The team

Location: Denver, CO

Former ballet dancer and integrative pain medicine physician, Linda Bluestein, M.D., specializes in treating dancers with hypermobility disorders and other conditions involving persistent pain.  

In addition to her private practice, Hypermobility MD, Dr. Bluestein is co-host of the podcast, “Bendy Bodies with the Hypermobility MD,” and former co-host of “Hypermobility Happy Hour.” Bluestein is the Director of Education for the nonprofit, EDS Wellness, Inc. and founder and executive director of Bendy-Bodies.org. 

She has published a number of original research papers; presents work at national and international conferences, and is a contributing author for the book, Disjointed - Navigating the Diagnosis and Management of Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders,

Dr. Bluestein is a member of the International Consortium on EDS and HSD, Allergy and Immunology Working Group; IADMS, Promotion Committee; and the Resources Committee for the Dance Healthy Alliance of Canada. 

Location: London, UK

Jasmine is an Accredited Nutritionist and Sports Dietitian on the UK Sport and Exercise Nutrition Register (SENr) focusing on dance. She has worked across the dance field for over 25 years. She is nutrition consultant for the Dance UK Information Nutrition for Dancers and is co-author of the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) updated Nutrition Resource Paper (2016), as well as  the Nutrition chapters in a number of dancer health books. She has presented at the IADMS annual conference regularly. She completed a MRes in Sport and Exercise Science (with distinction) in 2018, her research project was with Irish dancers. Away from dance she has contributed to medical and dietetic textbooks and continues working clinically mainly with those suffering from eating disorders.  

 Location:  Chandler, AZ

Jennifer DePaola is originally from Burr Ridge, Illinois, and has been dancing since she was 2. Her training started with ballet and tap and she grew to love all styles of dance, especially jazz and hip hop. Her formal training includes Plumb Dance Studio under the direction of Sheila and Lisa Plumb and Judi and Brian Friedman at The Dance Source in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was unable to pursue her dance career due to undiagnosed back pain from multiple Specialists. Many years later this would be the passion behind creating a company called Doctors For Dancers in 2019 which helps dancers find Dance Specialists when they need care. 

With over 30 years of dance background, she understands the dance community and hopes to provide a great resource for dancers all over the World. Jennifer’s goal is to help bridge the gap between Dance Specialists and the dance community by providing education, resources, and community outreach programs to provide proper care to dancers.

Location: Allentown, PA 

Gayanne is a dancer, physical therapist, author, researcher, and a performing arts medicine specialist.  Gayanne is adjunct faculty for the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University. She is the Director of Dance Wellness, resident physical therapist, and adjunct faculty for Muhlenberg College Department of Theatre and Dance.  Gayanne serves IADMS as the treasurer, on the board of directors, and the executive committee. She is the author of the textbook: Dance Science: Anatomy, Movement Analysis, Conditioning. She is the Editor-in-Chief of the IADMS Bulletin for Dancers and Teachers, has published original peer reviewed research most notably on turnout measurement, and is the author of the hip chapter for the American Physical Therapy Association’s monograph on dance medicine. 

Location:  Livonia, MI

Dr. Karageanes is a primary care sports medicine and performing arts medicine physician, currently Medical

Director of St. Mary Mercy Hospital Elite Sports Medicine and Sports Perfomance (Livonia, MI).

He is on the advisory board of Youth Protection Advocates in Dance, the editorial board of the Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine and is special consultant to the board of the

International Association of Dance Medicine and Science.  

He is a founding member of Athletes and the Arts, and works with Wayne State University Department of Theater and Dance, University of Michigan Dance Department, Madonna University, and ConteXture Dance Company. He has been consultant / lead physician for The Radio City Rockettes, So You Think You Can Dance, and numerous touring shows. 

He was editor-in-chief of Principles of Manual Sports Medicine (2005), and is Past-President of the American Osteopathic Academy of Sports Medicine.

 Location: Orange, CA  

Robin is an Associate Professor in the Department of Dance at Chapman University. Robin blends her background in dance and science to creative innovative educational programs supporting the development of safe and effective dance training programs. She has presented research and educational lectures for the Performing Arts Medicine Association and the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science. In 2013, she developed the first online dance kinesiology class for the National Dance Education Organization. She has co-authored two books The Embodied Dancer: A Guide to Optimal Performance and the second edition of Dancing Longer Dancing Stronger: A Dancer’s Guide to Improving Technique and Preventing Injury. Robin is passionate about education and empowering students to find their path in life.  

 Location: Montréal, Québec 

Jo-Anne La Flèche is a clinical and performance psychologist, with an MA in Dance and graduate studies in Somatics. Apart from her clinical practice, she gives dance-therapy workshops on self-esteem and embodiment to dancers and non-dancers. 

She works as resident psychologist at L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec, a pre professional dance school in Montréal: she teaches performance psychology and dance psycho-pedagogy, and provides counseling to students in need. She gives workshops and lectures on performance psychology and dancer mental health to the dance community at the international level. She has written several articles and informational papers, and is a consultant for Dance Magazine and Dance Teacher Magazine.

Ms. La Flèche is a member of the Performing Arts Medicine Association (PAMA) and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). She takes part in the following working groups devoted to dancer health: Dance/USA Task Force on Dancer Health, Personal Safety for Dance (PSD) and IADMS Advisory Group on Mental Health. She is Past President of Healthy Dancer Canada (2021-2022).

Location:  Columbia, SC 

Caroline Lewis-Jones from South Carolina, has been dancing for over 35 years. She is a mom, married, and is a certified Holistic Health Coach through IIN. Her focus is Plant Based Lifestyle coaching. At the age of 18 she moved to New York City where she performed for six years. Her credits include the VMA’s with NSYNC, the Latin Grammy Awards, many Commercials, Disney Industrials, Britany Spears and Madonna “Me Against the Music” video, MTV’s Body Rock Fitness Video, and more. 

Her true passion lies within contemporary company work, where she had the opportunity to work for Mia Michaels Company R.A.W, Sonya Tayeh, Parsons Project, Dee Caspary’s IV Dance Company, Notario Dance Company, Rhapsody and Company, Soul Escape. She also choreographs for studios around the country, and has taught for Adrenaline Dance Convention for 12 years and The Dance Sessions. 

Caroline has a deep passion for inspiring healthy living and educating dancers on performance, longevity, and protection. 15 years ago she joined a community called Health Made Simple and partnered with a company called Juice Plus. Her motto is if you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?

Location:  Laclede Idaho, ID

Teri currently resides in Idaho. She is one of the Executive Directors of the National Dance Coaches Association (NDCA), which works to educate, inspire and advocate for dance coaches of all levels. Seeing the need for dance specific safety training, Teri developed the NDCA Dance Safety Credential program, which has various levels to certify dance coaches in safety, injury prevention and risk management. 

During her 30 year teaching, coaching and adjudicating career, Teri served in various positions of leadership with multiple dance organizations. She served as the Safety Technical Director for many years in Washington state. As a clinician and rules Interpreter for the NFHS and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), she developed the “WIAA Lift

Curriculum”, which certifies dance coaches in lifts and acro.

Teri was inducted in to the NDCA Hall of Fame in 2019 and the Washington State Dance/Drill Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2012. Although semi-retired, she continues to work as a

private consultant, speaker/presenter both nationally and internationally.

Location: Athens, OH 

Dr. Jeff Russell is Associate Professor of Athletic Training and Director of Science and Health in Artistic Performance (SHAPe) at Ohio University. SHAPe comprises three components of performing arts medicine: clinical care of injured performing artists, applied research in the medical aspects of performing arts, and education of both artists and healthcare workers. Russell earned his PhD in Dance Medicine and Science from the University of Wolverhampton in England. He is a Fellow of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science (FIADMS) and a member of the Research Advisory Group of Cirque du Soleil. Jeff is also on the Board of Directors for the Performing Arts Medicine Association.

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Katie Schaar has nearly 2 decades of experience as a Los Angeles-based dancer, choreographer, & dance teacher. Credits include Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, the American Music Awards, MTV VMA’s, the BRIT Awards, the Grammy’s, films The Muppets and Rock of Ages, the 2015 Super Bowl Halftime Show, and world tours for P!NK, Katy Perry & Taylor Swift. She has a BA from Loyola Marymount University, where she studied Communications Studies and Dance. Katie co-created Sugarfoot Therapy, a physical therapy-based conditioning & injury prevention program for dancers; and she is the founder and Director of Operations at MOTI Physiotherapy in LA.