June 23, 2026
Photo by Eric Kiekeben
On a recent spring morning, physical therapy students Emma Sullivan and Morgan Hartley weren’t in a clinic or lab. They were in a dance studio, breaking down pliés, leg extensions and jump landings for undergraduate dancers, offering them a unique perspective on movement.
The session grew out of a collaboration between the College of Health Sciences’ Department of Physical Therapy and the College of Arts and Science’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies. Sullivan and Hartley were able to apply clinical reasoning in a setting where movement, technique and repetition are the focus.
Sullivan and Hartley both have backgrounds in dance, so it was a chance to pair their roots with a fresh perspective.
Sullivan, who completed her doctorate in physical therapy in May, had helped with a similar presentation the previous year and was eager to return. Hartley, who is beginning her second year of PT school, has been dancing since she was 4 years old and continues to perform with the Mizzou Club Dance recreational team.
“This seemed like a fun opportunity to share my love of dance with others but also educate about what physical therapy is and how important body mechanics are to prevent injury,” she said.
The cross-campus collaboration was facilitated by Kelly Stephens, a teaching professor with the Department of Physical Therapy, who connected the PT students with Emily Ehling, an assistant teaching professor in the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies.
“Many students who enroll in Introduction to Dance take the course as a way to be active while increasing their strength, mobility and coordination,” Ehling said. “Information directly from the physical therapy field helps my students understand their bodies more deeply not just for dance class, but for the rest of their lives.”
Rather than delivering a traditional lecture, Sullivan and Hartley focused on how physical therapists evaluate movement. They encouraged dancers to consider where movement originates, how alignment and core control support performance and how small changes in mechanics can reduce injury risk.
“It was a great reminder that our role is often to empower people with tools and awareness that help them move better and stay healthy long-term,” Sullivan said. “[We] encouraged them to start thinking about their bodies the way a physical therapist might.”
The session concluded with movement. Hartley choreographed a short combination for the class, allowing the dancers to apply physical therapy principles as they performed. Sullivan and Hartley joined the class, turning the session into a shared learning moment.
“It was so fun to dance with a group of college students who truly seemed happy to be there,” Sullivan said. “The students were so engaged and made the presentation great.”
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