Health and Wellbeing Support for the Dance Sector

Find out about the health and wellbeing services you can access through One Dance UK (previously known as POP)

On stage, in a studio, backstage, or behind a desk, there is support here for you.

Everyone in dance deserves access to high-quality health and wellbeing provision. ​At One Dance UK, we understand the importance of health and wellbeing to sustain careers in dance that last and let you flourish. ​

​Some of the services below are available to everyone, but others are only available to One Dance UK members. ​Find out more about membership, from as little as £20 a year, here.

The support, services, and signposts here may be especially useful for dance professionals and students, who do not have healthcare provided for them by a school or company. 

For everyone

close up of dancer stretching resistant band between hands

Public Healthcare

Public Healthcare for Dancers

Private Healthcare

Private Healthcare for Dancers

For One Dance UK Members

These services can be added on to any One Dance UK membership. We can also support our Organisational Members to provide these add-ons to their dancers, staff or students.

Screenings

Screening is a physical assessment and functional movement evaluation.

Screening can be added on to any One Dance UK membership and is available at 2 different levels, Level 1 or Level 2. 

Level 1 screening includes: 

  • A 30-minute physiotherapy assessment 
  • A 20-minute fitness testing session 
  • A 10-minute feedback session 

Level 2 screening includes: 

  • A 1-hour physiotherapy assessment
  • A 1-hour fitness testing session 
  • A 15-minute feedback session 
  • A written feedback report 
  • A training plan 

(see below for more details)

It is a valuable tool for dancers to improve their training and performance, understand their strengths and areas for development, prevent injuries and support overall well-being.

Become a member and add a Screening

A physical assessment is a range of tests that can assess:​

  • The strength and endurance of your muscles

    Dancers need strength, endurance and power for things like lifts, jumps, and travelling sequences. ​

    These tests will measure: ​

    • Core muscular endurance​

    • Upper body strength and endurance​

    • Lower limb power and endurance

  • Your flexibility and range of motion ​

    These tests look at the flexibility of your muscles and the range of motion at your joints. This includes assessing for possible levels of hypermobility, which is often seen in dancers. ​

  • Aerobic fitness ​

    Aerobic fitness is important for dancers to be able to perform long, high energy choreographies, for example. 

    To test for cardiovascular fitness and aerobic endurance, our experts use a treadmill test that looks at how well your body can sustain exercise over time. This is called a ‘V02 Max’ test andr equires you to wear a face mask and breath analyser.

  • Body Composition 

    This assessment helps you to understand things like your muscle mass and body fat percentage, and their healthy ranges. ​

 

 

A physiotherapist will start by asking about your injury history relating to dance. They will then look at your current movement patterns and check for: ​

  • Weaknesses​

  • Tightness​

  • Muscle imbalances

 This gives a dancer an understanding of factors that could affect their performance.

One Dance UK, in partnership with the National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science (NIDMS), offer Screening in the West Midlands and London. ​

​Screening takes place at the University of Wolverhampton, Walsall Campus, at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and at Queen Mary University of London.

When you buy a One Dance UK membership with the Screening add-on you will be given a link to book your Screening from a list of available dates.

​To add Screening to your current membership contact membership@onedanceuk.org.​

For more information email hdp@onedanceuk.org or call us on 020 7940 9804

Become a member and add a Screening

What to expect at your one-to-one musculoskeletal and fitness screening

You will travel to one of our screening centres in London or the West Midlands, where you will meet with a dance-specialist exercise physiologist and physiotherapist on the following areas

A dance-specialist physiotherapist will investigate previous injury history and evaluate potential risk for future injury. Assessments are designed to uncover weaknesses, tightness, range of motion restrictions and muscular imbalances that may impact your performance and potential for injury. The aim is to provide invaluable information about the body so that steps can be taken to reduce injury risks through specific training.

Dance-specialist physiotherapist sessions are 30 minutes when you book Level 1, and 1 hour when you book Level 2

This assessment helps performers maintain a healthy BMI and body fat percentage in order to optimise performance. 

This assessment is a part of your screening with a dance-specialist exercise physiologist.

Screening sessions are 20 minutes long when you book Level 1, and 1 hour when you book Level 2

Range of motion and muscle flexibility are essential aspects of dance performance. This series of tests focuses on the range of motion and surrounding muscle flexibility in various planes of movement.

This assessment is a part of your screening with a dance-specialist exercise physiologist.

Screening sessions are 20 minutes long when you book Level 1, and 1 hour when you book Level 2

These tests measure core muscular endurance, upper body strength and endurance, lower limb power and lower limb endurance. These elements are important in many dance movements, mainly performing lifts and weight-bearing actions and being able to propel the body through space, such as in jumps or travel sequences.

This assessment is a part of your screening with a dance-specialist exercise physiologist.

Screening sessions are 20 minutes long when you book Level 1, and 1 hour when you book Level 2

You will complete an incremental treadmill test (a standardised measure of aerobic fitness) whilst wearing a Metamax gas analyser to measure your aerobic capacity, providing information on your ability to delay the onset of fatigue, which has been linked to injury.

This assessment is a part of your screening with a dance-specialist exercise physiologist.

This test is a part of Level 2 screening only.

Once the screening has been completed, a one-to-one feedback session will be provided.  This will allow time to discuss the screening results in the context of your training or work and give personalised recommendations for optimising training and performance.  

When you book Level 1 Screening, this is a 10 minute verbal session.

When you book Level 2 Screening, this is a 15 minute verbal session, plus a written report and training plan. 

Screening Level options

Level 1

Only £74.60

Level 1 Screening includes:
  • 20 minute physical assessment ​
  • 30 minute functional movement evaluation ​
  • 10 minute feedback session
Become a member

Level 2

Only £247.60

Level 2 Screening includes
  • 1 hour physical assessment ​
  • 1-hour functional movement evaluation ​
  • 15 minute feedback session​
  • Written feedback report​
  • Training plan
Become a member

Wellbeing Service

 

Unlimited individual support for £25 a year.​

​The Wellbeing Package is provided by BHSF. It is a physical, mental, and financial support service available to One Dance UK members. ​

​It provides around the clock ‘on demand’ access to professional and confidential advice, online, over the phone, and through the app. ​

To add the Wellbeing Package to your current membership, please call us on 0207 7130730. 

Become a member and add the Wellbeing package

Benefits include...

Advice Line

In the moment support and access to structured telephonic counselling for you, your partner, any dependent children over the age of 16 (with parental consent), and any immediate family members residing at the same household address

Mental Health Support

Referral and assessment for short term telephone or face to face counselling, including CBT and EMDR. Access to psychological assessments and complex case support. A 24/7 critical incident telephone support line.

GP Consultations, Prescriptions and Health Advice

24/7 medical, health and wellbeing advice and private GP consultation services with private prescriptions

Support for carers

24/7 counselling support for those with care responsibilities. Access to confidential independent care advice for care givers to those requiring physical, social and mental support

Legal Advice

24/7 telephone access to personal legal information and signposting

Debt & Financial Welfare

24/7 telephone access to enhanced debt and welfare management support

Self Help Resources

Access an online portal and check out a full  range of self-help resources and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) workbooks

Mental Fitness App

Free access to MyMindPal – a mental fitness and support app

Health Cash Plans

Health Cash Plan​ ​

One Dance UK members can benefit from exclusive and discounted access to Health Cash Plans from BHSF. ​

​These plans can help spread out the cost of essential healthcare, such as trips to the dentist, optician or even claim back money on physiotherapy or diagnostic consultations with your chosen dance specialist.​

As a One Dance UK member, we can provide you with an affordable health coverage solution that delivers excellent value from just £7.45 per month (£89.40 per year) and the option to reclaim for up to £825 worth of healthcare.

​You can claim money back on a range of medical expenses, including:​

  • Diagnostic procedures​

  • Physiotherapy

  • Osteopathy

  • Chiropractic

  • Acupuncture​​

  • Homeopathy ​

  • Reflexology ​

  • Chiropody/Podiatry ​​

  • Hearing aids ​

Health cash plans also provide access to ​a 24/7 365 GP helpline and 24/7 counselling as a part of the benefits offered. 

Find out more about the other benefits of the Health Cash Plan here. To buy a health cash plan, first join as a member of One Dance UK. 

Already a One Dance UK member looking to take up a Health Cash Plan? Head to your members' area here.

A white female dancer with tied back black hair is standing on one leg with the other knee bent in front. A female physiotherapist with ginger hair is knelt down behind, her hands placed on the dancer's hips. They are stood in a conditioning studio with gym equipment in the background.