Some people might think it’s beneficial to love the profession you choose for the rest of your life. Through Marquette’s Dance Medicine Journal Club, students in the medical field have found ways to learn about how their passion for dance can apply to their careers in medicine.

Dance medicine studies the motions associated with dance. The way dancers move is different from the injuries that develop in other sports, since the movements can be complicated.

In their meetings, the members will come prepared to talk about a scholarly journal article related to dance medicine. Amanda Krahn, a doctorate of physical therapy student said they get these articles from the from the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. 

Christopher Geiser, a clinical associate professor and program director of athletic training, sits in on the meetings to help students understand the material. 

Geiser was formerly employed by the Milwaukee ballet. Geiser said gives a good perspective to the members of the club and allows them to make connections to the professional world of dance.

Krahn said that if members aren’t sure if they want to pursue a career in dance medicine, this perspective can help them get a better idea.

“We send out an article or video about anything from dance as medicine to a case study about dancers and the lasting psychological effects of dance on dancers. We then break down the information into smaller pieces and dive into what it means to be a current/former dancer in the world of medicine,” Francesca Young, a junior in the College of Health Sciences, said.

The journal articles they choose could be about new technology or prominent research in the world of dance medicine.

The DMJC members range from first-year undergraduate students to members of doctorate programs. Some members are involved in Dance Inc. and Pure Dance at Marquette. 

“We’re all coming from different backgrounds of what we know so far, but it’s still fun to pull out what we’ve learned and apply it to the medical journals” AnnMarie Roscoe, a junior in the College of Health Sciences and a member of Dance Inc, said.

For some of the members, DMJC gives them direct knowledge into their dream career, so they can go into their jobs already knowing valuable information. 

 “My dream since entering college was to be a dance medicine physical therapist” Krahn said. She said this club has helped her gain more experience for her future career in this field.

Even if members aren’t looking to work in dance medicine, this club still helps them in their studies.

Before college, members of the club have been involved in performance dance companies and competitive teams throughout their lives. 

“I can take something I used to do and still love, and connect that and use examples in my brain to apply it to what I’m learning. This helps me with tests and understanding material,” Roscoe said.

Young joined DMJC because she wanted to relate her prior knowledge of dance to the information she was learning in class.

DMJC isn’t named an official club yet, but they’re hoping to obtain that status in the coming semester. 

“This semester we are going to try to build the club and the members. The hardest part is finding specific individuals interested in the rehabilitation side of dance medicine since it’s such a niche group of students” Krahn said.

They’ve recently done study sessions at the library to help each other prepare for important tests and they’ve organized some team bonding activities.

“Anyone who is a future healthcare professional and/or used to be or still is a dancer is encouraged to join,” Young said.

This story was written by Sophia Tiedge. She can be reached at [email protected]