Missing your SI

[Guest JRSDANCER87]

Hi, I can't write very much about this, I'm not in much condition to be talking right now, but I just found out my surgery has a 4 month recovery (minimum, the surgeon said that he did a city ballet soloist...this place is the hospital for special surgery in NYC and hes a sports medicine doctor so he gets a ton of city ballet dancers...and it took her 7 months to recover)...hence, I'm not going to be able to attend my summer intensive because it's in July. I'm extremely dissapointed about this and afraid it is pertinant in my training right now, and really don't know how I'm going to make it up, or make up for the lost time. I haven't danced one month already. It'll be September or late august before I'm going again. That's 5 months..how do I make it up when I get back?

[Robin G]

jenna, Sorry to hear of this. Sometimes you just have to do what you need to do-so just think of it as a good thing it's happening when you have that time in summer to recover and heal. Whenever you're ready you will slowly work back and all really will be fine! Although it's a bummer and you were looking forward to your SI,there's always next summer.Just do as you must and be well!!

[Mel Johnson]

Don't worry, PK, Jenna can use all the sympathy she can get at this point.

 

How you catch up is first to achieve what you had before you started. And that means starting back carefully and deliberately, not trying to kill everything, but just slowly work to get where you were. You'll have to be careful about relevés, and stretches, and jumps, and...well, you get the idea. It'll be a while before you gain back the ability you had, but not anything like 5 months.

[SFB2b]

you could always go to your SI and just not dance. its amazing how much you can learn from taking notes on classes.

[Mel Johnson]

And how much would you be willing to pay for the privilege of taking notes at a course made up primarily of physical activity?

[SFB2b]

i meant that if you can't get your money back, of course. a lot of programs don't give refunds.

[Victoria Leigh]

I think in the case of surgery, most any SI would cooperate here. They certainly should, anyway. However, the idea of watching and learning is always valid, but just do it at your home studio so that you are not paying tuition and room and board!

 

Injuries are always hard to deal with, no matter when they happen. I was out for a VERY long time during my career, and not sure that I would ever dance again. I started teaching, which I had been trained to do prior to ever dancing professionally, and just spent the time really getting into that, and studying about ballet and anatomy and kinesiology. It turned into a valuable time. Not easy, but still, valuable later. Fortunately, I was able to dance again, and then to begin teaching full time by choice. However, making good use of the time is very important, and will serve you well later, no matter what you decide to do with your life.

[Guest JRSDANCER87]

Thankyou all for your help, it has made my day better

[Dolphingirl]

I was out for almost a year total, from the time I stopped taking my regular classes until I was back in all my regular classes, when I hurt my knee. It's really no fun, I know! But having the surgery done so that you're recovering over the summer, even if you have to miss your SI, has some good things to it. It sounds like you wouldn't be able to go to the SI if you didn't have the surgery first, and recovering at your home studio, when you start classes again, is best. Your teachers there will, hopefully, be understanding and patient, if you have to modify things, or not do a few exercises. I still have nights, especially when the weather is really unpredictable, where my knee just doesn't want to work, and my teachers know that there are some nights (which are becoming much more few and far between) where I can't turn, or jump, or I have to wear a legwarmer through class. An SI would likely be less understanding, and certainly wouldn't be the place to recover. And, let me tell you, it's such a great feeling to be back in class again! My first class back with all my friends, even doing plain old plies from first gave me the biggest smile! It can be a little frustrating sometimes to have to take classes with the 8 year olds, or to have to work on finding your balance while your friends are turning triples, but you'll be amazed at how fast things come back to you, and how some things are even better! Keep us posted!

 

Dolphingirl

[qtpiedanzer01]

oh i am so sorry. i know what injury is like. it stinks to just sit out and watch everyone else dance. all i can say is to work 10 x's harder and always look at the positives.

[liliflower]

Maybe you could take a summer school course to give yourself more time once ballet starts up in september? So you could have an extra prep period once school starts to lessen your workload?

 

Maybe a course in Benesh notation?