By Philip Dragovich
The dance conservatory at Purchase is one of the best in the country, but many are unaware of the high volume of injuries that having such a busy schedule comes with. Countless dancers are dealing with a bad ankle, shin splints or anything in between.
“I feel there is a lack of support the dancers experience as we sometimes get told to ‘push through’ our injuries,” explains Kendra Brown, a junior dancer who is currently dealing with a stress fracture in her shin.
She went on to explain that this caused her injury to get worse, and she is now unable to dance for a semester because of it. She elaborated on this, describing how she was seeing the athletic trainer for dancers and doing exercises to strengthen her leg, but being told she could keep dancing resulted in further damage.
A week in a dancer’s life can look something like this: four to six hours of dance classes per day, a junior project rehearsal, a senior project rehearsal, rehearsals for Purchase Dance Company (PDC) shows, and finally, academic classes. On top of that, there is homework to be done at night, leaving little time to eat, do chores, tend to injuries, take a shower, and not to mention, take a deep breath. It is a very stressful schedule.
Due to this harsh schedule, injuries are not uncommon amongst dancers, and their bodies require a lot of maintenance and treatment. Alayna Fisher, a senior dancer, had a lower leg injury in the fall semester of 2023, her junior year, and related to Brown, explaining how she would like to see more injury prevention.
“I think there should be more classes that are focused on cross training such as floor barre and Pilates classes that are either currently not offered or only at 8:30 in the morning,” said Fisher. But injury prevention is not the only complaint she has regarding the packed schedule.
“I just want to give my mind and body the break they really need,” Fisher continued. “Relaxing and finding downtime is rare, and when it is found, all I ever want to do is lay in bed and do nothing.”
Fisher went on to explain that her schedule consists of dancing, or doing dance-related activities, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with very few breaks to even have a bite or catch her breath.
However, this seems to be consistent with the way of the dance world past Purchase in professional settings, along with other highly considered programs around the country. It appears to be good practice for any dancer hoping to work for a company in their future.
“While no program is perfect, the rigorous schedule and intense training I feel has prepared me for auditions and going into the real world,” said Sydney Jaffe, another senior dancer, who hopes to fulfill her dreams of being a professional dancer after graduating in the spring. Jaffe hopes to follow in the footsteps of many Purchase dance alumni who are in some of the most well-renowned dance companies around the world.
“The way that it [Purchase] models a company is that company dancers take class in the morning to prepare for their afternoon rehearsals,” says Darrah Carr, the director of the dance conservatory. Carr went on to explain that the conservatory recognizes the rigorous schedule but offers numerous courses to help prevent injuries, while also mentioning the conservatory will expand in this aspect, offering a new floor barre course in the fall of 2025.
In addition, Carr mentioned the trainer that Purchase College has, Lauren McIntyre, who works here through New York University (NYU) Harkness. Students who are injured can see her for maintenance, treatment, or recovery plans. McIntyre uses the same treatment philosophies for both Purchase dancers or professionals that see her at NYU Harkness, so the model Purchase runs mirrors the professional world in nearly every aspect.
While the course load may be a rough schedule to navigate, it aligns with most of the traits found across all serious programs in the rest of the dance world, thus making it a valuable yet tiresome and body-battering experience for dance students.
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