| Tap Dancer Evan Ruggiero (Dance Magazine) |
Dance is medicine. Movement is potent. Empower yourself with it today.
—Amy Leigh Mercree
My morning ritual generally includes sweeping floors, given my small cat sheds like a molting bison. Two Thursdays ago, while bending forward with the dustpan, I felt my lower back tweak. Through experience, I’ve learned it’s best to immediately lie flat on the floor and do my best to breathe and relax. That helped, and it seemed to be feeling better by Saturday so I took a good, slow, long walk. Afterwards, as I went to pull off my sock — distracted by my phone, mind you — I gasped aloud at the sudden, wrenching pain. Now I’d done it.
We dancers rely on our bodies more than most. When injured, it’s easy to become despondent. At times like these, however, it’s especially important to afford ourselves understanding and to focus on our capabilities and capacity for healing. In the Dance Magazine article 5 Dancers On What They Love Most About Their Bodies, tap dancer Evan Ruggiero, who has a prosthetic leg, says “My favorite thing about my body is the amount of different legs I can attach to my body now.” Donning an actual exhaust pipe for one performance, Ruggiero said a benefit is that “I’m really able to make different sounds that other tap dancers aren’t able to make.” Paige Fraser, a contemporary dancer born with scoliosis, says “I have grown to love my spine.” Accepting her body helped Fraser realize that “Having scoliosis makes me unique and it makes what I represent powerful.”
Years ago, a string of back injuries seemed to, I thought, indicate something about me was broken. Luckily, a skilled chiropractor instilled in me that there was nothing seriously wrong and, given time and care, I would heal. That learning helped calm my frustration at being injured (and missing two dances I really wanted to be at last week), and encouraged me be more patient and thoughtful. I’d say my favorite thing about my body is its resilience, and I’m grateful it allows me (most of the time) to participate in an activity as joyfully meaningful as dance. In fact, some mindful movement in dance class last Thursday really helped me turn the corner, and I was able to launch into a big, eventful weekend filled with fun dancing.
Breathe deep, care for yourself, and count your blessings as you peruse the many events, online at the Dance Calendar, where you can go to revel in your body’s power and movement.
See you on the dance floor —Sean Donovan