Karen Berry is the Head of Teacher Training at The Royal Ballet School.
Reading Karen Berry’s “The Evolution of Ballet Training: Considering What’s Beyond Early Specialisation” felt like a quiet affirmation of what many of us in dance health and education have been sensing for years, and continues to affirm our work at DANCE|PREHAB when working with youth and adolescent dancers. The way she writes about the evolution of training, not as a rejection of tradition but as a responsibility to the dancers of today, echoes much of what we have been implementing here at DANCE|PREHAB.
Providing growing dancers with a wide variety of movement has always been a part of our approach here at DANCE|PREHAB:
In our physical therapy work at DANCE|PREHAB, acknowledging human changes is a non-negotiable. We are lucky to work with dancers who have high professional aspirations, and saying that we work holistically means we also see how the human is developing behind the dancer.
Developing baseline strength can certainly help dance, but when we talk about movement qualities like coordination, balance, agility – these are qualities that we’ll continue to find in day to day needs, from now until later years.
All of these qualities are built into our warm-ups, our classes, and teacher/student education to help build long term health foundations.
For me, this captures what so many of our conversations with dancers, parents, and educators have quietly circled around. The recognition that “more” is not always “better.” That volume and repetition do not guarantee growth.
There is a wide body of work in the sport science world that dance would certainly benefit from, which is why we incorporate tools to help dancers understand the nuanced differences in training approaches (eg. training tendons is very different from training muscles). These tools also elevate and give specific insight into assessments so we treat and rehab dancers like the athletes they are.
In the dancer-centered ecosystem we often speak about, parents, teachers, health professionals, and dancers all share responsibility for how growth unfolds. Each person holds a different perspective, and together we form the environment that shapes a dancer’s experience. Parents naturally want to give their children every chance to succeed. Teachers want to see their students thrive. As health professionals, we want to know you we can collaboratively create sustainability.
We also know there are power dynamics within this system. There is a quiet pressure that can build around opportunity, progress, and the idea of being ready at the right time. Many families feel the fear of missing out or falling behind. These feelings are valid, and acknowledging them helps us move toward healthier decisions for the dancer in front of us.
At DANCE|PREHAB, we have learned that the most lasting change often comes not from intensity but from understanding. Understanding the body, the nervous system, and the individual sitting in front of us. When we talk about healing, it is not just a plan for getting back on stage. It is a way of providing a movement experience that encourages the dancer to listen, adapt, and move with awareness with the long game in mind, for dance and for life.
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