Each day in alumna Hailey Calkins’ career is incredibly varied. As the Head Athletic Trainer for Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH), a post she works as part of her role with the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries and NYU Langone Health, she might be helping DTH injured performers during their rehearsals, touring with them across the world, leading educational workshops, or working with artistic staff to ensure the health and wellbeing of the dancers. She helps provide medical coverage for numerous dance companies (including Martha Graham Dance Company, Bellet Hispánico, Limón, A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham, and many others), provides exercise prescriptions and cross-training programs, and is involved in quality improvement initiatives across those companies.
This all began when Calkins was at the University of Utah. Initially a double major in modern dance and kinesiology, she eventually graduated in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in kinesiology and minors in nutrition & integrative physiology and dance. She then stayed at the U while she pursued her Master of Athletic Training degree.
Hailey Calkins at a Dance Theatre of Harlem event. Photo courtesy of Hailey Calkins.Throughout her studies, Calkins maintained a close relationship with the School of Dance, especially with Athletic Trainer Chris Michaels. “During graduate school, I completed clinical rotations with the School of Dance under Chris Michaels,” she said. “I learned so much from him, and he has been an incredible mentor throughout the years. Those experiences solidified my passion for dance medicine and showed me that it was possible to combine my love for both health science and the arts.”
Dance has been Calkins’ dependable partner throughout her healthcare studies and career. “Dancers possess an incredible understanding of their bodies, which is a tremendous advantage when pursuing healthcare,” she said. “That body awareness, combined with curiosity and compassion, can set students up for success in athletic training, physical therapy, or any other area of medicine.”
At the heart of Calkins work is her philosophy that “bodies are not machines to perfect or problems to solve.” The marriage of art and science in her career has given Calkins the tools to approach her work with humanity and empathy.
“What I love about dance medicine is that it sits at the intersection of art and science,” she said. “[Bodies] are complex, adaptable, and deeply connected to our emotions, relationships, identities, and environments. I think both dancers and healthcare providers benefit when we move away from seeing bodies as projects and instead approach them with curiosity, respect, and compassion.”
With this ethos in mind, Calkins often focuses on education when she works with dancers, and views her work not as injury control, but as an ongoing relationship with a goal of increased health and longevity. “I love helping dancers become the best version of themselves, not only when they are injured, but throughout every stage of their careers.”
Specifically, one of Calkins’ goals is to challenge long-held ideas about on longevity in dance careers. “Growing up, I often heard the message that dance careers are inherently short because of the toll they take on the body. One of my goals is to help shift that narrative,” she said. “I believe that with a biopsychosocial approach and a focus on longevity, dancers can have long, healthy, and fulfilling careers.”
This is a goal that current U Dance student Hannah Kojouri shares. Kojouri spent four weeks this summer as an intern for the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, where she shadowed physical therapists and physical medicine & rehabilitation (PM&R) physicians. “My goal is to attend medical school to become a PM&R physician, and it would be a dream if I could eventually work with dancers, so this experience has taught me so much about the field,” she said. “I have learned so much about the importance of collaboration between PTs and physicians, especially in a sports setting.”
Hannah Kojouri in class at the School of Dance. Photo courtesy of Hannah Kojouri.During her internship, Kojouri was able to get a sneak peek into the work she hopes to pursue. “You don’t learn about dance-specific care in medical school, so what I have learned so far will absolutely help me as a future physician,” she said.
And it’s not just an experience that will aid her in the future. Kojouri also found that the experience has supplemented her current training as a dancer, and provided knowledge that will help her “be there for my peers in the knowledge I have gained on injury prevention/treatments and the certain conditions dancers can be susceptible to.”
Kojouri has already followed the advice that Calkins would share with students considering careers in athletic training, physical therapy, or medicine: “I would encourage students to seek out mentors early,” Calkins said. “Dance medicine is a relatively small world, and relationships and connections can open many doors. Shadow clinicians whenever possible and expose yourself to different healthcare settings.”
Calkins thinks back on her time at the School of Dance fondly. “I feel incredibly grateful for the mentors and experiences I had at the University of Utah,” she said. “The School of Dance gave me a foundation that allowed me to combine two passions and get me where I am today.”
Calkins emphasizes that those two passions — art and science — are not at odds. “I hope students know that they do not have to choose between art and science,” she said. “There are careers where those worlds intersect in meaningful ways, and I feel fortunate to spend every day helping artists continue doing what they love.”
And Calkins will continue doing what she loves: providing wholistic, empathetic care with specific artistic knowledge. “I truly believe dancers deserve access to healthcare providers who understand and appreciate the unique demands of their art, and I am excited to continue advocating for that throughout my career.”