance, agility, coordination and skill.
• Body composition – the make-up of body weight by percentage of muscle and fat.
• Rest – a period of no activity, to allow for recovery and regeneration.