Jenna Kantor, New York, NY (2026)

09/22/2026

🩰✨ The Dancer’s Foundation — Why the Ankle Deserves More Attention

In dance, every movement begins and ends at the ankle. Yet, these powerful little joints are often the most overworked and undertrained part of a dancer’s body.

This week on The Dance PT Podcast, host Jenna Kantor, PT, DPT, Dance PT Certified, dives into what makes dancer ankles unique—and how YOU as a clinician can help strengthen, stabilize, and protect them for the long run.

🎙️ Tune in to learn:
✅ The top evidence-based exercises to build ankle strength and control
✅ Imaging insights: when to use MRI vs. ultrasound
✅ How to blend flexibility + stability for performance, not just injury prevention
✅ Key cues and training tips you can apply right away in the clinic

💡 Dancer ankle strength isn’t just about preventing sprains—it’s about unlocking control, artistry, and performance longevity.

👇 Join the Dance Physical Therapists Facebook Group to connect with other PTs/PTAs treating dancers, and explore the Dance PT Program CEU Course at danceptprogram.com
to level up your clinical and marketing game.

09/20/2026

🎯🩰 Spotting: The Brain–Body Secret to Better Turns

Want better balance, control, and confidence in turns?
It starts with spotting.

Spotting isn’t just a dance tradition—it’s a powerful neurological strategy. By fixing your eyes on one clear point, your brain stays oriented, helping regulate balance, coordination, and control—especially when vestibular or neck issues are in play.

👀 How it works:
• Pick a clear spot on the wall
• Keep your eyes locked on it as long as possible
• Turn your head last
• Find that same spot again immediately

This visual anchor helps the brain stay organized during rotation, improving stability and performance—whether you’re training pirouettes or rehabbing dizziness, neck tension, or balance challenges.

💡 Great for:
• Dancers refining turns
• Trainers working on balance or vestibular control
• Rehab situations where the brain needs clearer input

Clear focus = clearer movement.

09/15/2026

💃 Flexibility Isn’t Just About Splits — It’s About Longevity.

We love seeing that gorgeous extension or perfect penché, but here’s the truth: flexibility is so much more than range. For dancers, it’s a key piece of injury prevention, performance optimization, and career sustainability.

In the latest episode of The Dance PT Podcast, I break down what true flexibility means for dancers—from a clinical and evidence-based perspective.

🩰 We’ll dive into:
✨ Why “tightness” is often a symptom, not the cause
✨ How to identify when flexibility helps—or hinders—performance
✨ The relationship between flexibility, neuromuscular control, and strength
✨ Practical treatment ideas for flexibility training in the clinic
✨ When (and why) imaging matters in flexibility-related injuries

The research is clear: flexibility training reduces injury risk when paired with strength and control work (Behm et al., BJSM, 2018).
But as dance PTs, we have to go beyond static stretches and think functionally—eccentric control, loaded ranges, and dancer-specific conditioning.

🎧 Tune in now to The Dance PT Podcast for evidence-based insight that you can use immediately in the clinic.

Let’s help our dancers move with freedom, control, and confidence—because flexibility should empower, not endanger, their performance.

👇 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!
Spotify | Apple Podcasts | SoundCloud

💬 Join the Dance Physical Therapists Facebook Group to connect with other PTs/PTAs who treat dancers.
📚 Want to go deeper? Check out the Dance PT Program CEU Course at danceptprogram.com

09/13/2026

🪞🧠 Mirror Therapy: A Powerful Tool for Dancers in Pain

What can a dancer do at home to keep healing moving forward?
✨ Mirror therapy.

This simple but powerful pain science tool helps dancers:
• Reduce pain perception
• Keep the injured brain area “sharp”
• Promote healing when movement is limited
• Build long-term independence

By placing a mirror to reflect the unaffected side, the brain perceives movement on the injured side—even when it’s not moving yet. 👀
Heel raises, ankle motion, knee or shoulder work… the brain starts to believe: “This side is okay.”

💡 Why it works:
• The brain sees safe, pain-free movement
• Threat levels drop
• Pain decreases
• Recovery signals turn on

Even more powerful?
Seeing no bruising, scars, or damage in the mirror reinforces safety to the brain—another win for pain reduction.

This is pain science in action: empowering dancers to participate in their own recovery while protecting performance and confidence.

🩰 Less fear. More control. Smarter healing.

09/08/2026

🩰💪 The Performer’s Elbow: Why This Injury Matters 💪🩰

Dancers and other performers rely on their elbows for everything from lifts and weight-bearing floor work to intricate hand gestures. But did you know that an elbow fracture—even a small one—can derail a performer’s career if not recognized and managed properly?

In this episode of the Dance PT Podcast, I break down:
✅ What an elbow fracture is and how it affects dancers
✅ Key signs and symptoms to watch for
✅ How physical therapy supports recovery from immobilization to return-to-performance
✅ Practical strategies to prevent future elbow injuries

If you’re a PT or PTA working with dancers, this episode is packed with evidence-based insights, clinical tips, and practical tools to help your performers get back on stage safely.

🎧 Listen now and learn how to guide dancers through safe recovery and performance-ready return: [insert podcast link]

💬 Connect with fellow dance PTs and PTAs in the Dance PT Facebook Group for discussions, case studies, and clinical support.
✨ Interested in deepening your skills? Explore the Dance PT Program CEU Course at danceptprogram.com

09/06/2026

🧠🩰 Pain, Performance & the Dancing Brain

Your brain is constantly monitoring your body during movement—not to limit you, but to protect you. This is part of why pain and performance are so deeply connected in dancers.

Here’s the key shift 🔑
💭 Pain isn’t just about joints or tissues

Pain is modulated by:
• Emotions
• Thoughts
• Knowledge
• Beliefs
• Past experiences

And since the brain drives dance performance, anything that influences the brain influences how you move, perform, and recover.

In dance medicine, this means we must move beyond the outdated mindset of “joint = pain.”
Instead, we look at the whole dancer—brain, body, emotions, and environment—working together.

When we understand how pain is processed, we can train smarter, rehab more effectively, and return to dancing with confidence.

✨ Educate the brain. Empower the dancer. Elevate performance.

09/01/2026

🩰 Knees Under the Spotlight: Understanding Discoid Meniscus in Dancers 🩰

Did you know that some dancers are born with a thicker, saucer-shaped meniscus called a discoid meniscus? While not always symptomatic, this congenital condition can increase the risk of knee pain, catching, or instability — especially during deep pliés, jumps, or quick pivots.

In the latest episode of the Dance PT Podcast, I break down:
✅ What a discoid meniscus is and why it matters for dancers
✅ How to recognize symptoms early
✅ Evidence-based PT strategies for pre-surgery, post-surgery, and ongoing management
✅ Prevention tips to protect knees while dancing

Whether you’re working with professional ballet dancers, contemporary artists, or other performers, this episode is packed with clinical insights to help you support safe, sustainable movement.

🎧 Listen now and take your knowledge to the next level!
And don’t forget to join our Dance PT Facebook Group to connect with fellow PTs/PTAs working with dancers, and check out the Dance PT Program CEU Course at danceptprogram.com
if you want to dive deeper into treating all dancers effectively.

08/30/2026

👀🩰 Vision Matters More Than You Think

As dancers, we often focus on strength, balance, and technique—but vision plays a huge role in how we move through choreography.

You need clear visual awareness for:
• Turns
• Level changes
• Spatial awareness
• Traveling sequences

But here’s what’s often forgotten 👇
🎭 Stage environments aren’t neutral

✨ Lighting changes can affect depth perception
✨ Raked stages (slightly angled floors) can subtly alter balance and orientation
✨ Older or non-traditional stages still exist—and they can throw you off if you’re not visually adapting

If your eyes aren’t taking the environment as it truly is, your body may feel unstable—even if your technique is solid.

Training your vision to adapt to lighting, angles, and space helps your brain and body stay aligned, confident, and responsive.

See the space. Read the stage. Dance smarter.

08/25/2026

💃🩰 Dancers with diabetes face unique challenges — from fatigue and numbness to slower healing and balance issues. But with the right strategies, they can stay strong, agile, and stage-ready.

In this week’s episode of the Dance PT Podcast, I break down:
✅ How diabetes impacts dancers’ energy, coordination, and performance
✅ PT strategies for balance, strength, endurance, and foot care
✅ Practical tips to prevent injuries and manage blood sugar during rehearsals and shows

🎧 Whether you’re a PT, PTA, or student treating dancers, this episode gives evidence-based guidance with real-world clinical insight to help your dancers thrive.

💡 Don’t forget to join the Dance PT Facebook Group to connect with other professionals, and check out the Dance PT Program CEU Course at danceptprogram.com
to deepen your skills.

08/23/2026

🧠🩰 Train the Brain. Protect the Body.

Pain doesn’t just affect the injured area—it can dull the brain’s map of that body part. That’s where laterality training and mirror therapy come in.

These tools help prevent loss of sharpness in the brain, even when a body part needs to rest.

✨ Laterality training can be simple:
• Sit comfortably
• Use a worksheet, booklet, or even a magazine
• Identify and name body parts in pictures
• Flip the image upside down and do it again

That’s it.

Even without moving the injured ankle, elbow, or knee, the brain is being reminded:
👉 “Yes, this body part still exists.”

This kind of brain-based exercise:
• Maintains neural sharpness
• Reduces threat responses
• Supports recovery while tissues rest
• Keeps dancers mentally connected to injured areas

You don’t always have to move to rehab.
Sometimes, training the brain is the movement.

Jenna Kantor

09/22/2026

09/20/2026

09/15/2026

09/13/2026

09/08/2026

09/06/2026

09/01/2026

08/30/2026

08/25/2026

08/23/2026

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