PT's and Performing Artists

Performing Arts Physical therapy geared specifically toward performing artists has been on the rise over the last decade. Some of the most rewarding of this work is accomplished not on the stage or among the bright lights of Broadway, but behind the scenes and in the classroom.

Traditions of performance and training in the arts have been established over hundreds of years, creating an idealized set of aesthetics that has been generations in the making. Take the institution of ballet, for example. The earliest recorded performances date back to renaissance Italy circa 1480, but it was France's "Sun King" Louis XIV who popularized the form; indeed, the moniker "Sun King" was derived from his role in a ballet. Louis opened the first school for professional study in 1661, but it wasn't until nearly 200 years later that modern pointe technique was first seen in the ballet La Sylphide in 1832. Today, much of the original choreography of La Sylphide continues to be emulated in modern interpretation.

This history illustrates how the training demands of disciplines such as ballet have established and respected ideals. A performer's devotion to those criteria is not likely to change just because he or she is told by a PT that a certain technique threatens his or her physical well being. However, PTs can help teach performers how to maximize their potential and manage their musculoskeletal health.

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