Hamstrings
The trouble with hamstrings… It’s the age old story… you have worked hard on your stretching, you feel that you are finally getting somewhere, when
Visualisation
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” Images are powerful. We see them everywhere – on T.V. advertising, in magazines, on the sides of buses,
Hips, Hypermobility And Helpful Hints
Hip injuries account up to 17% of musculoskeletal dance injuries (Trentacosta et al. 2017), second only to foot and ankle injuries. The majority of hip
Practice For Progress
Tip from Simone Goldsmith The more work you put in before the big day, whether it be an exam or a performance, the more confident
Fight Versus Flow
By Josef Brown Working smarter, not harder I responded recently to a post on a teachers Facebook page that had suggested that every dancer needs
Dealing With Performance Nerves
Tip from Simone Goldsmith Feeling anxious of nervous before a performance is absolutely normal, it is just the adrenalin running through your body in excitement
Controlling Hyperextension
Lesson One: Hyperextended knees& how to control them. Here’s the deal: the term ‘flexibility’ refers to muscles while the term ‘hypermobility’ refers to ligaments. Muscles and ligaments are two distinct
Intrinsic Muscles Of The Feet
Training the foot muscles is as important as developing the muscles in the rest of a dancer’s body. Well-developed feet are important for all dancers,
How To Approach Auditions
Tip from Simone Goldsmith Auditions are a very important part of a dancers’ life, at an audition dancers need to show versatility, technical skill and
Dancing Through Pain
“Pain has an important function” Pain is the body’s way to force you to pay attention to something that is not right, something that is
Heal Yourself And Move Series
Heal Yourself and Move A former dancer with Queensland Ballet, with experience as a strength and conditioning coach for The Australian Ballet School, Zac has
Top Tips For Winter
OUR TOP 4 TIPS FOR STAYING HEALTHY THROUGH WINTER Eat balanced meals While reaching for a sugary quick-fix is tempting – and might provide a
Nutrition Tips With Juliet ♥
MDM Muse, Juliet Doherty shares her healthy tips for foods to eat before and after rehearsals. Enjoy! ♥
Posterior Ankle Pain
Pain at the back of the ankle is one of the most common complaints I see in dancers. The position of full plantar flexion (plantar
Exploring Flexibility With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Four: Exploring Flexibility In this episode Lisa Howell discusses flexibility issues and how each person’s individual restrictions alter the way
Stress, Dance And The Body
Talk to anyone and you will be hard pressed to find someone who does not think their life is, to some extent, stressful. We live
Foot Stretching With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode One: Foot Stretching Lately there has been a lot of discussion about foot stretchers and whether dancers should use them
Exercises To Strengthen The Upper Body
Exercises to strengthen the upper body by Haydee Ferguson This exercise is aimed at helping you find and strengthen some of your rotator cuff muscles
Working On Your Knees With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Three: Knee Safety In this episode, Lisa Howell explains why it is so important to be conscientious when it comes
Upper Body Strength In Dancers
What is the most common correction that you get in ballet class or on your competition critique? Chances are, it has something to do with
Juliet’s Vegan Recipes ♥ Quick & Easy Plant Powered Breakfast
Our MDM Muse, Juliet Doherty shares another favourite vegan recipe with us ♥
Pointing Into A Theraband With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Two: Therabands Therabands are commonly used around ballet schools; In this video, Lisa Howell explains what to be aware of
Finding Your Turnout With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Five: Finding your turnout In this episode, Lisa Howell discusses how muscle tightness could actually be restricting your range when
Releasing Your Psoas With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Six: Releasing your psoas. In this episode, Lisa explains the most effective ways of releasing your psoas and addresses some
How To Work With Hyperextension With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Seven: Hyperextension In this episode, Lisa explains how to work with hyperextension, and the risks of pushing back in to
How To Improve Your Pointe With Lisa Howell
Training with Lisa Howell Episode Eight: How to improve your pointe In this episode, Lisa Howell talks about why you should resist walking overly turned
Juliet’s Vegan Recipes ♥ My Favourite Vegan Chilli
Our MDM Muse, Juliet Doherty shares one of her favourite vegan recipes with us ♥ You’re welcome to print this off and stick up on
Mind Body Dancer®
Have you heard about this progressive approach to health and wellbeing for the dance community? We think it should be a requirement at all major
The Value Of Dance – A Parents Perspective
THE VALUE OF DANCE From a dance parent… One of my friends asked “Why do you pay so much money and spend so much time
For The Love Of Competition
“The winner takes it all. The loser standing small. Beside the victory. That’s her destiny.” ABBA (from the song, The Winner Takes It All) And
Thank You
“Someday you’ll look back and understand why it all happened the way it did…” Dear Ms. Sam I can’t express to you how truly grateful
Past, Present, Future
When considering revolutions in footwear for dance it would be difficult not to hail the early work of Marie Anne de Cupuis de Camargo, known simply
Dancing To Elevate Your Self Esteem
Dancing to Elevate your Self Esteem From the youngest dancers to professional company members, dance practice is built on a system of challenge, correction and
Wisdom From A Dance
VALUE OF DANCE What a ride! After 19 years of ballet shoes, tap shoes, jazz shoes, chorus shoes, pointe shoes, hair pins, stockings, ladders, make
The Dancers Paradox
By Josef Brown How many times have you heard a dancer say what they most love about dancing is that they, ‘feel free’ or that
Dancing Through Your High School Years
A Dancer’s Work Ethic for Success in High School Entering high school can be a difficult and stressful transition for most of us. You will
Your Ideal Performance Shoe
A thought experiment. With all we now know about materials, technique training, the importance of injury prevention, the science of anatomy and physiology, comfort and
Following The Inspiration
By Josef Brown The benefits of positive male role models in the classroom “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire
Are Dancers Athletes?
Are Dancers Athletes? I didn’t grow up in dance. Not starting until I was almost 16, I grew up instead immersed in the common language
What They’re Learning
“A teacher affects eternity: they can never tell where their influence stops.” Henry Adams At MDM we know how much you and your child invest
To Teach Or Not To Teach
A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary – Thomas Carruthers What qualities and attributes make for a good dance
Traditions We Love
By Josef Brown Traditions we love. and the questions we need to ask. Merde and whistling while you work. For as long as I’ve been a
The Stretch Ballet Shoe
“Not all stretch shoes are created equal” – MDM Dancewear The stretch ballet shoe is all the rage and why not. It’s easy to fit
Dance In Competitions
With competition season well upon us, a kind reminder that it’s not the result, but the process of such performances that will enhance your experience.
Why Boys Must Dance
By Josef Brown “I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as it it were a
“This unique and innovatively designed shoe gives an aesthetically pleasing line and is an ideal shoe for a young dancer’s “growing” foot. It provides anatomical support while improving alignment of the lower leg.”
Janne Blanch, Teacher of Ballet & Allied Studies VCASS.
