About this Event
Harkness Center for Dance Injuries proudly offers in-person and virtual Harkness Center Saturday Series workshops for the dance community.
Our educational theme for 2026 is BODIES—A deep dive into our anatomy.
Throughout the year, our community programming will focus on functional anatomy through a biopsychosocial lens specific to anyone who identifies as a dancer.
DECMBER 2026 WORKSHOP - our final session of the year!
Topic: Balance Across Our Lives: The Vestibular System
When: Saturday, December 21, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT
Format: VIRTUAL - this event is on ZOOM only
Description: We close out our 2026 programming around the theme of "BODIES: A deep dive into our anatomy" with this virtual workshop on the vestibular system led by Harkness physical therapist Meg Schiffer, PT, DPT. Dr. Schiffer will provide an overview of vestibular anatomy and our other balance systems and discuss how factors like growth, aging, surgery, injury, pregnancy, concussion and more can affect balance, particularly in dancers. She will provide strategies and resources for training and preserving balance throughout the lifespan, and participants will come away with a deeper understanding of balance in the context of health, performance, and longevity.
Instructor:
Physical therapist Meg Schiffer, PT, DPT earned her doctorate from Columbia University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program and was a physical therapy student affiliate with the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries in her final semester. Before pursuing her DPT, she built a decade-long career as a professional dancer, choreographer, and certified Pilates instructor, performing and teaching throughout New York City. She specializes in the treatment and rehabilitation of dancers, supporting their performance longevity and safe return to movement.
UPCOMING SATURDAY SERIES WORKSHOPS
Virtual workshops are marked with (v) and run 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM ET. All other workshops are in-person and run 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM ET. Registration for each event, once open, can be found at https://linktr.ee/harknesscenterfordanceinjuries.
Stay tuned for 2027 programming announcements!
Saturday Series workshops are led by our clinical staff and feature various topics on dancer wellness and injury prevention. All members of the dance community are welcome. Please note whether format is in-person or virtual.
- We strongly encourage participants under 16 years of age to attend with a parent/guardian.
- Liability waiver: for workshops that include movement, participants will be required to sign a liability waiver.
- Refund policy: we cannot provide refunds after the event has taken place.
- Virtual workshops: unless noted, recordings of virtual workshops are not provided, so please plan to attend in real time.
- Questions: Contact Kristen Stevens, program manager, [email protected]
About the Harkness Center for Dance Injuries: NYU Langone's Harkness Center for Dance Injuries (www.DanceInjury.org) is dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of dance professionals through clinical services, education programming, and research. Founded in 1989 through a partnership between the Harkness Foundation for Dance and the Hospital for Joint Diseases (now NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital), the Harkness Center provides care for dancers of all ages, genres, and levels as well as for musicians, actors, figure skaters, aerialists, and more.
In addition to caring for injuries, an integral part of the Harkness Center’s mission is providing education. For the dance community, Harkness offers injury prevention workshops, online courses, and screenings, including its long-running, free Injury Prevention Assessment (IPA) program. For dance medicine professionals, Harkness offers live and online continuing education courses. DanceMedU, the Harkness Center's digital learning platform (www.DanceMedU.org), offers over 20 lectures on dance medicine and dancer health for the dance and healthcare communitities.
Event venue & nearby stays
On ZOOM through NYU Langone's Harkness Center for Dance Injuries, 614 2nd Avenue 2G, New York, United States
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