Courses
Open course during the Helsinki International Ballet Competition will be organised in cooperation with the Finnish National Ballet School and Ballet Pedagogues Association.
Teacher: Rebecca Dietzel, Canada
The primary focus of Rebecca's lectures will be the structure and function of tendons. Rebecca will discuss how tendons are formed and maintained, as well as the structural basis of tendon strength. Tendons must be able to withstand tremendous forces in the human body and their structure is perfectrly suited to this task.
She will also give details about nutrition for strong tendons. There are particular nutrients that are required for tendon health. Rebecca will give the practical aspects of this biochemistry, in other words, which foods a dancer should eat to promote the best tendon health possible. She will also address the tendon injuries that commonly afflict dancers. In this arena she will also give the practical aspects: movement factors that injure tendons, the mechanisms of the healing process, and nutrition for healing tendons. Finally she will outline ways to maintan healthy tendons: movement practices and nutrition strategies. If time permits, Rebecca will also briefly discuss the physiological challenges facing young dancers. She will explain the nutritional needs of their growing bodies and how, as dance teachers, you can help support their healthy growth and keep them from creating habits that can be detrimental to their growth and development.
Venue: Taiteen talo, Kaikukatu 4, 00500 Helisinki
Schedule: Sunday 7.6.2009 - 10.00-16.00 and Monday 8.6.2009 - 10.00-13.30
Price: For members of Ballet Pedagogues Association 80 €, others 100 €/2 days
Registration: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Rebecca Dietzel began her career as a dance teacher and dancer in Vermont, later moving to New York City to pursue studies in dance full time. When an injury sidelined her from performing, she began intensive study in anatomy and kinesiology. She studied with Irene Dowd, eventually becoming her teaching assistant for over a decade. (Rebecca now collaborates with Ms Dowd, teaching workshops on anatomy and movement.) She also studied anatomy through cadaver dissection at several medical schools in NYC and immersed herself in the field of the biological sciences by pursuing a pre-medical curriculum at Hunter College, graduating in 2001. To gain a more complete understanding of the human body, she studied at Columbia University’s Institute of Human Nutrition (NYC), receiving a Master of Science degree.
Rebecca currently works as both an anatomist and biochemist. She uses her background in dance as a foundation for building a bridge between science and the arts. When dancers understand how their bodies work, they can make wise choices concerning food, training practices, sleep, stress management and other factors in human life. As a teacher in the Ailey/Fordham University BFA program, and as a nutrition consultant for Canada’s National Ballet School, Rebecca enjoys working with young dancers, teaching them how to make the choices that best support their health and that will serve them as they grow to become the next generation of artists and performers.
Rebecca maintains a private practice teaching anatomy, physical re-education, and the biochemistry of nutrition. She occasionally gets the opportunity to revisit her life as a dancer by teaching movement workshops or dance classes as a guest teacher, or creating choreography for small regional companies or dance schools. She is also an Ayurvedic practitioner in the tradition of the Wise Earth School and co-author of A Dancer’s Guide to Healthy Eating.
