Columbia Alumna Jenna Kantor
We love reconnecting with alumni-and our recent chat with Jenna Kantor was no exception. From her professional dance journey to her passion for physical therapy, Jeanna shared thoughtful insights on injury prevention, rehab for dancers, and the joy she finds in mentoring and teaching.
Were there any specific moments in your dance career where physical therapy played a crucial role in your recovery or performance? When I was in a production of All Shook up in Florida, I was part of the dance ensemble. There was this moment where I was lifted up by my partner, and brought back down to the ground really quickly. One day, he did it very fast and it did something to my foot as soon as it made contact with the ground. I felt this immediate pain and chose to ignore it in order to finish the show. The following day, I was unable to put weight on my foot. After going to the doctor, I learned I had sprained, strained, and bruised bones in my foot and was unable to finish out my contract as a performer with that show. I was never given an access or referred to a physical therapist in the area, so I ended up guessing what I needed to do in order to heal. I felt so much pressure to get better and I was clueless. The absence of physical therapy during this horrific injury helped me understand the value of physical therapy.
What role do you think physical therapy plays in the longevity of a dancer's career? Can you share an experience where physical therapy helped a dancer you've worked with prevent an injury or recover more quickly? Physical therapy can help with preventative and rehab rehabilitative care for the dancer. Last year, one of my dancers was about to begin intense rehearsals for the Nutcracker. She was dealing with Achilles tendinitis that got more irritated in her pointe shoes. The ballet Director was a great collaborator in the process of narrowing down what the dancer needed to participate in and where she could take some rest breaks in her dance schedule. From her evaluation, I discovered habits she had in ballet class and outside of class that were irritating this particular area. I provided exercises that I progressed overtime and the dancer did a great job with following her regiment. Additionally, the ballet director, was made aware of specific dance corrections she needed to emphasize in class to help reduce the habits that were further irritating the Achilles tendon. In the end, the dancer was able to eliminate her pain and performed beautifully in the holiday production.
What advice would you give to current dance students in the program who are considering physical therapy as a career? How can they begin to merge these two fields to help other dancers or athletes in the future? The opportunity to work with dancers is not going to fall in your lap. You are going to have to work and make this happen for yourself. There are some practices that focus solely on treating dancers, but you don't know if they will be the best fit your you for the long term. I highly recommend learning more about business in order to learn how to get dancers in the door, so you can have the career that makes you the happiest.
What has been one of the most rewarding experiences so far in your career that blends both dance and physical therapy? Whether it's working with a dancer to helping someone discover movement again, what experience stands out? My most rewarding experience has been teaching other physical therapist and physical therapist assistance how to treat dancers and get people in the door. Being a mentor through my Dance PT program has been extremely rewarding as it has increased, the amount of people who know how to treat dancers. There are a ton of dance studios and companies of all sizes throughout the United States that still do not have physical therapist they rely on. We need more dance PTs/PTAs!
What do you envision for the future of dancers who also pursue physical therapy or rehabilitative work? Do you see emerging trends or new ways the two
fields can continue to evolve together? If we are just looking at the professional level, there are plenty of companies and productions around the world that don’t consider consulting with a physical therapist for the health of their dancers. With that in mind, there still is a lot of opportunity out there to further collaborate and make working with a physical therapist the norm. That is how we can evolve together.… but don’t count on the opportunities to fall in your lap. You need to do the work to make it happen.
How do you stay motivated and continue to grow in both the dance and PT worlds? Are there certain practices or routines that help you maintain your passion for both? I really love what I do in my private practice where I get to treat performers. To keep myself going, I surround myself with people who are just as passionate about the same thing. We are very supportive of each other and I can call them anytime I am feeling down or need encouragement. The passion never goes away, but the motivation to continue to take action is motivated by the company I keep…and therapy.