drdance

Oh WOW!!!!! All of those offers! Spoilt for choice! Many, many congratulations and best wishes for the start of the next stage! xxx

Seeing as this has bumped the thread - I wonder if there was news from the OP?

I should've said "standing foot" really but you get the idea!!

I would agree with the advice here. From the outset, your hips do not appear to be 'square' but it might be the video angle. Try to use your lower tummy muscles to control your pelvis and hips. Kate_N's advice about 'getting on your leg' is spot on too - ensure you transfer your centre over the toes of the supporting foot. A nice easy way of doing that is looking in the mirror and making sure that your tummy button is directly above the middle of your standing leg, all while keeping your hip-bones level. In order to do this, you'll need to pull up your supporting side and lengthen the gesture leg away from you in a 2-way pull. Try to work on really isolating the leg from your body. Floor barre or PBT exercises are good to help you feel this.

Hi, MIDAS will be running back to school classes during the week of 21st August in Birmingham. Applications will be open next week. Keep an eye on our Facebook or www.midas-dance.org.uk for details.

I'd just like to remind everyone that the closing date for auditions is April 30th so there's still time to apply, but please be quick! Thanks

Really? That's interesting. Incidentally, who is the new provider? I saw Sharon there when I went over for a meeting, not that long ago!

*Morrison. Still at Elmhurst!

Hi, based on knowledge of audition photo requirements I would think it is one arm above the head and one at the side as in (2):

You could try the GP referral service to the NIDMS clinic in Bham but I don't think they see under 14s.

Thank you for your support RichieN :-)

A quick update for you all: Last weekend I "ran" 18 miles in preparation for the big day which is now less than 3 weeks away! Yesterday I did a 10K race and once my calves recover I'll be heading out for another long (circa 15 miles) run later this week. My fundraising is going well but I'm still a way off target so if you can spare a few pounds for a wonderful charity I would be incredibly grateful.http://tiny.cc/vbo9jy

Hi, MIDAS is once a month, classes in Birmingham, focus is split equally on ballet technique, artistry and conditioning. Teachers come from a large pool of experts in their respective fields including soloist and principal dancers from ENB, BRB and freelance ballet professionals plus dance conditioning specialists such as those working at Royal Ballet School and freelance with professional dance artists. We're also lucky enough to have a live pianist. Emphasis is on safe and effective training of vocational dancers equipped to deal with the demands of the profession in the 21st century.

I too would guard against ankle weights - there's been some research that shows they have been associated with hip injuries. PdQ do you know what sort of things your pupil is doing in her conditioning classes? What are the credentials of the teacher? Conditioning done properly should not change the way a dancer moves so it could be that she's doing dance movements and getting conflicting technical feedback (just a thought)

Thank you all - you've been very helpful

Can any of you lovely folks recommend a dance or sports physio in Staffordshire? It's for a student who is near Stoke on Trent. Thank you

No no and no again! If you want a passive stretch for your foot you're better off using your hands as you can 'escape' it quickly. These devices are so bad for many reasons including compression of the achilles tendon, passive overstretching ligaments in the foot and ankle = decreased strength and stability. There's no such thing as a shortcut - work hard, build strength and train effectively.

I'm sure I read somewhere about dancers using bread to clean their pointe shoes!! I might've imagined it though

Hi Anna, I hope you don't mind me 'chiming' in on this one. Does the click happen on any other movement or just rises? Does it happen on the up or down part? Where abouts is the click? (in the muscle, in the achilles tendon, deeper in the joint, on the inside, on the outside etc etc), have you had any previous ankle injury? Personally I would be asking all of these questions, and looking at how you move before trying to say what is causing it because it's difficult to know (and potentially dangerous to suggest) without knowing the full picture. You are right in that unless painful a click usually isn't anything to be overly concerned about but if you are worried, or it is happening more frequently, or you anticipate increasing your workload and are worried it might become more of an issue then it's worth looking into.

MIDAS auditions are in May/June - closing date for applications is April 30th

I'll be there tomorrow!

Thanks Tulip. It is heartbreaking isn't it. Hopefully some day all this research will help find a cure. Thank you again to those who are donating.

Thank you again to those who are donating - it really means a lot to have your backing and will help me when it all gets very painful!!!

I conduct injury prevention screenings for young dancers and can advise on 'pre-habilitation' exercises etc. please PM me if you're interested.

Thank you so much both of you - I really appreciate your donations! Xxxxxx