Understanding ACL Injuries in Dancers

Harkness Center for Dance Injuries proudly offers in-person and virtual Harkness Center Saturday Series workshops for the dance community.

Our educational theme for 2026 is BODIES—A deep dive into our anatomy.

Throughout the year, our community programming will focus on functional anatomy through a biopsychosocial lens specific to anyone who identifies as a dancer.

APRIL 2026 WORKSHOP

Topic: Understanding ACL Injuries in Dancers

When: Saturday, April 18, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT

Format: VIRTUAL - this event is on ZOOM only

Description: Our workshop, Understanding ACL Injuries in Dance, will explore the unique demands placed on the knee in dancers and how these demands influence injury risk, treatment decisions, and rehabilitation outcomes. This presentation will review relevant knee anatomy and biomechanics and present an overview of ACL injury epidemiology within the dance population. We will discuss surgical reconstruction options and current rehabilitation processes, with attention to how traditional ACL protocols may differ when applied to dancers. This workshop aims to empower dancers, educators, and clinicians with knowledge to support injury prevention, informed decision making, and safe return to dance.

Instructor: Hailey Calkins is a certified athletic trainer at the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries. Her primary clinical role is serving as the head athletic trainer for Dance Theatre of Harlem, both in New York City and on tour. Prior to working within the performing arts, Hailey worked in winter sports medicine at multiple ski and snowboarding sites, including the US Ski and Snowboard Olympic Training Center and the Snowbird Clinic. There, she gained extensive experience managing high-level ACL injuries. She has published and presented research on variability in ACL reconstruction rehabilitation protocols and is now focused on applying these findings to the dancer population.

UPCOMING SATURDAY SERIES WORKSHOPS

Virtual workshops are marked with (v) and run 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET. All other workshops are in-person and run 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM ET. Registration for each event, once open, can be found at https://linktr.ee/harknesscenterfordanceinjuries.

May 30: Shoulder Anatomy and Function with Lauren McIntyre, LAT, ATC

June 27: The Magic of Muscles with Ella Otto, MS, LAT, ATC

July 25: Hip Anatomy and Function with Lauren McIntyre, LAT, ATC

August 22: Cardiovascular System with Patti Cavaleri, PT, DPT

September 19: Pelvic Floor Anatomy for Dancers with Bridgette Saba, DAT, LAT, ATC

October 24: Menstruation to Menopause Ella Otto, MS, LAT, ATC & Rebecca Kesting, PT, DPT

November 21: Joints for Longevity Glenn De Kler, MS, LAT, ATC

December 12: Balance Across our Lives: Vestibular System (Instructor TBC)

Saturday Series workshops are led by our clinical staff and feature various topics on dancer wellness and injury prevention. All members of the dance community are welcome. Please note whether format is in-person or virtual.

• We strongly encourage participants under 16 years of age to attend with a parent/guardian.
• Liability waiver: for workshops that include movement, participants will be required to sign a liability waiver.
• Refund policy: we cannot provide refunds after the event has taken place.
• Virtual workshops: unless noted, recordings of virtual workshops are not provided, so please plan to attend in real time.
• Questions: Contact Kristen Stevens, program manager, [email protected]

About the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries: NYU Langone's Harkness Center for Dance Injuries (www.DanceInjury.org) is dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of dance professionals through clinical services, education programming, and research. Founded in 1989 through a partnership between the Harkness Foundation for Dance and the Hospital for Joint Diseases (now NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital), the Harkness Center provides care for dancers of all ages, genres, and levels as well as for musicians, actors, figure skaters, aerialists, and more.

In addition to caring for injuries, an integral part of the Harkness Center’s mission is providing education. For the dance community, Harkness offers injury prevention workshops, online courses, and screenings, including its long-running, free Injury Prevention Assessment (IPA) program. For dance medicine professionals, Harkness offers live and online continuing education courses. DanceMedU, the Harkness Center's digital learning platform (www.DanceMedU.org), offers over 20 lectures on dance medicine and dancer health for the dance and healthcare communitities.

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Host or Publisher NYU Langone's Harkness Center for Dance Injuries