Finding Flight: A Return-to-Jumping Protocol for Dancers
Return to Flight: Build the Spring
Dynamic Load (Full Body Weight + External Load)
Finding Flight was developed as a practical framework to guide return-to-jumping decisions in dancers. In concert dance, particularly ballet and modern/contemporary technique, jumping is one of the clearest expressions of a dancer’s ability to generate, absorb, and redirect force with precision. Yet return to jumping is rarely as simple as adding impact back in. It requires a staged progression that rebuilds capacity, sharpens movement quality, and prepares the dancer for the layered technical demands of class, rehearsal, and performance. The goal of this series is to help clinicians and movement professionals make more thoughtful decisions about loading, readiness, and progression throughout that process.
This first offering begins in the middle of the Finding Flight series by design. It focuses on the dynamic loading phase of return to jumping, which serves as a central bridge between earlier foundational preparation and later plyometric and return-to-performance work. Because of that, it functions as a strong point of entry into the broader framework. Participants will first be oriented to where this phase fits within the full progression before exploring exercise selection, movement analysis, and readiness for advancement in dancers training and performing in ballet and modern/contemporary settings.
Where This Course Fits in the Series
This course is part of the larger Finding Flight series, a staged framework designed to guide return-to-jumping decision-making in dancers. Build the Spring focuses on dynamic load and serves as a central bridge between earlier foundational preparation and later plyometric progression.
We chose to begin here intentionally. Because this phase sits in the middle of the return-to-jumping process, it functions as a practical launching pad into the broader series. Participants may take this course as a standalone offering, then move backward to deepen their understanding of the earlier phases or forward into the later stages of return to performance.
Finding Flight
A Return-to-Jumping Protocol for Dancers
COURSE PROGRESSION
Course 1
Return to Flight:
Ground Control
Foundational Capacity
(Unloaded/Low Load)
1
Course 2
Return to Flight:
Finding Lift-Off
Progressive Loading
(Partial Body Weight/Body Weight)
2
Course 3
Return to Flight:
Build the Spring
Dynamic Load
(Full Body Weight + External Load)
3
Course 4
Return to Flight:
Controlled Touchdowns
Low Impact Plyometric Preparation (Reduced Ground, Reaction Forces)
4
Course 5
Return to Flight:
Full Flight
High-Impact Plyometrics and Return- to-Performance
5
Course Objectives
Course Objectives:
Upon completion, participants should be able to:
Describe the role of dynamic loading within a staged return-to-jumping process for dancers.
Identify prerequisites for introducing full body weight and externally loaded tasks.
Analyze movement strategies and compensations that emerge under dynamic load.
Select and modify dynamic loading exercises based on movement quality, symptom behavior, and dancer-specific demands.
Determine readiness to progress from dynamic load to low-impact plyometric preparation
Audience:
This course is designed for healthcare and movement professionals who work with dancers and want a more structured approach to return-to-jumping progressions. Emphasis will be placed on clinical reasoning, movement analysis, and practical exercise selection rather than a one-size-fits-all formula.
Participants can expect a combination of lecture, discussion, and applied movement-based learning focused on dancer-specific return-to-jumping demands.
This course may be particularly relevant for physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, athletic trainers, physicians, dance educators, Pilates instructors, and other movement professionals who support dancers in training, rehearsal, or performance.
Return to Flight: Build the Spring
Focus: Dynamic Load (Full Body Weight + External Load)
Date: August 1st, 2026
Time: 10 am – 4 pm Eastern
Location: Arrive Wellness, 129 West 29th Street, 2nd floor. New York, NY 10001.
Format: In-Person
CEUs: Continuing education approval is pending for Pilates instructors holding the NCPT credential, NASM-certified fitness professionals, and physical therapists through the New York Physical Therapy Association (NYPTA). For questions regarding CE credit for physical therapists in other states, please contact Andrea Zujko at admin@dancemedei.com.
Instructor(s): Andrea Zujko, PT, DPT, OCS, COMT; Marimba Gold-Watts, NCPT, RCST®; Jennifer Milner, NCPT; and Wendy Reinert.
Registration
Pricing and Discounts:
Registrations made before July 3rd, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern are $425.00 with code FLIGHT26.
Registrations made after July 3rd, 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern are $475.00.