The Pelvic Floor of Performing Artists

Dr. Taylor Mravec is a physical therapist specialized in the treatment of dancers and performing artists. She has advanced training in conditions of the foot and ankle and pelvic floor disorders. Prior to becoming a physical therapist, Taylor enjoyed a 12-year professional dancing career throughout Denver, Colorado and Seattle, Washington, performing for artists such as David Dorfman, Kathleen Hermesdorf, and Shirley Jenkins. She now serves as a member of PAMA’s Young Professional Webinar Co-Committee and Co-Committee Chair of PAMA’s Mentorship Program. She also serves on the Nominating Committee of the American Physical Therapy Association’s Performing Arts Special Interest Group and Informational Paper Review Committee for Dance USA. Taylor is the owner and founder of The Terpsichore Institute, a dance medicine platform offering telemedicine services for performers across the country.

Dr. Brooke Winder is a Southern California-based physical therapist who specializes in addressing issues within and surrounding the pelvic floor for performing artists. She is an Associate Professor and coordinator of the Dance Science degree program at California State University Long Beach, and also serves patients through her clinical practice, Renew Motion Physical Therapy. Dr. Winder has presented at several national and international conferences on pelvic floor issues in performers. She has been published in the Journal of Orthopedic and Sports Physical Therapy, Clinical Biomechanics, Journal of Electromyography and Kinesiology, Orthopedic Physical Therapy Practice, and One, the official magazine of OneDance UK. Her most recent research on pelvic floor symptoms in professional dancers will appear in the Journal of Dance Medicine & Science later this year. Dr. Winder is a Board-Certified Specialist in Orthopedic physical therapy and a BASI-Certified Pilates Instructor. She has also created an 18-hour online continuing education course on addressing pelvic floor dysfunction in artistic athletes entitled “The Performer’s Pelvis.”