Post-Hire Health Screen for Professional Dancers

Dance/USA’s Managers Council requested that the Task Force on Dancer Health explore and make recommendations on preventing injury and illness in professional dance.  After a series of meetings, the screening project was piloted in winter 2005 with four companies participating.  Since that time, the screen has been evolving and over 30 companies across the USA and Canada are participating. 

• The Primary Purposes of the screening should be mandatory and are: 
  • To detect potentially life-threatening or disabling medical or musculoskeletal conditions that may limit a dancer’s safe participation. 
  • To detect medical or musculoskeletal conditions that may predispose dancers to injury and/or illness during their season. 
    
    
• The Secondary Purposes of the screening are essential and are: 
  • To determine the general health of the dancers 
  • To assess the fitness level of the dancers 
  • To counsel the dancers and make recommendations based on the screening information. 
  • To use a standardized screening tool and associated protocols to assess dancer health. 
  • To introduce new dancers to the company’s health care team and the health resources available to them.

The information collected is private, confidential and treated like a medical record so therefore, is protected by law, including Federal HIPAA regulations. 

There are strict guidelines that instruct the health care practitioner in how to correctly conduct the screen, how to keep the information protected and how to properly store the data. The screening form and guidelines are reviewed and updated every year. 

Learn more about the Screening Project.

View information for health care providers who want to participate.