Elon Dance Program

Last weekend, some of our faculty, students, and alumni presented research at the IADMS conference. It was an incredible opportunity to engage with members of the dance medicine/science community and attend multiple research presentations given by people from around the world!

Many thanks to our partners in the Elon Doctor of Physical Therapy program for hosting our Dance Science majors, giving us a tour of the facilities, and answering questions about their amazing DPT program! #physicaltherapy #dancescience @elonpt

Happy World Physical Therapy Day! We have several alums who are physical therapists. Thank you for all you do to treat and educate your patients! #WorldPhysicalTherapyDay #PhysicalTherapy #DanceScience

Had a fantastic day today at @gangesvalleyhyd school in Hyderabad, India talking about #biomechanics as part of @BiomechanicsDay in collaboration with @VineetVashista & his PhD student Yogesh & team from @iitgn! @elonpt @elonuniversity @ElonBiomechLab @ElonDance @elonexercisesci

Pilates Day is celebrated on the 1st Saturday of May each year. We celebrated this week with a "Pilates Goes Pop" class and an open house in our Needham Pilates Studio. Enjoy photos of our students engaged in the mind-body practice over the years. Happy International Pilates Day!

March 20th is the International Day of Happiness! The 2023 theme is "Be Mindful. Be Grateful. Be Kind." Wishing you happiness today and always. Pictured: Senior B.S. & B.F.A. majors #InternationalDayOfHappiness

"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right." Today we honor the life and legacy of the great leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We must remember to work to keep his dream alive throughout the year. Photo: Howard Sochurek/Getty Images

January 9 is International Choreographers Day! It's a day of celebration and appreciation for choreographers around the globe. We highlight our senior Dance Performance & Choreography majors who will produce new choreographic work in their capstone course. Happy choreographing!

Last fall, Prof. Kearns presented somatic research & led a workshop at WiSDM conference (NC). Taught a somatic dance workshop at Dance Ireland (Dublin) & Pilates workshop at IADMS conference (Limerick). She presented site-specific research at The Forum on Education Abroad (Milan)

Latest research from #JDMS found that arts and other community-engaged programs that are participant-empowering, fun, and free for participants can positively affect physical and cognitive health in older adults: ow.ly/KxXM50M1tON

Happy New Year! Today is the first day of winter term. Let’s look back at some great moments of 2022. Enjoy! @ElonPerfArts @ElonRecWell @elonexercisesci @ElonBiomechLab @elonartsadmin

Tonight marks the first performance of the @elondance Fall Dance Concert. For more on the concert and show times, click here: elonnewsnetwork.com/article/2022/1…

Choreographer Spotlight-Maurice Watson: I want the audience to feel the cool, smooth, and groovy sounds of contemporary jazz music. Witness the individuality of each dancer separately but notice how no one’s light is dimmed from being a part of our social community.

Choreographer Spotlight-Sara Ruth Tourek

Choreographer Spotlight-Maya Simmons: I wanted to use the space between and around the dancers extensively to explore relationships and express how perspective changes everything. We are often unaware of those around us and the effect we have on each other.

Choreographer Spotlight-Kayla Spalding: With my dancers, I was able to explore not just one relationship, but the complex reality of numerous relationships one can experience. From there, my piece evolved further to explore the idea of perception and its internal effects of it.

Choreographer Spotlight-Alexandra Warren: The inspiration for my piece is “searching and making space for the light.”

Choreographer Spotlight-Lilly Beaver: I hope the audience leaves with a sense of empathy, compassion, humility, peace, and acceptance as they witness the stages of grief through my eyes. I aspire to end the silence and stigma surrounding loss by bringing awareness to this issue.

Choreographer Spotlight-Courtney Liu: Being in the studio with the dancers inspired me to create new sections, invert old sections, adjust to suit the dancers' strengths, and incorporate the many ideas around the themes of Crystal Roots we shared.

Our majors & faculty attended the Winston-Salem Dance Medicine Conference. They observed dance science/medicine presentations by dance educators, physicians, physical therapists & medical professionals. They also attended a conversation with keynote, Misty Copeland! #WiSDM22