Dr. Sheyi Ojofeitimi, PT, DPT, OCS, CFMT is a licensed physical therapist and the Director of Therapy Services, Covid-19 Compliance officer, and the Health & Safety Advisor for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. She directs and coordinates the physical therapy, massage therapy, and conditioning services for AAADT, Ailey II & Ailey School. She is the in-house medical lead for the organization's contingency planning committee (aka Safety Taskforce) providing guidance on daily operations, exposure protocols, isolation, quarantine and return to work. In addition to her roles at the Ailey organization, she has also worked with several, Broadway & Off-Broadway shows including Wicked, Once on This Island, Avenue Q, The Book of Mormon, and Free Style Love Supreme.
A licensed physical therapist for 22 years, Dr. Ojofeitimi received her Master's degree from West Virginia University and Doctor Physical Therapy from Alabama State University. An Orthopedic Clinical Specialist (OCS) and Certified Functional Manual Therapist (CFMT) , Dr. Ojofeitimi has extensive manual therapy training via continuing education courses in visceral mobilization, craniosacral therapy, Trigger point needling, Thoracic Ring Approach, and the Fascial Counter Strain technique. She is a specialist in the treatment of lumbo-pelvic/sacro-coccygeal dysfunctions and has a passionate interest in the connection between dysbiosis (gut dysfunction), mental health, sleep, and chronic pain/disease.
Dr. Ojofeitimi is also a researcher. For ten years served as a senior research associate at the Analysis of Dance and Movement (ADAM) Center, a biomechanics laboratory devoted to research on movement and injury patterns in dancers. Here she took on new challenges as an integral member of a 3-person team tasked with rebuilding a biomechanics lab. She managed all aspects of research projects and co-authored research articles that resulted in 17+ peer-reviewed publications in scientific journals.
These days, Dr. Ojofeitimi is using her research skills to develop evidenced based health and wellness protocols for dance organizations; protocols that resulted in reduced injury and illness rates saving the organizations millions in health-related costs. She currently serves as the Screening Chair of Dance USA’s Taskforce on Dancer Health and as a reviewer for the Journal of Dance Medicine and Science.
Apart from work, Dr. Ojofeitimi enjoys spending time with friends & family, taking dance classes, traveling, and listening to podcasts.
Dr. Danelle Dickson, PT, DPT, OCS is a licensed physical therapist, Performing Arts specialist, Orthopedic clinical specialist and owner at Performance Plus Physical Therapy. She is also the creator of Dansebridge Online - a conditioning program for dancers, the host of the Dancing around Elephants Podcast, co-founder of a business mentorship for minority women: The Business Female Foundation, and co-founder of theDance Ready Project
Dr. Danelle’s forty two years in the dance world fueled her passion to work with dancer’s injuries. She combined her passion for dance with her skills in orthopedics to work with thousands of dancers and other athletes, at the pre-professional level and professional levels. She has worked with local DC dance companies, DC dance schools and notable companies and performances such as Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, Little Dancer, Angels in America, POTUS!, CHICAGO!, Netflix's Bridgerton, Tempestous Elements, Tony Award winning Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Dissonance Dance Theater, Dance Institute of Washington, Dance Academy of Virginia, Kirov Ballet, The Viva School of Dance, and University of Maryland Dance Department.
Dr. Danelle has used her 17 years experience in the field to help her patients, but also give back. Dr. Dickson has lectured at Howard University, University of Maryland, University of Delaware and Marymount University on dance medicine , injury assessment and treatment. She has also presented at the national level, at the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and international dance medicine conferences on dance research at International Association of Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS), and featured in national physical therapy magazine (APTA) in 2022 for her innovation in clinical practice in the dance and mentorship world. She is also a published research in International Dance Medicine Journal (JDMS). She has also presented on Dance Medicine, DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) and Physical Therapy think tanks (Graham Sessions) at the national level - American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). Dr. Dickson also writes and contributes to national publications on dance including Dance Teacher and Dance Advantage Magazine. Dr. Dickson’s expert topics include dancer injuries, injury prevention, patient advocacy and business mentorship for minority women.
Dr. Danelle lives in Maryland with her close friends and cats Ché and Fidel. When she is out of the clinic, you can find her traveling the world, and spending time with her family in Trinidad, England, and Australia. And of course, always finding time to dance!