About MDMF

The Twin Cities dance community, which is made up of over 300 dance schools, companies and teams, includes dancers of every age, ability, and genre.  These athletes have unique health concerns and injuries, often requiring specialized diagnosis and care. A diverse group of physicians and physical therapists with expertise in the care of dancers recognized a need for a collaborative resource to support ALL dancers to learn to “dance healthy”.  In 2009, led by Brad Moser MD, they formed the Minnesota Dance Medicine Foundation (MDMF).  

MDMF started with programs designed to treat and prevent dancer injuries and have grown to include conferences and seminars, as well as clinical research to further the knowledge in this newly recognized field within Sports Medicine.  MDMF’s programs now include a free monthly clinic for dancers; education for medical professionals on identifying and treating dance injuries; and ongoing support and assessments for local professional dance companies. Since MDMF was founded, we have worked one-on-one with more than 200 dancers from throughout the region; presented 100 seminars and hands-on programs for dancers; and had more than 600 attendees at our conferences.  We have worked with partners including the Cowles Center for Dance, James Sewell Ballet and TU Dance.

MDMF is the only non-profit organization in the state of MN that is dedicated to dance medicine. We know that many dancers aren’t able to connect to dance specialists and we work to make that expertise more accessible. We use the phrase “dance healthy” as the touchstone to inform and guide the programs that we do: does this event help a dancer to learn new skills or techniques to positively impact his or her dance practice?

Minnesota Dance Medicine Foundation is a group of dance medicine professionals dedicated to conducting dance medicine research and education. We are also much more than that. Our members and board are volunteers from all facets of the dance medicine community: medical professionals, parents, dancer educators, dancers, nutritionists, pilates teachers, and retired dancers. You can help us fulfill our mission to make sure that all dancers have access to education and resources to help them dance healthy.  Learn more about how you can get involved and support our mission.