Health Policy

The work of the Ballet Academy is founded on a comprehensive Health Policy for its students. Since April 2024, there has been a clear guideline for the physical and mental health of dance students at the HMTM. The Health Policy is an important component of a holistic professional ballet education in conjunction with the Pedagogical Concept of the Ballet Academy and is being implemented step by step.

Findings from dance medicine, nutritional science and psychology are integrated into the Health Policy: For example, minimum standards for healthy weight development among students are defined within the policy. A dance medicine-based physiological assessment at the beginning of the academic program, regular individual consultations and courses in anatomy and kinesiology are integral part of the curriculum and contribute to the students’ physical well-being.

Fundamentals of nutritional science are firmly embedded in the curriculum. Individual nutritional counselling, sports nutrition workshops, and group cooking classes are also included, as are sufficient breaks for eating and drinking during the students’ intensive training sessions.

Mental health services complement the programme but are still under development. To date, two workshops per academic year are offered to the second-year bachelor cohort, along with occasional individual counselling sessions available to all dance students. 

The Health Policy was developed by our Ballet Academy’s interdisciplinary health team: Marc Geifes (physiotherapist, former professional dancer, alumnus of the Ballet Academy), Dr. Dorothy Meyer (health counsellor and nutritionist) and Anna Esser (psychologist, alumna of the Ballet Academy). The team was supported by Prof. Dr. Hans Hauner (Else Kröner Fresenius Center for Nutritional Medicine at the Technical University of Munich) and Prof. Dr. Martin Teufel (Working Group on Mental Stress in Competitive Sports at the LVR University Clinic of the University of Duisburg-Essen).

The introduction of the Health Policy at the Ballet Academy was also part of the HMTM’s 7-point plan, with which the HMTM responded in April 2024 to the results of the scientific study »Abuse of power, discrimination and sexualised violence at HMTM«.