Program Information

Dr. Natsuko Oshima is a former professional ballet dancer, educator, licensed physical therapist, and owner of THERAPY EN POINTE, LLC, which provides specialized care in the Central Arkansas area to help dancers achieve their true potential, extend their careers, and enrich lives through their art.

With more than 20 years of experience as an international professional ballet dancer and instructor teaching a diverse population of all ages and levels, Dr. Oshima is eager to share her advanced dance science knowledge to students, professionals, and patients alike. Her dance competition videos (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jhdtGbKvW0&t=35s , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNrDEuUVXs&t=61s), as well as interviews and profiles (https://twu.edu/institute-womens-leadership/women-who-lead/setting-the-stage-career-ending-injury-leads-dancer-to-new-passion-at-twu/ , https://twu.edu/college-health-sciences/news/mixing-science-dance-helps-alum-find-calling/) chronicling her transition from dancer to specialized PT have inspired students, educators, and colleagues alike from all over the world.

Currently based in Little Rock, AR, Dr. Oshima is thrilled to offer a variety of dance science workshops that aim to increase the longevity of young dance students by providing evidence-based knowledge to enhance their skills while preventing injuries. As a former professional ballet dancer whose career was cut short due to injury, it is her mission to facilitate the healthy growth of students’ bodies, so that they can reach their maximum potential and continue to dance effortlessly and injury-free.

Dr. Oshima’s innovative, sought-after, and highly praised (https://www.therapyenpointe.com/testimonials) workshops can be customized based on YOUR needs, budget, and availability:

• For dancers or dance educators of all ages, levels, and backgrounds
• Topics include: injury prevention, proper warm-up, self-assessment, strength and conditioning, long-term development in dance, building resilience for dancers, learning Physics through Ballet, etc.
• Traditional ballet masterclasses

Dr. Natsuko Oshima was born in Osaka (Japan) and has been a soloist for many prestigious professional companies across four continents, including Ballet Nacional SODRE (Uruguay), the National Romanian Opera Company of Iasi, and the Metropolitan Ballet of Minneapolis. She has also performed with the Singapore Dance Theatre, Alberta Ballet, the Calgary Opera, and the Ryoko Arima Ballet Company.

Dr. Oshima received her training in ballet, character dance, jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, and tap at the Osaka School of Music and the Académie de Ballet Kyoto. In 2006, Dr. Oshima attended the famous Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. She completed pre-professional dance studies at the Alberta Ballet School and under the mentorship of Bolshoi Prima Ballerina, Tatiana Berenova.

Dr. Oshima has received top awards at the Osaka Prix for Ballet, the All-Japan National Ballet Union, the Machida Ballet Competition, the U.S.A. International Ballet Competition, and was a bronze medal winner at the 2010 World Ballet Competition.

Dr. Oshima is passionate about inspiring the next generation of dancers. She has supervised rehearsals at the Metropolitan Ballet of Minneapolis and held ballet masterclasses in Uruguay, in addition to preparing advanced students for professional auditions. In the U.S., she has taught advanced classes at the Marjorie Kovich School of Ballet (OK) and performed as guest artist and soloist with the Central Virginia Ballet, and the Norman Ballet Company, for which she also served as committee member. Dr. Oshima continues to teach ballet regularly in workshops and private coachings during her yearly visits to Japan. Her online classes are available at GleeDance.com, an educational dance and fitness platform. Dr. Oshima received her doctoral degree in Physical Therapy from Texas Woman’s University in 2022. She has conducted and presented pioneering dance movement research on the Effects of Abrupt Tempo Changes on Landing Mechanics during Repeated Jumps for Ballet Dancers at the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science’s (IADMS) 32nd annual conference in Limerick (Ireland). She received the poster competition award and was an IADMS Dance Educators Award nominee.

 
In 2022, Dr. Oshima founded THERAPY EN POINTE, LLC, a specialized mobile physical therapy and wellness service to prevent and treat dance-related injuries. She has been a guest clinician for the Arkansas Dance Network, Arkansas Circus Arts, and Ballet Arkansas, among others. For more information, please visit: https://www.therapyenpointe.com/