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MU physical therapy student Leah Hofmann says it's vital
for physical therapists treating dancers to have significant
dance experience themselves. She is spending part of her
winter '08 semester with PhysioArts, a New York City clinic
that specializes in treating dancers.
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Broadway
Bound
By Cheri Ghan
Leah Hofmann danced onto a stage at age three.
In school she loved to learn, and her favorite high school classes
were human anatomy and physiology. Not sure if she was up to the
unpredictable life of a professional dancer, she looked at other
career options before applying for college. When she found an
article about a physical therapist who worked backstage at The
Lion King on Broadway, she found her calling: She would be
both therapist and dancer.
Hofmann had always known about the physical
therapy profession. Her mother is Susan Holt Hofmann, BHS-PT ’70.
“My mother sets a wonderful example of how a physical
therapist should center intervention around the patient. Her
patients and their families adore her, and she truly loves being
a physical therapist,” Hofmann says. “And I have to
say it’s fun to be able to talk about the gait cycle with
my mother!”
As a child, Leah saw My Fair Lady at the Fox Theatre
in St. Louis and began to dream of seeing her name in lights.
She started dance lessons and rehearsals at night and squeezed
in acting and voice lessons whenever she could to become a “triple
threat.” As high school graduation neared, Hofmann began
to consider Mizzou. Both of her parents are alumni, so she was
familiar with MU and found the School
of Health Professions’ five-year PT master’s program
attractive. The school’s Sharp
Scholars Program, which gives automatic entrance into professional
programs to academically talented students, sealed the deal.
With four years of therapy education under her belt, how does
Hofmann see the two-career option now? “Both professions
involve the art of the human body,” Hofmann says. “Dance
creates beautiful movement using the human body while physical
therapy studies how the body is able to create those movements.
Being in physical therapy school has made me a better dancer because
I know which muscles to use to improve my alignment and positions.”
Left, this publicity shot introduces Hofmann to directors
and choreographers. Right, Hofmann emerges from her dressing
room between 12 costume, eight shoe and four wig changes
in La Cage aux Folles at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit,
Maine.
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Last summer Hofmann turned pro when she won a role in the professional
ensemble for Gypsy at the Muny Opera in St. Louis. “I
loved performing on the stage where I saw so many shows as a child,”
Hofmann says. “It also was great to be in a show with veterans
of the theatre. Every day at rehearsal I was mesmerized by the
talent, and I learned so much from them.”
While at MU, Hofmann has taken private dance lessons, master classes
and voice lessons in addition to cross-training at MU’s Student Recreation Complex.
She goes to New York City every school break to take classes with
professionals. One of those classes led to the summer gig she
just completed — dancing and singing at Maine’s famed
Ogunquit Playhouse with Maxwell Caulfield and former Miss America
Susan Powell in La Cage aux Folles. The show’s choreographer
saw Hofmann in dance class in New York earlier this year and called
a few weeks later to find out if she could sing. She can. Although
it’s not quite like Lana Turner getting discovered at the
soda fountain, it’s pretty close, and she loved the show.
“I had 12 costume changes, along with four wig changes and
eight shoe changes. One number alone had three costume changes.
It’s a really fun, exciting show with a huge cancan number
with a kick line and jump splits. Definitely a workout!”
Hofmann says.
Hofmann, third from left, is currently performing as one
of the Rockettes in Nashville, Tenn. She will graduate in
May from Mizzou with her master's degree in physical therapy.
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Another of those summers in the Big Apple led to her winter 2008
clinical opportunity: Her boss introduced her to the athletic
trainer for a dance company who introduced her to the founder
and owner of PhysioArts. Well known among those in the dance community,
PhysioArts treats performers during the day and positions its
therapists backstage during performances. They offer one student
affiliation annually and are only interested in therapists who
dance. After a whirlwind application and spring break interview,
Hofmann learned she got the nod while driving home from an audition
she didn’t get.
“One of the most important aspects of developing a professional
performing career is the ability to handle rejection. It’s
definitely a hard skill to learn, but as a performer you have
to understand that it’s not personal. You simply may not
be the size or coloring the director is looking for.”
But for this Broadway baby, things are looking good as she heads
to New York and PhysioArts in March 2008.
“Not only do I get specialized instruction and practice
in treating dancers, I also will meet significant people in both
of my careers,” Hofmann says. “It is vital that a
physical therapist treating a dancer have significant experience
in dance themselves. I know the psychological experience behind
an injury as a dancer. Your body is your instrument for your career,
and if it isn’t working properly, your job is on the line.”
Originally published in the Fall 2007 issue of The Touchstone,
the magazine for alumni of the School of Health Professions.
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Last Update:
September 3, 2008
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