July 21, 2008
I received GREAT news today! This is how it went....
Text from Kristina (TfK): "Woooo...Independent program!"
Me: "Me???????" :o)
TfK: "Yep...Independent program!"
Me: "YAYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm sooooo happy!!!!!!!"
*then jumps up and down* "OUCH!" *bounces knees instead!*
SO what does this mean you ask? It means I've been accepted to train at the Graham school. I can go at my own pace, for up to 2 years.
BUT my plan is this at the moment...I will finish up my last year of college at ULL, with my BFA. I will still apply to lots of places for my MFA, and will begin this program next summer ('09). As time progresses (this year) I will decide where grad school will take me, and if I'm lucky enough for NYU Tisch, then I'll be here in NYC. I want to work SUPER hard to get accepted into the Professional Training Program at the Graham School (with lots of work after one semester), and receive my certification, eventually doing the Teachers Training Program as well.
I'm really quite excited!!
Next step...fix this ankle
Prepare myself mentally and physically for the last year of undergrad, and to begin this new journey!
Mucho love, and more stories coming soon!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
AAA - ankle answers, and Auditions
July 20, 2008
Sorry it's been a few days. Thursday was a great day!
I had my appointment with Dr. Rose at the Harkness Center. One doctor saw me first, but I can't remember his name. I explained the long story of what's going on, and he immediately began messing around with my foot and ankle, targeting the exact location of the pain. I have 90 degree flexion in my left foot as far as my toes go, but about 45 degrees in the right one. He began pressing on the FHL tendon, which sent me almost flying off the table. He also asked me to stand in 2nd position and plie, asking where the pain was. (the fact that he even KNEW what 2nd position was amazed me lol).
He discussed everything with Dr. Rose, who came in with the other doctor and THREE Other doctors. He asked me to stand in 1st position, demi plie (again I was baffled lol). It was crazy lol Dr. Rose did the same things and confirmed a diagnosis of FHL tendonitis and Os Trigonum syndrome. Here are a few more explanations of these two:
Definition: An os trigonum is a small, round bone that sits just behind the ankle joint. The os trigonum is present in about 5-15% of normal feet. An os trigonum occurs when one area of bone does not fuse with the rest of the talus (ankle bone) during growth.
Normally, having an os trigonum is of no consequence. In some people, however, this small bone can get caught in the ankle, and even prevent normal motion. This is most commonly seen in ballet dancers who assume pointe and demipointe positions. These positions maximally plantarflex the ankle (point the toes down), and can cause the os trigonum to become pinched in the space behind the ankle.
Other causes of posterior ankle impingement include tendonitis, fracture, and ligament injuries.
Trigger Toe/FHL Tenosynovitis
Trigger toe occurs most commonly in female classical ballet dancers. It results when the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon on the inside of the ankle moves irregularly through its anatomical pulley mechanism around the ankle. Sometimes, the tendon actually locks distal to the tendon canal (near the big toe) and prohibits a dancer from using the strength in her big toe when en pointe. CausesTrigger toe can be the result of inflammation or a partial rupture of the FHL tendon, accompanied by swelling along the sheath in which it's contained. The tendon may become frayed and scarred down, adhering to the sheath and creating friction, inhibiting its smooth gliding motion. The condition may present as non-painful and annoying for a period of time before becoming painful. Pain is typically noticed as a dancer lowers from demi-pointe to flat. TreatmentEarly identification of trigger toe can assist in its recovery. Dancers should use ice, particularly ice massage as a way to decrease local inflammation. An athletic trainer or physical therapist consult is helpful to assist with soft tissue management of scarring or adhesions along the tendon. The dancer should take the time to perform slow, gentle stretching of the great toe prior to dancing. More significant cases may require surgery to release the ligamentous portion of the FHL sheath and repair the tendon.
Posterior Impingement SyndromePosterior impingement syndrome (dancer's heel)"I have pain with pointing my foot and relevé."Causes Posterior impingement syndrome, commonly known as dancer's heel, involves compression of soft tissues at the back of the ankle. A bony-formation or bump behind the ankle causes this compression. The dancer generally feels discomfort at the back of the ankle when the toe is pointed or in relevé. TreatmentDancers should use ice and anti-inflammatory medications to help reduce soft tissue swelling. Stretching of the tissues in the back of the heel (calf and Achilles) is important to reduce the stress placed on those structures. A physician and physical therapy/athletic training consults are indicated to identify joint mobility restrictions or other imbalances that might be contributing to the condition. Some health-care professionals may recommend steroid injections to assist with local inflammation. Finally, if non-surgical treatment does not help alleviate the discomfort, surgical intervention will be required to remove the bump that is compressing the soft tissue
I began to cry. I told them that I had been having this checked out for a year and a half now, to no avail, other than to be told to "deal with it". They told me that unless an orthopedist is really trained to detect these issues, and mainly for dancers, then it's hard to find and often misdiagnosed. I was misdiagnosed, with posterior tibial tendonitis, which is common with FHL tendonitis.
The next course of action is for me to get my xrays and mri's up here for Dr. Rose to look at himself. He doesn't want to charge me to do new ones as he's sure the current ones will show him what he needs to see. He said he wants to see if the Os Trigonum is for sure causing a lot of my pain, though he feels positive. He also wants to see the inflammation on the MRI, and to just see it all himself.
He definitely recommended surgery to release the tendon causing most of my pain, and he said if the Os Trigonum is a problem he can through the same incision to remove or shave the bone. He said there's a 98% success rate with the operation, and I would be out for 3 months (no longer), but back to "competition level" dancing immediately after that time.
So as of this week I will be trying to get those films sent up here, with a follow up on august 31st. Problem is I don't have 3 months to heal right now, and with insurance issues I might have to wait until the fall semester lets out. That would give me all of Christmas break to begin rehabilitation, and I'll be done with my dance classes for the spring. I definitely wanted to take some, but worst case is I participate in the classes without receiving credit as soon as I'm healed up.
SUCH A RELIEF to FINALLY receive some answers! They were sympathetic and so caring and kind to me. It's a great thing to have a clinic that caters to dancers.
Auditions for the Little Mermaid were AMAZING! A ton of FUN, very easy, and laid back as could be. There were 60 total non-equity dancers. I was number 5. We performed twice back to back, and at the end of the first group of 26 that I was with, they kept only 4. And I was completely happy not being one of those 4. I had such a great time, and met a few friendly dancers too!
Saturday was my audition for the Graham school. 50 people were there, including current program dancers auditioning for scholarships. I was mainly going for the Independent program as that's something I could do after graduation. They should have their selections posted on Tuesday.
Virginie singled me out with 3 other girls, right before we moved to across the floor, and said she had seen what she needed to with us. That the level was going to be seriously advanced next. They were beginning to let people go, though it didn't mean we weren't being selected for any programs. It just meant they had seen enough. I was a little perturbed, as she did something similar to me last year. I was talking ot Justin about it (whom was in town this weekend visiting me), and he said he thought I did great, that I looked just as good as everyone else, but he thinks my weight is the issue. And I think the same. I love this technique and I am good with it. Of course there's room for improvement but that's with anything and why I auditioned to be in the school. It's frustrating for me b/c I see myself as the skinny Melinda, while my body no longer reflects that. I'm very serious about getting back into shape safely, so I will be meeting with a nutritionalist when I get back to LA to try to get into tip top shape, as I am FED UP with this hindering my career thus far. Regardless I am proud of my work, and proud of my audition. I thought I hung in there nicely, and worked through the pain.
I'm very tired, as the heat is AWFUL here this weekend! The room we're renting has NO relief from the heat, as we have NO A/C. It really is miserable. I'm praying for a cold front LOL! It's draining, and the only relief that can be found is in a public place at this point.
I'll write more about my weekend with my husband *giggles*!
Love you guys! Thanks for all of your sweet words, especially those of encouragement and support!!
Sorry it's been a few days. Thursday was a great day!
I had my appointment with Dr. Rose at the Harkness Center. One doctor saw me first, but I can't remember his name. I explained the long story of what's going on, and he immediately began messing around with my foot and ankle, targeting the exact location of the pain. I have 90 degree flexion in my left foot as far as my toes go, but about 45 degrees in the right one. He began pressing on the FHL tendon, which sent me almost flying off the table. He also asked me to stand in 2nd position and plie, asking where the pain was. (the fact that he even KNEW what 2nd position was amazed me lol).
He discussed everything with Dr. Rose, who came in with the other doctor and THREE Other doctors. He asked me to stand in 1st position, demi plie (again I was baffled lol). It was crazy lol Dr. Rose did the same things and confirmed a diagnosis of FHL tendonitis and Os Trigonum syndrome. Here are a few more explanations of these two:
Definition: An os trigonum is a small, round bone that sits just behind the ankle joint. The os trigonum is present in about 5-15% of normal feet. An os trigonum occurs when one area of bone does not fuse with the rest of the talus (ankle bone) during growth.
Normally, having an os trigonum is of no consequence. In some people, however, this small bone can get caught in the ankle, and even prevent normal motion. This is most commonly seen in ballet dancers who assume pointe and demipointe positions. These positions maximally plantarflex the ankle (point the toes down), and can cause the os trigonum to become pinched in the space behind the ankle.
Other causes of posterior ankle impingement include tendonitis, fracture, and ligament injuries.
Trigger Toe/FHL Tenosynovitis
Trigger toe occurs most commonly in female classical ballet dancers. It results when the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon on the inside of the ankle moves irregularly through its anatomical pulley mechanism around the ankle. Sometimes, the tendon actually locks distal to the tendon canal (near the big toe) and prohibits a dancer from using the strength in her big toe when en pointe. CausesTrigger toe can be the result of inflammation or a partial rupture of the FHL tendon, accompanied by swelling along the sheath in which it's contained. The tendon may become frayed and scarred down, adhering to the sheath and creating friction, inhibiting its smooth gliding motion. The condition may present as non-painful and annoying for a period of time before becoming painful. Pain is typically noticed as a dancer lowers from demi-pointe to flat. TreatmentEarly identification of trigger toe can assist in its recovery. Dancers should use ice, particularly ice massage as a way to decrease local inflammation. An athletic trainer or physical therapist consult is helpful to assist with soft tissue management of scarring or adhesions along the tendon. The dancer should take the time to perform slow, gentle stretching of the great toe prior to dancing. More significant cases may require surgery to release the ligamentous portion of the FHL sheath and repair the tendon.
Posterior Impingement SyndromePosterior impingement syndrome (dancer's heel)"I have pain with pointing my foot and relevé."Causes Posterior impingement syndrome, commonly known as dancer's heel, involves compression of soft tissues at the back of the ankle. A bony-formation or bump behind the ankle causes this compression. The dancer generally feels discomfort at the back of the ankle when the toe is pointed or in relevé. TreatmentDancers should use ice and anti-inflammatory medications to help reduce soft tissue swelling. Stretching of the tissues in the back of the heel (calf and Achilles) is important to reduce the stress placed on those structures. A physician and physical therapy/athletic training consults are indicated to identify joint mobility restrictions or other imbalances that might be contributing to the condition. Some health-care professionals may recommend steroid injections to assist with local inflammation. Finally, if non-surgical treatment does not help alleviate the discomfort, surgical intervention will be required to remove the bump that is compressing the soft tissue
I began to cry. I told them that I had been having this checked out for a year and a half now, to no avail, other than to be told to "deal with it". They told me that unless an orthopedist is really trained to detect these issues, and mainly for dancers, then it's hard to find and often misdiagnosed. I was misdiagnosed, with posterior tibial tendonitis, which is common with FHL tendonitis.
The next course of action is for me to get my xrays and mri's up here for Dr. Rose to look at himself. He doesn't want to charge me to do new ones as he's sure the current ones will show him what he needs to see. He said he wants to see if the Os Trigonum is for sure causing a lot of my pain, though he feels positive. He also wants to see the inflammation on the MRI, and to just see it all himself.
He definitely recommended surgery to release the tendon causing most of my pain, and he said if the Os Trigonum is a problem he can through the same incision to remove or shave the bone. He said there's a 98% success rate with the operation, and I would be out for 3 months (no longer), but back to "competition level" dancing immediately after that time.
So as of this week I will be trying to get those films sent up here, with a follow up on august 31st. Problem is I don't have 3 months to heal right now, and with insurance issues I might have to wait until the fall semester lets out. That would give me all of Christmas break to begin rehabilitation, and I'll be done with my dance classes for the spring. I definitely wanted to take some, but worst case is I participate in the classes without receiving credit as soon as I'm healed up.
SUCH A RELIEF to FINALLY receive some answers! They were sympathetic and so caring and kind to me. It's a great thing to have a clinic that caters to dancers.
Auditions for the Little Mermaid were AMAZING! A ton of FUN, very easy, and laid back as could be. There were 60 total non-equity dancers. I was number 5. We performed twice back to back, and at the end of the first group of 26 that I was with, they kept only 4. And I was completely happy not being one of those 4. I had such a great time, and met a few friendly dancers too!
Saturday was my audition for the Graham school. 50 people were there, including current program dancers auditioning for scholarships. I was mainly going for the Independent program as that's something I could do after graduation. They should have their selections posted on Tuesday.
Virginie singled me out with 3 other girls, right before we moved to across the floor, and said she had seen what she needed to with us. That the level was going to be seriously advanced next. They were beginning to let people go, though it didn't mean we weren't being selected for any programs. It just meant they had seen enough. I was a little perturbed, as she did something similar to me last year. I was talking ot Justin about it (whom was in town this weekend visiting me), and he said he thought I did great, that I looked just as good as everyone else, but he thinks my weight is the issue. And I think the same. I love this technique and I am good with it. Of course there's room for improvement but that's with anything and why I auditioned to be in the school. It's frustrating for me b/c I see myself as the skinny Melinda, while my body no longer reflects that. I'm very serious about getting back into shape safely, so I will be meeting with a nutritionalist when I get back to LA to try to get into tip top shape, as I am FED UP with this hindering my career thus far. Regardless I am proud of my work, and proud of my audition. I thought I hung in there nicely, and worked through the pain.
I'm very tired, as the heat is AWFUL here this weekend! The room we're renting has NO relief from the heat, as we have NO A/C. It really is miserable. I'm praying for a cold front LOL! It's draining, and the only relief that can be found is in a public place at this point.
I'll write more about my weekend with my husband *giggles*!
Love you guys! Thanks for all of your sweet words, especially those of encouragement and support!!
Touching base...
July 18, 2008
Hey guys!
So my Justin is here visiting me, so I don't want to spend a lot of time online but did want to update you guys!
I FINALLY have answers from the doctors at Harkness about my ankle. Looks like surgery might be my only option but there's a 98% success rate with it and a 3 month or less recovery time. I'll give you more details in another email.
I did audition for the "Little Mermaid"! It was AMAZING! Soooooooooo much fun, sooooooo relaxing! I didn't make the cut (they took 4 out of the first 26 they saw), but it was a blast! We danced to "Under the Sea". My first broadway audition! I look to do more while I'm here! I felt really good about the audition, and will continue to do so!
I have another audition tomorrow to get into the Graham school. Wish me luck!!
I'll write more details soon, especially about the ankle!!
All of my love!
Hey guys!
So my Justin is here visiting me, so I don't want to spend a lot of time online but did want to update you guys!
I FINALLY have answers from the doctors at Harkness about my ankle. Looks like surgery might be my only option but there's a 98% success rate with it and a 3 month or less recovery time. I'll give you more details in another email.
I did audition for the "Little Mermaid"! It was AMAZING! Soooooooooo much fun, sooooooo relaxing! I didn't make the cut (they took 4 out of the first 26 they saw), but it was a blast! We danced to "Under the Sea". My first broadway audition! I look to do more while I'm here! I felt really good about the audition, and will continue to do so!
I have another audition tomorrow to get into the Graham school. Wish me luck!!
I'll write more details soon, especially about the ankle!!
All of my love!
Auditions
July 16, 2008
I've gotta keep this short as i have to get in bed ASAP,
BUT
Tomorrow is my appt. with Harkness Center and Dr. Rose.
I'm also going to an Equity audition for the Little Mermaid on Broadway. There's no guarantee that I will be seen, but it's a great opportunity to just gain auditioning experience. What do I have to lose, right?! They're looking for ensemble dancers, from fish to mermaids, to people on land :o) Maybe I'll even get to be sea kelp ;o)
Then on Saturday I'm auditioning for acceptance into the Graham school. Again, no expectations, but mainly experience. If I were to get in, then I have a plan to complete the program and go to graduate school.
I'll let you know how it goes!
I've gotta keep this short as i have to get in bed ASAP,
BUT
Tomorrow is my appt. with Harkness Center and Dr. Rose.
I'm also going to an Equity audition for the Little Mermaid on Broadway. There's no guarantee that I will be seen, but it's a great opportunity to just gain auditioning experience. What do I have to lose, right?! They're looking for ensemble dancers, from fish to mermaids, to people on land :o) Maybe I'll even get to be sea kelp ;o)
Then on Saturday I'm auditioning for acceptance into the Graham school. Again, no expectations, but mainly experience. If I were to get in, then I have a plan to complete the program and go to graduate school.
I'll let you know how it goes!
Catching up on old blogs that I forgot to post here...
Soooo I LOVE this site for blogging, but yet have forgotten to post my blogs. I know, silly.
So here they are...I'll put the original date in the body :o)
July 14, 2008
NYC *IS* my second home
I really forgot how much i LOVE this city. Everything about it. The smell of car exhaust on a really hot day. The smell of sewage. The trash on the streets. The busy, noisy sidewalks. The sound of the announcements on the subway. I love everything about this city.
We arrived safely last Wednesday night, very late. Our adventures thus far have consisted of going to Passport Fridays at the Queens Museum of Art, where we saw a live West Africa dance exhibition with live drumming. The dancing was beyond amazing. I had chills the ENTIRE time! They also gave us a short class, where we learned one of the dances. Very easy, LOTS of fun!!
We saw the waterfalls at the Brooklyn Bridge by an artist named Olafur Eliasson. I felt like we walked the entire eastside of Manhattan (though we didn't lol), but it was a ton of fun! Quite an adventure! On our way we found a cute, small street fair. I'd love to go back to get a few things. The waterfalls were interesting. I want to do another harbor cruise to get a better view. Pier 36!
We went out on Saturday night in Astoria. Had a great dinner, went to a few bars, came home. Sunday consisted of us hitting the 15 blocks of Astoria's street fair. GREAT prices, TONS of fun! We ate a Zagat ranked Thai place, that had amazing food! It was a good day.
Today was the first day of classes for Kristina and I. As you know the ankle is giving me serious hell, which tells me that I MUST find some sort of treatment soon. I had Erika Dankmeyer *gasps* today, and it was WONDERFUL!! She gave me a nice correction in "turns around the back", which felt really great! I realized I had more mobility in my hips that I originally thought. I was in a lot of pain towards the end of the class, but my mentality is to just work through this as well as I can. I called the Harkness Center this afternoon, which caters to dance injuries. I had to leave a message but I'm pushing to be seen by them. There's a good chance I could get some physical therapy in the 4 weeks I'm here to perhaps aid the rehabilitaion, even if it's for a short amount of time.
Kristina's classes went really well too. I know by the end of our stay here her mind will be full of understanding of more of the technique. After all this is her first in-depth exposure to it. Repertory seemed like a lot of fun for her. I was hesitant to do it, and decided not to after the pain I've had with the ankle, and am glad. The piece they're doing has a lot of jumps at the beginning. Big no no for right now lol
I'm auditioning for the Professional Training Program on Saturday. I don't expect anything out of it, except to gain some auditioning experience. There's a meeting on Friday for it. *IF* i were to get accepted into the school, my plan is to start in the summer of '09. I'll have to see where I am as far as graduate school is, but that's a bridge I'll cross when I get there :o) I plan to attend a few other auditions around the city for the same reason. We'll see what happens!
I'm exhausted. I miss everyone terribly. But, like last year, it's another great experience!
Until the next time....all my love :o)
So here they are...I'll put the original date in the body :o)
July 14, 2008
NYC *IS* my second home
I really forgot how much i LOVE this city. Everything about it. The smell of car exhaust on a really hot day. The smell of sewage. The trash on the streets. The busy, noisy sidewalks. The sound of the announcements on the subway. I love everything about this city.
We arrived safely last Wednesday night, very late. Our adventures thus far have consisted of going to Passport Fridays at the Queens Museum of Art, where we saw a live West Africa dance exhibition with live drumming. The dancing was beyond amazing. I had chills the ENTIRE time! They also gave us a short class, where we learned one of the dances. Very easy, LOTS of fun!!
We saw the waterfalls at the Brooklyn Bridge by an artist named Olafur Eliasson. I felt like we walked the entire eastside of Manhattan (though we didn't lol), but it was a ton of fun! Quite an adventure! On our way we found a cute, small street fair. I'd love to go back to get a few things. The waterfalls were interesting. I want to do another harbor cruise to get a better view. Pier 36!
We went out on Saturday night in Astoria. Had a great dinner, went to a few bars, came home. Sunday consisted of us hitting the 15 blocks of Astoria's street fair. GREAT prices, TONS of fun! We ate a Zagat ranked Thai place, that had amazing food! It was a good day.
Today was the first day of classes for Kristina and I. As you know the ankle is giving me serious hell, which tells me that I MUST find some sort of treatment soon. I had Erika Dankmeyer *gasps* today, and it was WONDERFUL!! She gave me a nice correction in "turns around the back", which felt really great! I realized I had more mobility in my hips that I originally thought. I was in a lot of pain towards the end of the class, but my mentality is to just work through this as well as I can. I called the Harkness Center this afternoon, which caters to dance injuries. I had to leave a message but I'm pushing to be seen by them. There's a good chance I could get some physical therapy in the 4 weeks I'm here to perhaps aid the rehabilitaion, even if it's for a short amount of time.
Kristina's classes went really well too. I know by the end of our stay here her mind will be full of understanding of more of the technique. After all this is her first in-depth exposure to it. Repertory seemed like a lot of fun for her. I was hesitant to do it, and decided not to after the pain I've had with the ankle, and am glad. The piece they're doing has a lot of jumps at the beginning. Big no no for right now lol
I'm auditioning for the Professional Training Program on Saturday. I don't expect anything out of it, except to gain some auditioning experience. There's a meeting on Friday for it. *IF* i were to get accepted into the school, my plan is to start in the summer of '09. I'll have to see where I am as far as graduate school is, but that's a bridge I'll cross when I get there :o) I plan to attend a few other auditions around the city for the same reason. We'll see what happens!
I'm exhausted. I miss everyone terribly. But, like last year, it's another great experience!
Until the next time....all my love :o)
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