Medical

Athletes' Health and Welfare

The mission of the WDSF Medical Commission is to:

• support in a professional and independent way all officials, athletes, and coaches in medical issues of all kind concerning DanceSport
• promote scientific research, injury prevention, and rehabilitation in DanceSport
• promote health education in both prevention and sport specific rehabilitation and recovery strategies

For this mission, the WDSF Medical Commission seeks to build strong cooperation with national sports-medical and dance-medical specialists to pool experience in the field of medicine and dance medicine as effectively as possible, in accordance with the needs of all WDSF Athletes.

Chair


Brigita Domarkaite, MD

Members

• Ineke Crijns MD, NED
• Helena Kruusamäe, PhD, EST
• Prof. Carlo Tranquilli MD, ITA
• Thomas Quinton MD, AUT
• Jana Hradilova MD, SVK

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Statement senior dances music length
• Recommendations sudden cardiac death health screening programs

MEDICAL COMMISSION REPORTS

• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2015
• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2016
• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2017 (page 145-158)
• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2018 (page 90-93)
• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2019
• WDSF Medical Commission report to the AGM 2020 (page 100-114)
• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2021 (page 143-146)
• WDSF Medical Commission Report to the AGM 2022 (page 169-172)
• WDSF Medical Commission report to the AGM 2023 (page 140-143)
• WDSF Medical Commission report to the AGM 2024 (page 129-133)
• WDSF Medical Commission report to the AGM 2025 (page 278-286)
• WDSF Medical Commission report to the AGM 2026 (page 202-220)

• 2024 Mental and physical health
• 2026 Health is more than the Body

SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

Physiology

• Spinal posture in different DanceSport dance styles compared with track and field athletes
• Bone Mineral Density in Elite DanceSport Athletes
• Anthropometry, somatotypes, and aerobic power in ballet, contemporary dance, and dancesport
• Physiological characteristics of elite dancers of different dance styles
• Anthropometry and somatotypes of competitive DanceSport participants: A comparison of three different styles
• Performance and recovery: stress profiles in professional ballroom dancers
• Dance interventions for individuals post-stroke-a scoping review
• Heart Rate and Estimated Energy Expediture During Ballroom Dancing
• Muscle Activation in the Main Muscle Groups of the Lower Limbs in High-Level Dancesport Athletes
• Anthropometry and somatotypes of competitive DanceSport participants: A comparison of three different styles
• Body asymmetries as risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries in dancesport, hip-hop and ballet dancers
• Ballroom dancing is more intensive for the female partners due to their unique hold technique

Mental Health

• The Underestimated Role of the Sports Psychiatrist in Athletic Performance Restoration, Maintenance, and Enhancement in Sports
• How Mental Health Affects Injury Risk and Outcomes in Athletes

Injury

• Injuries in Ballroom DanceSport: A retrospective stduy on prevalence and relation with demographic data
• The Effect of Foot Deformity and First Metatarsophalangeal Joint Plantar Pain on Performance in DanceSport Athletes
• Injuries Among Italian DanceSport Athletes
• A Retrospective Investigation on Age and Gender Differences of Injuries in DanceSport
• Extension Neck Injury in Female DanceSport Competitors
• Musculoskeletal Pain in Latin American Formation Dance, Localization, Assessment, and Related Behavior

Breaking

• Breakdance Injuries and Overuse Syndromes in Amateurs and Professionals

Rock´n´Roll

• Vestibular responses to loud dance music: A physiological basis of the “rock and roll threshold”

Disco

• Energy Cost of Disco Dancing
• The Prediction of Competitive Success in Disco Dance

Hip Hop

• Aesthetic Perception of Stage Setups in Dance
• Injury incidence in hip hop dance
• Cardiorespiratory Profile and Performance Demands of Elite Hip-Hop Dancers

Caribbean

• Does The Caribbean Body Daaance Or Daunce? An exploration of Modern Contemporary Dance from a Caribbean Perspective
• Are physiological characteristics of Caribbean dance useful for health?

Miscellaneous

• 6-week time-restricted eating improves body composition, maintains exercise performance, without exacerbating eating disorder in female DanceSport dancers
• Timing in Lower Limb Complex Movement Tests for DanceSport Athletes: Relation between FitLight Trainer and IMU Measurements
• Conditioning Methodologies for DanceSport
• Bibliographic Review of Medicine and Science Research in DanceSport

Published on 27 February 2025 (last update on 25 July 2026)