A Podcast for Dance Science enthusiasts
The DSP will be a chance to drive discussion and cultivate a sense of community toward collectively progressing the field of Dance Science.
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We will help you unlock your inner potential so you can excel in your professional field. Learn to use all the related tools, walk into a job and be a rockstar from day one.
Episode Overview
Here's a quick overview of the DSP episodes. Click the titles to listen to each one!
Driving Discussion & Cultivating Community
Towards progressing Dance Science to make it more normalized in Dance Education.
Meet the Founder
Dance Scientist, Ph.D. Student
creator of the podcast
I'm Maria Haralambis, M.Ed., NASM CES, FMT, a current Ph.D. student and CEO of The Dance Scientist, L.L.C. I help Dancers & Dance Educators understand and apply Dance Science principles through Resources, Master Classes, Training Sessions, Mentoring, Injury Risk Assessments, and more
the dance science podcast
MEET OUR GUESTS
Astrid Zuluaga Lopez, MS, RDN, LD
Dietician, Pilates and Ballet Instructor
Astrid is a former professional ballet dancer with 20 years of experience in ballet training as a performer and as an instructor combined. She trained pre-professionally at Allegro Estudio de Ballet and Miami City Ballet School and danced professionally in Ballet Nacional de Panama and Arts Ballet Theater of Florida. Astrid is currently a ballet and pilates instructor at Ballet and Pilates by Victoria and Ellie Paige Dance Company and recently became a Registered and Licensed Dietitian Nutritionist with a Master's degree in Exercise and Sports Nutrition. This year she will begin working as a clinical dietitian in one the world's largest medical complex at the Texas Medical Center.
Dinah Hampson
Physical Therapist
Dinah completed her B.A. in Health Studies at Queen’s University & B.Sc. in Physical Therapy at the University of Toronto. Her passion for Sport Physio led her to active membership in Sport Physio Canada, acquisition of her Sport Physio Diploma & her International Sports Physiotherapist qualification. She holds the Diploma of Manual & Manipulative Therapy, multiple clinical certifications, & is an examiner for Sport Physio candidates. She trained in classical ballet, danced with a Young Dancer’s Company & in Musical Theatre productions. She assesses & treats dancers from professional dance companies & associated training programs & community/competitive dancers. She founded Pivot Sport Medicine in 2003, 15 years later co-founding Pivot Dancer. She, with Pivot Dancer, consults with clinicians & dancers worldwide. She has represented Canada as the Chief Therapist for Canada’s Health team at the Commonwealth Games, FISU Games & has been a team member for the Olympics & Pan American Games.
Crystal Nicholls
Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTNC) & Holistic Health Coach
Crystal Nicholls is a performing artist, Certified Transformational Nutrition Coach (CTNC), & Certified Holistic Health Coach. With over 10 years of experience as a professional dancer, she has appeared in commercials, films, tv, and Disney’s The Lion King. As a coach, she has worked with individuals, companies, and schools in the performing arts industry such as Matthew Bourne's New Adventures and English National Ballet School, to support performers' wellbeing. Her mission is to teach performing artists how to use nutrition, mindset skills, and lifestyle habits to support their wellbeing, so they can overcome burnout and thrive–on and off stage.
Giuliana Hazelwood
Mental Health Clinician and Educator for Performing Artists and Young Adults
Giuliana is a mental health clinician and educator for performing artists and young adults. She currently heads the Health & Wellness department at Joffrey Ballet School where she offers on-site care for students and training for faculty and staff. She uses a body-based biopsychosocial approach, infusing arts education curriculum with social-emotional learning fundamentals. Her work leverages the connection between students & clinicians, using the arts as a starting point to challenge and recreate the narratives that shape our collective health and wellbeing.
Jennifer Randall
Social Media & Marketing Expert for Dance Studios
Hi! I’m Jennifer Randall and I have been around dance studios my entire life. I owned a dance & music studio for 12 years. I have always enjoyed marketing (specifically social media) & learning how I can use online marketing for dance studios. Over the last 4 years I have worked with over 200 dance studios, setup & managed over 500 paid ad campaigns & taught hundreds of owners how to use social to attract leads through social media. The experience of running a studio for 15-years of my own means I really “get” owners & now with my knowledge & love for the “social media stuff" I help studio owners get parents & students off of the "social media scroll" and through the doors.
Danielle Pinga
Fitness Trainer
Danielle Pinga is the owner and founder of Artistic Athletes where she trains dancers like the athletes they truly are ! After facing numerous injuries and restrictions throughout her dance career, the idea of injury prevention specifically for dancers drove her to her studies. After receiving her Bachelors in Science, she completed certifications including NASM Personal Trainer, Corrective Exercise Specialist, Performance Enhancement Specialist and 200 hour Yoga Instructor. Danielle’s goal is for all artistic athletes to understand and become aware of their bodies, to gain the knowledge, confidence and strength to succeed.
Carolina Rosa
DIETICIAN INTERN
Internship in Sports Dietetics at the National Conservatory Dance School (Portugal) under the mentorship of Dra Inês Fernandes, Sports Dietitian specialized in elite athletes and high performance. Former dancer (13 years of ballet, 3 years of traditional irish dance, 4 years of hip hop, 1 year of tap)
Bachelor's degree in Psychology
Bachelor's degree in Dietetics and Nutrition
Erasmus semesters in the Netherlands and Belgium
Love to cook.
Jennifer Milner
FORMER DANCER, MOVEMENT SPECIALIST
Jennifer Milner is a ballet coach and certified Pilates trainer. After a successful performing career, Jennifer became certified in Pilates under Kelly Kane, then mentored under the dance medicine pioneer Marika Molnar. She has trained dancers from New York City Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Royal Ballet, and more. Jennifer is a co-founder of Bendy Bodies, a podcast devoted to athletic artists with hypermobility issues. She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science and has presented at several world conferences. She is a member of Dansemedica and Doctors for Dancers and serves on the advisory board of Minding the Gap.
Cynthia Donovan
Registered Dietitian- Hypothalamic Amenorrhea
Cynthia is a registered dietitian nutrionist that helps women get their periods back. She helps them reverse hypothalamic amenorrhea, restore their health, and regain fertility. Cynthia’s life purpose is to help women find balance with food, body and exercise. She has over 10 years of experience and founded the Eat to Regain Your Period Program in 2020. She’s helped 100’s of women across the world get their periods and life back. When she’s not serving women with period recovery you can find her travelling and having fun with the two loves of her life, her sons, Brian and Brayden.
Gina Aicardi
Dance Physical Therapist
I am a physical therapist who specializes in Performing Arts Medicine with a focus on treating dancers. I have taken multiple Postural Restoration Institute (PRI) courses as well and incorporate this method when treating my dancers. I grew up dancing with the intention of pursuing dance as a career. Dance was my first major in college until I decided that I wanted to focus more on pursuing a career in healthcare. Ended up graduating with a bachelors in Kinesiology/Exercise Science from James Madison University. During college and a little beyond I taught dance in Virginia for about 5 years. I then turned my focus to grad school where I received my doctorate in physical therapy as well as my performing arts medicine masters certificate from Shenandoah University with a goal of working primarily with dancers. After a few years of working in general outpatient PT, I am now running the dance rehab program at Joint Effort Movement Center in Charleston, SC and provide various services to local dancers, including dance physical therapy, dance strength and conditioning, injury prevention clinics, injury-risk screenings, pointe readiness assessments, and pop-up PT clinics at local studios.
Caitlin Sloan
Former professional ballerina turned dance educator & career mentor
Contemporary Ballet. She served as Director of The School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet and on faculty of Central Indiana Academy of Dance and the School of Madison Ballet. In 2019, Caitlin founded The Brainy Ballerina, a virtual resource providing support and guidance for aspiring ballet dancers. Through 1-1 career mentorship, virtual private lessons and digital resources, dancers gain the skills necessary to build a smart and sustainable career in the dance industry.
Nancy Paradis
Choreographer, Dancer, Educator
Nancy Paradis began her professional career on the east coast performing with the Washington Ballet, Richmond Ballet and Louisville Ballet Companies. In Los Angeles, she danced in television, film, and commercial work. She was adjunct professor at UC Irvine, Loyola Marymount University and currently Moorpark College where she teaches ballet, jazz, musical theater and production. She choreographs for professional companies BalletProject.OC, The Realm Co-LA and created a world premier for Richmond Ballet, VA. Nancy is a co-author of an inspirational book Bringing Value, Solving Problems and Leaving a Legacy. She is artistic director of her dance/media company LA Dance Moves and currently has a feature documentary screening at film festivals. This summer Nancy crafted original movement to the iconic musical, Cabaret.
Dr. Chelsea Pierotti
Sport Psychology / Mental Performance Coach
Dr. Chelsea Pierotti is a sport psychologist and consultant for dancers and dance educators. As a speaker, workshop teacher, and podcast host, Dr. Chelsea’s mission is to help create more successful dancers through positive mental skills. Visit her website and check out her podcast, a Passion for Dance at https://chelseapierotti.com.
Ginger, Lisa, Megan, & Maria
Your team for our upcoming workshop!
It's highly important for the well-being of your students to keep their health and wellness in mind when designing your classes. Through interactive sessions and hands-on activities, you'll discover innovative techniques to help your students develop physical strength, flexibility, emotional resilience, and mental focus—all while fostering a nurturing and inclusive environment.
Veronica Prieur
Physical Therapist, Pilates Instructor, Dance Educator
Veronica Prieur, PT, DPT, NCPT graduated from the Wayne State University Physical Therapy program in December 2022. Veronica was part of several research initiatives between the Wayne State physical therapy and dance departments during and after her tenure as a student. Veronica has presented her dance-related research projects at the Michigan APTA and IADMS conferences. Veronica’s dance journey began at 3 years old and led to her to joining the competition team at her studio. Veronica began teaching dance in high school and now has 15+ years of experience as a dance educator. Teaching dance led Veronica down a path of movement education completing several fitness certifications and being comprehensively certified as a Pilates instructor now for nearly 10 years before applying to PT school. Veronica completed a sports-medicine rotation with a performing arts specialist clinicalinstructor and has a passion for treating and cross-training the dancer.
Michelle Dwarika
Dance Psychology Researcher
BA and MA in teatre and performance arts (University of Oslo, Norway). MAS in Dance Science (University Bern, Switzerland). Since 2022: PhD in Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation sciences, specializing in sport/ dance psychology at the University of Birmingham (UK). Specialising in mental health and mental skills training in dance. Born in Basel, Switzerland. Upon graduating from my masters in theatre and performance arts, I worked as an educator in different schools in and around Oslo. After my master in dance science I worked as a research assistant, program coordinator and guest lecturer at the Oslo National Academy of the Arts. Now, I am livng in Birmingham (UK) to pursue my Phd.
GingerAnn Neslund, PT, DPT
PT, Professional Dancer, Dance Educator
Ginger is a professional dancer and physical therapist and CEO of Divergent Physical Therapy & Wellness, LLC. She helps dancers and dance educators level-up their technique and sustain long-lasting careers through one-on-one trainings, workshops, movement classes, and injury and pointe readiness screenings.
- BFA Dance- University of Michigan (2012)
- BFA Dance- University of Michigan (2012)
- BS Movement Science- University of Michigan (2012)
- Doctorate of Physical Therapy- University of Michigan, Flint (2015)
- MA in Teaching Artistry (Dance)- Wayne State University (candidate)
Certifications:
- Dry Needling for the Upper Extremity, Head, Neck, and Face (American Academy of Manipulative -Therapy)
- Vestibular Rehab Certified (Medbridge)
Nik Kleemann
Energy Strategist Coach
As an "Energy Strategist for High Performers", Nik stands for change through movement, energy state management and focus. His passion is to inspire other people to bring their glow into the world. To this end, he provides strategies and tools to help people in business, sport and life to tap into their energy, level it up and achieve lasting change. Contributing as a mentor to numerous competitive athletes in the fields of athletics, health and mindset for many years, active in competitive sports himself for over 15 years, World Championship and European Championship finalist and multiple runner-up in dancing
- Former Latin- and Ballroom Competitive Dancer, internationally and nationally
- World Championship finalist and European Championship finalist in Latin Formation Dancesport
- Over 15 years of active dance experience and more than 10 years of teaching, training and coaching dancers and dancesport athletes
- Nationally Certified Dancesport Trainer
- Athletic and Mental Coach of Austrian Breaking Nationalteam and some dancers across different styles
- Dance Mentoring 1:1 --> Athletic and Mental Training, Training Structure & Planning, Mindset and Goal Setting, and many more. With this Mentoring Program I want to provide, what I never had in my own career, a safe space for competitive and show dancers, who are passionate to unleash their full potential and to become high performers in their field.
- A guade Mischung - Podcast (german): - https://open.spotify.com/show/2nxd81wS1pFxsLzvrIv1yI?si=542ff8cd810e4ac1
Kirsten Kemp
Mindset Coach for Dancers
Kirsten Kemp is a former full-time professional ballet dancer turned High-Performance Mindset Coach for dancers, International Speaker, and Founder of The Confident Dancer specializing in helping dancers break through the mental blocks that have been holding them back and build a confident mindset that allows them to feel and perform their best consistently. On top of serving 200+ clients globally, including soloists and principals in top ballet companies and YAGP finalists, she's also the host of The Confident Dancer YouTube channel and podcast, a show with 21k+ subscribers and counting. As a speaker, she's also had the honor of speaking to groups of dancers at top institutions such as Miami City Ballet School, Estonian National Ballet, University of Utah's School of Dance, Texas Ballet Theater School, and many others. I used to dance professionally (trained at Houston Ballet, graduated with a BFA in Ballet and Minor in Business from the University of Utah, and then danced professionally with Oklahoma City Ballet). I now have my own coaching practice as a High-Performance Mindset Coach for dancers. My specialty as a coach is helping dancers (especially competitive, pre-pro, or professional dancers) overcome the mental blocks that are negatively affecting their performance and build a mindset that allows them to confidently and consistently perform to their fullest potential.
Challenges I help dancers overcome include:
- self-doubt
- perfectionism/ intense self-criticism
- performance anxiety
- low self-confidence
- trouble believing in themselves/their abilities
- comparison
- overthinking and losing focus
- and more
- mental blocks around particular steps
In addition to offering 1:1 coaching, I also speak to groups of dancers about how to overcome these challenges and have had the pleasure of speaking at many top institutions such as Miami City Ballet School, Texas Ballet Theater, Estonian National Ballet, The University of Utah, University of Oklahoma, University of Texas, and more.
Megan Richardson
Acupuncturist & Athletic Trainer
Megan Richardson is an acupuncturist and an athletic trainer who specializes in manual therapy and functional training. Trained in advanced cosmetic facial acupuncture & microneedling, sports & orthopedic acupuncture, dry needling trigger point therapy, and traditional Chinese medicine. For the past 20+ years she has provided backstage coverage to numerous dance companies and Broadway shows and has presented on issues related to athlete's and dancer's health and rehabilitation both nationally and internationally. Megan has served on the Board of Directors of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science. She has worked at the world renowned NYU Harkness Center for Dance Injuries as a clinician, researcher and administrator and founded their acupuncture program. Megan has had the pleasure to work with the companies and performers from: Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Ballet Hispanico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Momix, Martha Graham Dance Company, SUNY Purchase College, Hamilton, Wicked, The Public Theater, Park Avenue Armory, and many more.
Cindy Ambridge
Dance & Consent Specialist
As a former professional dancer turned educator, I have woven my passion for movement with the science behind yoga philosophy, aiming to impact dancers both on and off the stage. My journey began in the world of dance, where I experienced firsthand the demands of the industry as a professional dancer. However, it was through my exploration of fusing some yoga philosophy, safe dance, dance science and well-being, I have seen a way I can enhance the process and approach to conditioning for dancers. Recognizing the immense well-being benefits of integrating these practices into dance conditioning, I founded "Class for the Heart." This innovative program not only equips dancers with the physical development needed for performance but most importantly nurtures their holistic development, empowering them to thrive both on and offstage. My expertise has extended beyond traditional dance studios to encompass high school contexts as well. Through masterclasses and workshops, I have shared my insights with aspiring dancers about the importance of consistenly prioritising their mental and emotional well-being. In my pursuit of fostering safe and respectful environments within the performing arts community, I have recently delved into the realm of consent protocols. Drawing on my experience as an intimacy coordinator—referred to as a 'consent coordinator' when working with minors—I have spearheaded initiatives aimed at shifting outdated mindsets prevalent in the industry. Instead of adhering to the notion of "suffering for art" or dismissing concerns as being "difficult to work with," I advocate for a culture centred on mutual respect and understanding of boundaries. In this role I have supported musicals, short films, and television commercials. This is where I also trained to be a mental health first aider. My passion for implementing consent processes within educational settings and private studios is my future direction. I am dedicated to fostering environments where dancers feel empowered to express themselves authentically while ensuring their safety and well-being are paramount.
Contact details
Apply to be on The Dance Science Podcast
Address
7596 Macomb St, Grosse Ile Township, MI 48138
E-MAIL
maria.thedancescientist@gmail.com
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