Thecatsmother

Thank you. That's not a bad idea actually. Could not actually swim as kicking movement makes it even more unstable. To date the tape recommended by Spanner and the DVD of Darcey Bussell's Pilates have made things a little easier. It is actually quite relaxing as well with music that is on DVD. Am posting this as am keen to help others who may find themselves in a similar situation at some point. Hopefully not with my injury which apparently occurs in 1 in 55000 of the population! Well typical me to do something unusual. I have really appreciated the support from the forum as it's a lonely process.

That sounds like an entirely normal reaction as a mother and not being there must make it harder. Wishing you some sleep tonight and your son a speedy recovery.

Many thanks. I just actually found this on Amazon so have ordered some. I have also ordered a floor barre DVD so I can do something but also self regulate in terms of avoiding things which I know make it worse. There are some which have nice ballet music with it so that is the best I can do right now I guess. Trying to view this as a chance to come back stronger but we will see what my foot has to say about it.

It's a fascinating setting as I was lucky enough to attend a company audition at the theatre. I got used to French auditions but speaking no German made the whole calling out numbers thing v tricky for many. It does get mighty cold in the winter.

I think a bit of both Moomin but I will try that.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I am choreographing two pointe solos next Sunday at one of the schools I teach but will be a whole new experience for me not being able to move much. Anyway I am meant to try and get foot a bit sore according to surgeon before scan on Monday so something hopefully shows up. Weird that I have a bone moving in my foot and yet no scans can find out 100% which one. 2 sets of X-rays, MRI and 2 ultrasound scans. Two questions which I don't know if anyone can help with. I have to keep my foot taped in a specific way to try and prevent bones shifting as much as is possible. I am not allergic to tape but skin getting so sore with strapping. I take it off for rests but does anyone know any kind of tape that could go underneath to protect skin that you can get in UK? I anticipate at least another 2 weeks in my current state and as a result really need to find some form of exercise to keep me sane. Any suggestions? I cannot walk far without pain, balance on one foot, do anything which involves my foot taking weight on demi pointe or using it to support body weight such as in some forms of yoga. Ideally I would like to get plugged into something that I could maybe do early recovery with the right person to monitor.

I would advise careful monitoring and strapping to help protect the ankle while it heals. Ideally see a dance physio but continue to use ice after class, gradually mobilise and definitely use taping if it is a hyper mobile foot. Lisa Howell has a good clip on taping for pointe work. The other thing I would say is monitor pain and swelling and if this worsens seek more advice. It is all too common to want to get back ASAP but this may delay the process in the long term. Theraband exercise could be done in the meantime to strengthen foot and ankle plus practising just standing on one foot which can be done with eyes shut if it gets too easy. All this should bring her back stronger in time but my advice is given without full knowledge of the extent of injury so be guided by your teacher and pain levels.

It's more of an issue if you work freelance outside a company or setting such as Pineapple etc. Even working freelance for a company requires you to have your own insurance on top of the company's. Technically the teacher is only liable during class. This is not about lack of care for students but there do need to be clear parameters as adults sign up to take class at their own risk but the teacher cannot be held liable if someone decides to practice something unsafe or not suitable whilst cold and unsupervised. This was my rationale for warning against using company studios out of class to practice solos without the consent of the organisation as technically they could question why this had happened.

In addition, I am not marketing for Lisa Howell but I thought this article on pointe work for adults might be of interest given past discussions http://www.theballetblog.com/article/pointe/how-old-is-too-old-to-start-pointe-work/

It's not a bad idea Michelle to set up your own blog. That way you can share your passions but in a forum that is perhaps more appropriate for certain aspects of your class endeavours etc. This makes it clear that your training practice is entirely subjective and not something that could place others at risk if they did not have the knowledge needed to understand how to learn in a way which is safe for them.

These are just my thoughts although I appreciate that context of teaching is likely to be relevant. I guess there are key elements that all teachers need to know about such as safe practice, communication, structuring a class, musicality, working with specific populations, injury management to name but a few. Again I think it depends on the setting. I think some form of recognised teaching qualification is a good basis but if someone is say teaching dance in a academic school as part of the school curriculum then this may be more educationally based in terms of qualification. Some may elect to teach a specific syllabus which again would govern their teacher's training. No matter what training takes place it is important that this is not too academic and there is plenty of hands on experience as this is ultimately what brings it to life. For vocational students my take is that whilst it is not completely necessary, it is useful to have teachers who know what it is like to perform, have a professional career. Having said that I think there is much that other teachers who have not danced professionally can offer in terms of other needs of students, improving technique etc. I guess my conclusion would be that one size does not fit all and context is key. I think some form of teaching experience is useful for professionals changing career to teaching but having said that some of the professional dancers teachers courses have shrunk considerably in terms of the length of the course. I guess it's about breaking it down into what components are needed for the setting where the teaching is occurring and then adding in the elusive quality that makes some more natural teachers than others.

Yes, it is complex and quite shocking the way the store have managed it. I am the second ex professional dancer/teacher to be injured in this store. I will say no more re this as it is a public forum. For now I have to distance the injustice of the situation and concentrate on recovery.

That's a good idea re Christmas. Maybe I should be one of those irritating people who has all their Xmas shopping done by end of October????

http://www.theballetblog.com/article/dance-injuries/how-to-treat-a-dance-injury/ I guess I will have to see. I have some solos to choreograph which I am going to try and do seated. Above is a new blog from Lisa Howell re managing to reduce impact of injuries from the point of the injury. I hope it might help others if they read now as you never know the minute????

Thank you so much for all the ideas. I guess ballet is a great form of non verbal self expression which I will miss so I am going to have to find another source. I hope the ideas in this thread may also help other dancers to construct a metaphorical first aid kit to get through a period like I am facing. Luckily I have another job and although this will have to be limited it should help to keep me going practically and give me a small amount of earnings. I don't hold out much hope re my legal case as store destroyed most of CCTV footage.

I guess all I can say is it is difficult to provide constructive advice and feedback unless an individual is receptive to hearing this and integrating the information. I shall move away from this thread as it seems no input is needed and it has become almost a blog about classes.

V sweet. Thank you for all your support. I need to have a nuclear scan so will be like that scene in the Simpsons where he goes into radioactive plant. It's a cast I think below knee and needs to be plaster to reduce risk of the bone moving. I think it them goes to walking plaster after 6 weeks. I guess it will make a good ankle weight:) Thanks for all the ideas as am terrible at sitting still. I will not say anything re causation of injury on a public forum but what I will say is do be careful on wet shop floors.

It's a mid foot injury named after Napoleon's surgeon who apparently fell off his horse and his foot stayed in the stirrup. No horse riding involved for me just a fall. A bone in the mid foot starts to dislocate due to ligament or bone injury. Apparently it is quite rare but will require two joints to be fused in my foot and then in plaster:(

Lisfranc injury. Long rehab. Any advice as to activities which help pass time when non weight bearing is needed post surgery. I am terrible at sitting still????

No matter what an adult learner wishes to achieve it is surely about quality rather then quantity. It takes time for an adult or indeed any dancer to be able to correct themselves. I think enjoyment and safety should always come at the top of the hierarchy of essential aspects of class but perhaps it is also worth considering different ways in which adults can review their progress. Self report may not be the most accurate form of assessment and should be used in conjunction with feedback from teachers. For example, being able to get your leg higher may not be a sign of progress if other aspects of technique are compromised in order to achieve this. I guess what I am saying is sometimes less is more. As I think I have quoted before, in the words of a wise teacher/ex professional dancer whom I respect, 'practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent'. I think this encapsulates my point(e)????

Most of the thinking I have heard from dance physio's, in particular, Lisa Howell is that stretching is best done at the end of class as it can cause a decrease in muscle power during class.

You may see other aspects of the career if you went professional????

I was thinking the same as Tulip. Have a look online as they do academic work as well.

Personal message me if I can explore options with you

Hello, Where will your family be based over next year or so?