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Thanks!
Sincerely,
Nina Amir
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
What's a Mom to Do When Her Dancin' Boy Doesn't Think?
I pulled up at my son's school on Friday to pick him up and take him to dance just in time to see him jump up onto a fence with his right foot and land back on the ground with -- your guessed it -- his hurt left foot. I was livid. I wouldn't talk to him for the first 15 minutes in the car. Then, when I finally did open my mouth I told him to quit dancing or at least go tell all his dance teachers to forget about having him in their recitals and ballets in May and June.
What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking. He admitted it. And what was I thinking? Taking him to fancy sports doctors and all? Sometimes I think I'm crazy.
The good news is that at Ballet San Jose School the ballet mistress and school director, Lise LaCour, is concerned about Julian's recovery process -- and having him ready for the end of the year ballet and showcase. So, she has not only asked her best instructor and only male ballet teacher, Peter Brandenhoff, to keep an eye on Julian, and she has requested that Julian come for extra classes. The extra classes seemed like a pain in the patooty, and Julian isn't too crazy about it. We were a bit worried about him overdoing it and getting hurt again, which would not be good, but we've seen the logic to Lise's approach.
By attending extra classes last week to do only barre work, Julian has been strengthening muscles he will need to do the jumps and turns he can begin doing a little bit this week. This week, he will continue doing extra barre work while he starts across-the-floor exercises (one out of every three times the others do the exercises). Next week, he'll increase the amount of across-the-floor work he does (every other time the others do the exercises) while continuing to do double the barre work. As the week progresses, if his foot feels fine he can even do a little extra across-the-floor work, meaning that he can do some of the exercises in the extra class as well. Little by little, he will get stronger without hurting himself (hopefully).
He is doing all of this in a jazz sneaker at this point, mind you, to protect that small bone and growth plate on the side of his foot. He will dance in that for four weeks before going back to his normal jazz and ballet shoes. For hip hop, he is wearing regular street shoes or sneakers.
The other part of this good news comes with the extra attention Julian is getting from Peter Brandenhoff. For years, I've been trying to explain to Julian that when he does barre work he has to do it as if it is an isometric exercise. I've shown him with my arm the difference between raising my arm with no resistance and with a lot of resistance, with the muscles loose and the muscles tight. Somehow, he never got the message. However, Peter spent some time with him last week as part of his recuperation and watched him do his barre work very carefully. First he simply corrected his technique. The, he showed him how tightly he had to hold his muscles with each move and even when holding a position. Julian came our of class dripping wet -- for the first time! He'll never be able to take ballet class again and be able to tell himself he's working hard unless he works like that.
That made me as a mother the happiest! Yes, I want him back in shape so he won't get hurt. Yes, I want him ready to perform in his end-of-the-year recital, ballet and showcase. More than that, I want him to improve and to excel, and the lesson he learned from Peter will help him accomplish that. He wants so badly to be a good dancer, and he spends so many hours at the ballet studio. Yet, he doesn't seem to improve as much as he or I think he should. Now he should see that improvement come in leaps and bounds. At least I hope that's what we'll see.
Of course, he could again stop thinking and then he'll either just forget what he's been taught or get hurt again. That's a boy for you.
What was he thinking? He wasn't thinking. He admitted it. And what was I thinking? Taking him to fancy sports doctors and all? Sometimes I think I'm crazy.
The good news is that at Ballet San Jose School the ballet mistress and school director, Lise LaCour, is concerned about Julian's recovery process -- and having him ready for the end of the year ballet and showcase. So, she has not only asked her best instructor and only male ballet teacher, Peter Brandenhoff, to keep an eye on Julian, and she has requested that Julian come for extra classes. The extra classes seemed like a pain in the patooty, and Julian isn't too crazy about it. We were a bit worried about him overdoing it and getting hurt again, which would not be good, but we've seen the logic to Lise's approach.
By attending extra classes last week to do only barre work, Julian has been strengthening muscles he will need to do the jumps and turns he can begin doing a little bit this week. This week, he will continue doing extra barre work while he starts across-the-floor exercises (one out of every three times the others do the exercises). Next week, he'll increase the amount of across-the-floor work he does (every other time the others do the exercises) while continuing to do double the barre work. As the week progresses, if his foot feels fine he can even do a little extra across-the-floor work, meaning that he can do some of the exercises in the extra class as well. Little by little, he will get stronger without hurting himself (hopefully).
He is doing all of this in a jazz sneaker at this point, mind you, to protect that small bone and growth plate on the side of his foot. He will dance in that for four weeks before going back to his normal jazz and ballet shoes. For hip hop, he is wearing regular street shoes or sneakers.
The other part of this good news comes with the extra attention Julian is getting from Peter Brandenhoff. For years, I've been trying to explain to Julian that when he does barre work he has to do it as if it is an isometric exercise. I've shown him with my arm the difference between raising my arm with no resistance and with a lot of resistance, with the muscles loose and the muscles tight. Somehow, he never got the message. However, Peter spent some time with him last week as part of his recuperation and watched him do his barre work very carefully. First he simply corrected his technique. The, he showed him how tightly he had to hold his muscles with each move and even when holding a position. Julian came our of class dripping wet -- for the first time! He'll never be able to take ballet class again and be able to tell himself he's working hard unless he works like that.
That made me as a mother the happiest! Yes, I want him back in shape so he won't get hurt. Yes, I want him ready to perform in his end-of-the-year recital, ballet and showcase. More than that, I want him to improve and to excel, and the lesson he learned from Peter will help him accomplish that. He wants so badly to be a good dancer, and he spends so many hours at the ballet studio. Yet, he doesn't seem to improve as much as he or I think he should. Now he should see that improvement come in leaps and bounds. At least I hope that's what we'll see.
Of course, he could again stop thinking and then he'll either just forget what he's been taught or get hurt again. That's a boy for you.
Monday, April 7, 2008
What Benji Schwimmer Says about Dance Injuries
Boys who have, like my son, suffered time off of dance while they recuperated from dance-related injuries, should know they are not alone. Even the best dancers get injured, and they, too, hate sitting one the side while everyone else jumps and turns and pirouettes across the floor.
Sometimes it helps to hear what someone you respect has to say about the obstacles you face. That's the premise of the book I'm writing about mentoring boys who want to become professional dancers. So, here are a few words from swing dancing champion Benji Schwimmer, the 2007 winner of So You Think You Can Dance, who told me during a two-hour interview that dancers get lots of injuries along the way to stardom and that these always make them feel depressed and helpless. Despite this fact, there are ways to move through these negative feelings and come out of an injury better than ever.
If your son is injured or has been, share what Benji has to say:
I reminded my son of this story when he was feeling upset up the recital and ballet rehearsals he was missing because of his hurt foot. He was concerned that he might be told my his instructors that he couldn't perform. I told him that he simply needed to continue stretching and strengthening as much as he could until he could get out on the dance floor again and that he needed to continue going to class and marking the choreography to ensure that he would know the dance when it came time to actually perform it. And I told him he would have to work hard when he could actually dance again to get up to speed and totally in shape. If he did these things, surely he would be on stage with the other dancers when the curtain went up for both events.
It all comes down to how badly these young male dancers want that goal, how hard they are willing to work. (Unfortunately, often their age stops them from working hard enough, which deters them in many ways. But that's the subject of another post.) If like, Benji, they will do what it takes to get themselves back onto the dance floor in tip top shape, they too can "win" whatever prize they desire. It helps, however, to know that someone understands their frustration.
The director of the ballet school, Lise LaCour, has offered to work with Julian herself, or to have Julian's male instructor, Peter Brandenhoff, give Julian private lessons (for free) when he returns to dancing to help him get in shape. That will also boost his confidence, improve his mood and help him get back up to speed. I had already suggested paying for a few private lessons at Studio 10 with Keith Banks to get him ready for the recital (even though those lessons are very expensive).
As a parent, we have to do what we have to do to help these boys. They seem so rough and tough, yet they are really very fragile and sensitive.
I'll keep you posted. One more week and then hopefully the boot comes off.
Sometimes it helps to hear what someone you respect has to say about the obstacles you face. That's the premise of the book I'm writing about mentoring boys who want to become professional dancers. So, here are a few words from swing dancing champion Benji Schwimmer, the 2007 winner of So You Think You Can Dance, who told me during a two-hour interview that dancers get lots of injuries along the way to stardom and that these always make them feel depressed and helpless. Despite this fact, there are ways to move through these negative feelings and come out of an injury better than ever.
If your son is injured or has been, share what Benji has to say:
"Probably one of the most difficult times in my life was right after I had wonAnd you know what? He not only came back he reclaimed his swim champion title as well.
the United States Swing Dance Championships with my cousin, Heidi (Groskreutz)…I was teaching a class at a college, and I ripped my knee into shreds. I had all these bookings and shows planned throughout the year that I had to cancel. I was depressed beyond recognition. I thought, 'Wow, I didn’t realize how fragile the human body is until that moment and how scary it is to be injured.'
That was a tough time. Eventually I had a surgery and had to get back on my feet and reclaim my swing title the next year. But I was out for seven and a half months, and that was definitely a very trying time in my life. I had to get back into shape and do therapy, but I came back like a bat out of hell."
I reminded my son of this story when he was feeling upset up the recital and ballet rehearsals he was missing because of his hurt foot. He was concerned that he might be told my his instructors that he couldn't perform. I told him that he simply needed to continue stretching and strengthening as much as he could until he could get out on the dance floor again and that he needed to continue going to class and marking the choreography to ensure that he would know the dance when it came time to actually perform it. And I told him he would have to work hard when he could actually dance again to get up to speed and totally in shape. If he did these things, surely he would be on stage with the other dancers when the curtain went up for both events.
It all comes down to how badly these young male dancers want that goal, how hard they are willing to work. (Unfortunately, often their age stops them from working hard enough, which deters them in many ways. But that's the subject of another post.) If like, Benji, they will do what it takes to get themselves back onto the dance floor in tip top shape, they too can "win" whatever prize they desire. It helps, however, to know that someone understands their frustration.
The director of the ballet school, Lise LaCour, has offered to work with Julian herself, or to have Julian's male instructor, Peter Brandenhoff, give Julian private lessons (for free) when he returns to dancing to help him get in shape. That will also boost his confidence, improve his mood and help him get back up to speed. I had already suggested paying for a few private lessons at Studio 10 with Keith Banks to get him ready for the recital (even though those lessons are very expensive).
As a parent, we have to do what we have to do to help these boys. They seem so rough and tough, yet they are really very fragile and sensitive.
I'll keep you posted. One more week and then hopefully the boot comes off.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
My Foot Hurts...Again and Other Pains of Being a Young Male Dancer
I've got a son who dances. 13-year-old Julian dances six or seven days a week. He spends most of his time doing ballet, because he knows it will make him a great dancer in terms of technique. He has a scholarship at Ballet San Jose. He also does jazz and hip hop at a Studio 10 in the San Jose area, where he is taught by Keith Banks, who also taught So You Think You Can Dance first-season-winner Nick Lazarinni for a while. And he takes tap lessons with former ballet dancer and now world-renown hoofer Sam Weber. When he can, he does some break dancing with ReMinD, but he's moved away, so that doesn't happen often anymore. Julian, who started dancing when he was three years old, wants to be an all-around dancer and possibly to hit Broadway, since he also loves acting.
At the moment, however, he isn't doing any dancing at all. For the second time this year, he's laid up. This time, he's actually got his left foot in a "boot" to keep the ankle immobilized. He has hurt the growth plate on the side of his foot where a tendon that runs down the ankle attaches. (I could get into the biology of it, but I'll keep it simple.) That tendon is used for turning and jumping, all the things a dancer does, especially a young male dancer. In fact, he hurt it having turning competitions with a female dancer. Too many turns and the next morning he was having trouble walking. A trip to the podiatrist for x-rays, and we were told it was tendinitis at the point where the tendon joins to the bone. A trip to the sports specialist with x-rays in hand, and we were told it was actually an injury to the growth plate itself. Into the boot. No dancing for 2 weeks. Yesterday, the sports specialist said the boot has to stay on for another two weeks. Not great news when you've got a recital in June and a ballet school ballet and showcase in mid May.
Earlier this year, Julian was taking a jazz class at another studio in south San Jose, NorCal Performing Arts, and dislocated a toe. He was wearing those little pads on his feet that are popular with lyrical dancers. He'd used them for a lyrical number he'd performed in competition the year before. He rolled his foot a little too far over and caught the pinkie toe... Since he's a regular at the chiropractor's office, he actually adjusted the toe back into place himself. (Ouch!)He ended up with a hairline fracture and couldn't dance for two weeks and couldn't jump or turn for about four weeks or more.
I'm beginning to wonder what can be done to help our sons' feet stay healthy and strong. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. In the meantime, Julian is stretching, picking up pencils with his toes, and waiting to be told he can start physical therapy with a former dancer who works with other dancers using Pilate's. She'll show Julian what he can do to strengthen his feet and legs, and hopefully he can go home or to the dance studio and do this with bands and such on his own.
The problem, of course, is trying to get a 13-year-old who spend so many hours in the dance studio -- when he isn't laid up -- to do any type of stretching or exercising once he gets home. By then, he doesn't want to do anything at all. Which isn't to say that he doesn't dance around the kitchen or tap his way to the television set!
And he's frustrated by going to class at this point to stretch, do a little strengthening and simply watch. He cried, (Yes, cried...) the other night when he told me, "Mom, I hate just watching. I don't want to just sit there and watch." Yet, his ballet teachers want him there watching, and he needs to watch his jazz class and his ballet rehearsals so he can mark his dances.
Ah, the times dancers are hurt are, I believe the hardest on them. I know, when I interviewed Benji Schwimmer, he told me that, indeed, this is true. Next blog, maybe I'll offer his suggestions on how to cope with being laid up.
Back to why I wanted to start this blog: I am a journalist and an author, and I'm working on a book about mentoring boys who want to be professional dancers. So, I'm hoping to make this blog not only about the escapades of my son and his dancing feet but about how to help young boys make it in the world of dance. They may get all the accolades once they are on stage -- and sometimes in class, too -- but it's a tough road to hoe when you're the only boy in a class full of girls and you're teased at school by the other boys (and sometimes the girls, too) and you always feel different for choosing dance over sports. There are more issues, such as those that realte to sexuality, finding good role models, having friends who can relate to you, learning to dance like a guy, being stereotyped, and locating dance clothes suitable for boys, but suffice it to say, from about the age of 8 until they are 15 or 16, boys need a lot of support if they are going to not give in to peer pressure and their own personal issues and give up on their dreams of being professional dancers. So, helping them succeed in the world of dance is important, and I'd like to help not only my son but other boys as well. That's what this blog is about -- helping boys who want to become professional dancers achieve their goal and helping the parents of boys who want to become professional dancers help their sons realize their dreams.
In the process of researching my book, I've already interviewed such notable male professional dancers, choreographers and artistic directors as Jason Samuels Smith, Sam Weber, Dennis Nahat, and Benji Schwimmer. Next on my list is Rasta Thomas. There will be at least five or 10 more great dancers included in the book before I'm done. (If you know any great agents or publishers who might want to help me get this book out, drop me a note! If you have suggestions for really superb, young professional male dancers I should consider interviewing, send those along as well.) While I can't share all the information I glean from the interviews here, I'll be dropping little pearls of wisdom they share with me and telling you a bit about the experience of interviewing these dance greats. I'll also try to share good web sites and other helpful resources. There aren't many places on the Internet to go for information on boys in dance, so hopefully this will be it. And soon Julian and I will be creating a web site to go with this blog, so look for that (hopefully before year end).
Until next posting, keep those boys dancing! (And don't step on their feet. They've got enough problems with their tootsies without anyone making it any worse.)
At the moment, however, he isn't doing any dancing at all. For the second time this year, he's laid up. This time, he's actually got his left foot in a "boot" to keep the ankle immobilized. He has hurt the growth plate on the side of his foot where a tendon that runs down the ankle attaches. (I could get into the biology of it, but I'll keep it simple.) That tendon is used for turning and jumping, all the things a dancer does, especially a young male dancer. In fact, he hurt it having turning competitions with a female dancer. Too many turns and the next morning he was having trouble walking. A trip to the podiatrist for x-rays, and we were told it was tendinitis at the point where the tendon joins to the bone. A trip to the sports specialist with x-rays in hand, and we were told it was actually an injury to the growth plate itself. Into the boot. No dancing for 2 weeks. Yesterday, the sports specialist said the boot has to stay on for another two weeks. Not great news when you've got a recital in June and a ballet school ballet and showcase in mid May.
Earlier this year, Julian was taking a jazz class at another studio in south San Jose, NorCal Performing Arts, and dislocated a toe. He was wearing those little pads on his feet that are popular with lyrical dancers. He'd used them for a lyrical number he'd performed in competition the year before. He rolled his foot a little too far over and caught the pinkie toe... Since he's a regular at the chiropractor's office, he actually adjusted the toe back into place himself. (Ouch!)He ended up with a hairline fracture and couldn't dance for two weeks and couldn't jump or turn for about four weeks or more.
I'm beginning to wonder what can be done to help our sons' feet stay healthy and strong. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. In the meantime, Julian is stretching, picking up pencils with his toes, and waiting to be told he can start physical therapy with a former dancer who works with other dancers using Pilate's. She'll show Julian what he can do to strengthen his feet and legs, and hopefully he can go home or to the dance studio and do this with bands and such on his own.
The problem, of course, is trying to get a 13-year-old who spend so many hours in the dance studio -- when he isn't laid up -- to do any type of stretching or exercising once he gets home. By then, he doesn't want to do anything at all. Which isn't to say that he doesn't dance around the kitchen or tap his way to the television set!
And he's frustrated by going to class at this point to stretch, do a little strengthening and simply watch. He cried, (Yes, cried...) the other night when he told me, "Mom, I hate just watching. I don't want to just sit there and watch." Yet, his ballet teachers want him there watching, and he needs to watch his jazz class and his ballet rehearsals so he can mark his dances.
Ah, the times dancers are hurt are, I believe the hardest on them. I know, when I interviewed Benji Schwimmer, he told me that, indeed, this is true. Next blog, maybe I'll offer his suggestions on how to cope with being laid up.
Back to why I wanted to start this blog: I am a journalist and an author, and I'm working on a book about mentoring boys who want to be professional dancers. So, I'm hoping to make this blog not only about the escapades of my son and his dancing feet but about how to help young boys make it in the world of dance. They may get all the accolades once they are on stage -- and sometimes in class, too -- but it's a tough road to hoe when you're the only boy in a class full of girls and you're teased at school by the other boys (and sometimes the girls, too) and you always feel different for choosing dance over sports. There are more issues, such as those that realte to sexuality, finding good role models, having friends who can relate to you, learning to dance like a guy, being stereotyped, and locating dance clothes suitable for boys, but suffice it to say, from about the age of 8 until they are 15 or 16, boys need a lot of support if they are going to not give in to peer pressure and their own personal issues and give up on their dreams of being professional dancers. So, helping them succeed in the world of dance is important, and I'd like to help not only my son but other boys as well. That's what this blog is about -- helping boys who want to become professional dancers achieve their goal and helping the parents of boys who want to become professional dancers help their sons realize their dreams.
In the process of researching my book, I've already interviewed such notable male professional dancers, choreographers and artistic directors as Jason Samuels Smith, Sam Weber, Dennis Nahat, and Benji Schwimmer. Next on my list is Rasta Thomas. There will be at least five or 10 more great dancers included in the book before I'm done. (If you know any great agents or publishers who might want to help me get this book out, drop me a note! If you have suggestions for really superb, young professional male dancers I should consider interviewing, send those along as well.) While I can't share all the information I glean from the interviews here, I'll be dropping little pearls of wisdom they share with me and telling you a bit about the experience of interviewing these dance greats. I'll also try to share good web sites and other helpful resources. There aren't many places on the Internet to go for information on boys in dance, so hopefully this will be it. And soon Julian and I will be creating a web site to go with this blog, so look for that (hopefully before year end).
Until next posting, keep those boys dancing! (And don't step on their feet. They've got enough problems with their tootsies without anyone making it any worse.)
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