Q & A with Optimisation of Health for Performance in Irish Dancers Course Director, Dr Roisin Cahalan

Dr. Roisin Cahalan qualified as a chartered physiotherapist in UL in 2008 and worked in many settings in the private and public sector prior to commencing work in UL in 2013 in a practice education role.

Her research area of interest are split between injury surveillance in elite athletes and dance, and physical activity in people with chronic disease. She is also the co-founder of the SingStrong project, which is a clinically-based singing and breathing retraining programme for people with chronic respiratory disease.

In this Q & A she shines light on the new Postgraduate Certificate in Optimisation of Health for Performance in Irish Dancers at UL.

What inspired you to pursue a career in dancer health for performance, and how has your own background shaped your role as Course Director?

I have been involved in Irish dancing for well over 40 years, as a dancer first, then teacher, adjudicator, physiotherapist and researcher. It was during my time in “Riverdance” that I became aware of the high level of injury in our art form and the complex collection of factors that drive better performance. Studying physiotherapy and working with dancers and teachers further convinced me of the many aspects of health and performance that are involved in building the best, most robust, most successful Irish dancer possible. The more I learned about other dance forms, sports, and health generally, the more convinced I became that we were missing huge pieces of the puzzle when it came to Irish dancing. Of course, all of this is driven by my great love for Irish dancing which is a large part of my identity.

As Course Director, what aspects of your programme are you most passionate about, and how do you hope to impart this passion to your students?

It’s probably not the best answer, but all of it! I am passionate about every facet of the information that this course delivers. My expertise is around preventing and managing injury and getting the dancer back to class and the stage asap. Aligned with this is the study of human anatomy and different types of injury relevant to the Irish dancer. Apart from my expertise, I am fascinated by the role of psychology in Irish dancing – not only of the dancer, but also the teacher and the parent/guardian. I think understanding nutrition and making it work for busy training days and long feis days is critically important. One of the aspects I am most fascinated with is how to build the best relationships between parents, teachers and dancers, because when this isn’t harmonious and constructive, the consequences can be devastating for all involved. Other facets like how to train smart and safely to optimise the dancer’s physical ability, as well as learning to peak and taper, and plan the week/month/year – these are all invaluable tools for the dancer, teacher and parent. And so much more – it’s all fascinating and important knowledge. I think most of the people drawn to this programme will already share my passion, but I will support it with engaged delivery of the material, lots of opportunities to embed the learning in the students’ Irish dancing practice, and peer conversations and exercises to stimulate everyone.

Can you highlight any unique features or components of the Post Graduate Certificate in Optimization of Health for Performance in Irish Dancing programme that set it apart from other similar programmes?

There simply is no other programme anywhere that provides the student with this level of expertise on so many aspects of Irish dancers health for performance. The sessions will be delivered by experts in their respective fields, who will use evidence-based information to guide your practice. We will have expertise from people like me who have worked for years with Irish dancers, and also from other areas of dance, sport, psychology, nutrition and so on. All will be presented within the context of Irish dancing. The flexible learning model allows for people to go at their own pace and revisit information that they want to cover again. It is also a very practical programme allowing people to integrate their new learning into their dance/teaching practice and reflect on how it may improve and impact their Irish dancing expertise.

In your opinion, what are some of the key skills and competencies that students can expect to develop through their participation in the Post Graduate Certificate in Optimization of Health for Performance in Irish Dancing programme?

While this programme won’t make you into an expert clinician, or psychologist, or athletic trainer,  it will provide fundamental knowledge and skills to inform what you do as an Irish dancing teacher/dancer/parent. It will help you to identify dancers at risk of injury and arm you with strategies to make dancers more bullet proof. It will give you a template to better design your work timetable in the short and long term to allow you to plan your calendar and help dancers to peak and taper when they should. It will give you the tools to communicate optimally with other important people in your dance circle – be that parents, teachers and/or dancers. The programme provides important knowledge on supporting special categories of dancers like adolescents, male dancers, older recreational dancers, and those who hope to go onto a professional dance career in a show for instance. These are just some of the many skills and tools you will learn on this programme.

As Course Director, how do you support and mentor students throughout their academic journey, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in helping to build better Irish dancers?

As a Course Director, I am available and welcome queries from student on the programme on any issues, academic or otherwise. More than that, the experience and insights of the students are key sources of knowledge that should be shared with each other. There are embedded opportunities to share your experiences, knowledge and stories with each other to optimise learning. Regular feedback and feedforward on activities and assignments will be offered, and there is a strong emphasis on assessment FOR learning, not assessment OF learning. This programme is designed to enrich the knowledge of people who already understand Irish dancing inside out, and to harness their passion for our artform to enhance their dance practice.