Ballet Puts Heart Health on Center Stage

As a physical therapist, you’re probably well aware that February is American Heart  Month – a time to take seriously all matters of the heart, from emotional well-being to physical health.

That means learning to take care of your own needs, as well as those of your physical therapy patients.  (For a review of the five fundamentals of heart health, see our primer on heart awareness.)

It also means reaching out in your traveling physical therapy jobs and finding like-minded health-care professionals to collaborate with on heart awareness.

One collaboration regarding heart awareness even led to a new ballet, titled "Heart (Function vs. Emotion).”  This production of the Bodiography  contemporary ballet company in Pittsburgh debuted on Feb. 19, and featured six performers who happen to be heart patients!

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the heart-centric ballet was inspired by a conversation between Bodiography artistic director and choreographer Maria Caruso, and Dennis McNamara, professor of medicine and medical director of heart failure/cardiac transplantation at UPMC.

The collective experiences of the patients, the doctors, and the dancers in the troupe led to a ballet that many described as life-changing. "We're all in this experience together in bringing about awareness," Caruso said.

What a lovely and magical way to commemorate American Heart Month!