Welcome to AusDancersOverseas!
Originally created to support Australian dancers and dance students when moving overseas, this platform has grown into an education + information hub for dancers and dance students worldwide over the past couple of years.
Who am I?
I’m Stephanie, a former dancer turned doctor and sports nutritionist. I’m here to help you navigate the dance world. What does that mean? Well, the dance world has been not the easiest of all environments for a long time – and I’m sure you know. But that doesn’t mean we’ve got to make life harder for ourselves than it is anyway. With my guidance, you can explore
- how to be the healthiest and best dance student to audition for full-time schools
- how to take care of your physical and mental health as a full-time dance student
- how to nourish your body and mind so you’re happy and healthy
- what to do (and eat) when injured
- recover from disordered eating/an eating disorder
- timing of foods as a professional dancer
- the interplay between hormonal health and your nutrition
My passion for travel allowed me to visit countless schools and companies all over the world, my special focus is Europe though. I have a unique insight into the challenges that (esp. young) dancers face these days; and this is why my expertise and my experiences are valuable for dancers and students, as well as parents, grandparents, schools and teachers all over the world.
I regularly offer online courses, but the bulk of my clinical work is seeing dancers 1:1 (usually virtually) but I also love being a guest on podcasts or other platforms. I have specialized in the treatment of low energy availability and relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and dance, and helps female dancers to recover from oligo-/amenorrhea (= recovering their periods) as well as recovering from eating disorders, in particular anorexia nervosa. In my free time, I am still an active researcher (find my latest research in the BMJ Open Sports and Exercise Medicine)
For more online material, check out The Library Aesthetic.
Recent podcasts/interviews include
My take on the Ballet World in 2024 and why weight isn’t a measurement to be used by artistic directors
I am currently also the vice-chair of the Special Interest Group (SIG) ’Dancer hormone health matters’ for the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS). Dr. Nicky Keay, who is the chair, and I are passionate about a better focus on dancer hormone health, as many – too many – dancers show signs of hormonal imbalances or ill-health, most often in combination with low energy availability or relative energy deficiency in sport.
Taking care of yourself can seem complicated and overwhelming at times – especially with all the misinformation and pseudoscience available these days. While my social media (mostly Instagram) are one way to communicate with you, my Substack offers a much deeper and more thorough insight, and also covers a lot more topics than social media ever could.
I’m incredibly proud of my network of colleagues that has grown continuously over the years, and it is one of the pillars to provide excellent healthcare for dancers of all genres, all over the world. My qualifications allow me to treat dancers as holistically as possible, from general medicine to sports nutrition. But every now and then we’ve got to send you to see a specialist – e.g. a gynaecologist or a physiotherapist – and that’s when the network becomes an invaluable part of my work.
Enjoy browsing the website!