by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Jan 22, 2012 | Ballet Health
There has been research done in the past decade on the effects of dance on the well-being of Parkinson disease patients. The English National Ballet and Dr. Sara Houston have partnered to help patients of this illness Dance for Parkinson’s disease a success. Dance for Parkinson’s Disease Dance for Parkinson’s offers people with Parkinson’s, their carers and family member’s an artistic and engaging dance activity within the professional environment of English National Ballet. Saturday dance sessions in Kensington offer an insight into the way a production is put together with input from Company dancers and musicians and there is the added opportunity to see English National Ballet performances. Programme English National Ballet is expanding its Dance for Parkinson’s programme nationally over three years creating more opportunities for regular dance and cultural activities for people with Parkinson’s Research English National Ballet commissioned Dr. Sara Houston and Ashley McGill, University of Roehampton, to research the benefits of Dance for Parkinson’s. The ground-breaking findings are collated in the report: English National Ballet: Dance for Parkinson’s, An Investigative Study. Top medical charity, the Bupa Foundation, recently awarded Dr. Sara Houston, University of Roehampton, its Vitality for Life Prize for her research on English National Ballet’s Dance for Parkinson’s programme. Vitality for Life Prize 2011 – Video below “Bridging the gap between the brain and the muscles.” – Michael Bennett, Dance Participant Video: Courtesy of the Bupa Foundation Channel on YouTube. “The ballet did make me urgently want to move more, and move better and hinted at how this might be possible.” “Dancing like this is helping me to get Mr Parkinson’s out of...
by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Jan 18, 2012 | Ballet Health
Dancers, from classical ballet to modern, Broadway actors and singers, even athletes swear by Zena Rommett’s Floor-Barre® Technique. Among her students, Zena has taught Judith Jamison, Tommy Tune, Patrick Swayze, Lar Lubovitch (and company), principal dancers with ABT, NYC Ballet, Joffrey, Martha Graham, Jose Limon, and many more. Former dancers, who are teachers now, include: Robert Atwood, Douglas Bolivar, Dawn Hillen and Mark Rubin. Since 1968, Zena Rommett’s Floor-Barre® Technique has helped injured dancers recover quickly and extend their careers. The program has also aided “regular” folks who suffer from back pain, significantly reduce or eliminate completely their symptoms, so even the non-dancer will benefit from her program, also known as The Art of Floor-Ballet. “By utilizing the floor, and without the stress of gravity associated with ‘standing’ at the ballet barre, dancers learn to align their bodies, lengthen their muscles, strengthen their joints, and fine-tune their movements. Floor-Barre® makes it possible for dancers to execute classical ballet movements with principles of alignment which are anatomically correct, and by using only the appropriate muscles… Over the past 50 years, Zena Rommett has earned the respect of the medical profession as a pioneer in injury prevention and rehabilitation.” You can learn more by visiting DanceNerds.com. Video from YouTube. Zena Rommett’s Floor-Barre® Technique Over 10 years ago I hurt my back during company class, but was not aware how severe the injury was until the following morning when I could not get out of bed! I was taken to our company’s physical therapist immediately and with rehabilitation I was back dancing in 2 weeks. Since then, I continue to strengthen my core...
by Romy Macias | Dec 21, 2011 | Ballet Health
Once again we are seeing Anorexia and La Scala Ballet Dancers in the news as a La Scala ballerina opens up about the issue of eating disorders. In her recently published book titled: “The Truth, Please, About Ballet,” Maria Francesca Garritano of La Scala in Milan finally speaks about eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. Anorexia and La Scala Ballet Dancers – It’s A Serious Problem Breaking an unspoken rule never to discuss eating disorders among Italy’s elite dance corps, Maria Francesca Garritano told the Observer that one in five ballerinas that she knew was anorexic and, as a result, many were now unable to have children. “The chance of getting fired has crossed my mind, but I love La Scala, I care about it, and that’s why I really hope things can change,” said Garritano, 33, who won a fiercely contested place at the company’s academy when she was 16. But behind the glittering globe- trotting profile of the company, all is not well with the dancers, said Garritano… Anorexia and bulimia, two eating disorders among the dancers are ignored. Both are portrayed in dramatic fashion in the film Black Swan, the Oscar-winning ballet psychodrama starring Natalie Portman. “I reduced my eating so much that my period stopped for a year and a half when I was 16 and 17, and I dropped to 43 kilos… Garritano could not ignore what was going on, so she rebelled, not without consequences. “I couldn’t take it in silence when teachers shrieked at us. If you use military training with ballerinas, you get robots, not artists.” “For months I would...
by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Dec 3, 2011 | Ballet Dancers, Ballet Health
Have you noticed that ballerinas or serious ballet students look younger than their actual age? All that exercise seems to keep them youthful. Muriel, from Kings Langely in the UK, has known the benefits of ballet for health and longevity: she’s just turned 107. A former ballet teacher from Kings Langley claims her life as a dancer has helped her reach the grand old age of 107. Demonstrating her flexibility, centenarian Muriel Green was high kicking her legs in the air in celebration on Wednesday afternoon at her residence, Ardent Nursing Home, Kings Langley. Mrs Green turned 107 on November 26 and celebrated the landmark birthday with friends and staff at the care home. She said: “I’ve lived here for three years, following a fall I had at my home in Lauderdale Road. Could dancing ballet be the secret to a long life? Mrs Green, who has worked as a ballet and Sunday school teacher, said: “Up until the age of 105 I would do my ballet stretches every day, but I’m not so steady now, so I don’t do them so often. “I can still kick my legs high into the air and I’m rarely unwell – I believe that is because of my training as a dancer. “I also like to have a little dance with residents at Christmas, with the help of the staff.” According to home manager Theresa Tayag, Mrs Green received a birthday card from the Queen, which is now being proudly displayed on the window ledge of Mrs Green’s room. Ms Tayag said: “Mrs Green is the oldest resident we have had at...
by Romy Macias, Senior Editor | Nov 28, 2011 | Ballet Health, Classical Ballet
Ballet Retirement: What does a ballet dancer do when it’s time to retire? Retiring from ballet for a dancer can and often is a scary proposition, due to age or injury, it’s a good idea to stay a step ahead. Melanie Kuxdorf, of TheTyee.ca explains how to face ballet retirement in the following article: After Life as Dancer, Help Learning New Steps The body can only take so much. Fortunately there’s the Dancer Transition Resource Centre. A box of tissues sits prominently on the coffee table at the Vancouver office of Canada’s Dancer Transition Resource Centre. Andrea Gunnlaugson, the B.C. program officer, points to it and says that it’s often in use when her members come to see her. She calls herself the “keeper of secrets.” A dance career offers little financial security. There are few workplace protections, no unions, and retirement looms when other careers are just getting started: most dancers retire from performing between the ages of 28 and 35. All of that leads to a lot of tears when dancers wind up in Gunnlaugson’s office. “We’re the safety place,” she says. A professional dancer herself who retired from performing only a few years ago, Gunnlaugson knows first-hand the pressures facing working dancers. “As an actor you can age and work. With dance you trash your body to such an extent that eventually you do have to stop.” When the DTRC first opened its doors in 1985 it was meeting a need for dancers in Canada. After spending their youth and careers in the studio, retiring dancers were ill-prepared for finding and starting a new career. With...
