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Welcome to Dance Data ! Dance Tips and Resources |
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March
16, 2010: Volume 2,
Issue 9
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To
view this Newsletter Online: Issue
#9
Hi,This is a warning: For those of you that have endured me whining about my injured foot for the past 9 months, you better get prepared to hear me marveling about the fact that it is finally, almost completely healed! Whoo Hoo! And the even bigger warning is that below I am going to explain the whole injury, pictures and all! 50 year old ankles and feet = Not pretty! You have been warned. My reason for "sharing" is to hopefully help prevent any other dancer from going through what I have. Happy Dancing and Happy Feet, Michele  |
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Tip Of The Week
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Dance Position and Foot Work
Have you ever wondered why one persons dancing looks and feel so much better and smoother than another? One of the most common reasons is where your feet are, where your feet are going and just how they are getting there. A leader may lead a step or pattern perfectly with his frame, but if his feet are not in the correct position, in relation to the follower, or his steps are to large or small, the step or pattern will not flow effortlessly, but will be strained. Pristine footwork is absolutely essential to enjoy an effortless, flowing, connected dance. 
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Recent Article
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Dancing Foot Injuries
While I am certain that there are many different types of foot injuries that occur while dancing, I will be referring to my own particular foot injury. I am in no way trying to diagnose anyones foot problems, I am just going to share my own. You may suffer from some of the same symptoms that I have and I will tell you how I cured mine. First of all, let me tell you that I have been dancing for almost 3 years, my foot injury occurred 9 months ago and has plagued me right up until now. As a beginning dancer I was out dancing 5 or 6 nights a week with dancers of all levels, from a beginner like me, to much more advanced and experienced dancers. I had no formal training and was at the mercy of whom ever I danced with. I distinctly remember the exact moment my injury occurred. I was dancing a Country 2 Step with a leader that took large steps. While continually stepping backwards, the ligament under my big toe was pulled. I felt a sharp pain, finished the dance, limped off the floor and thought to myself, "That was strange." It wasn't until I got back on the dance floor that I realized how bad the injury was. I went home and popped 3 Vitamin I's (Ibuprofen) and iced my foot. Much to my dismay, my foot was even worse the next morning. I didn't dance for several weeks, but was so addicted to dancing that I just couldn't stay away, I just kept dancing right through the pain. Literally, months went by and I kept taking Vitamin I, dancing and whining. Eventually, I went to a Chinese Foot Massage place near my home. I figured it couldn't hurt and I was willing to try anything at that point. ( you would think Dr. might have entered into my mind, right?) The weekly foot massages actually began to improve that particular injury. What I hadn't prepared for was the continuing foot pain. The pain had traveled from the big toe area of my foot to the next two toes and ball of my foot. It also radiated to the top of my foot. You see, while I was babying my "Big Toe" injury, I put added strain on a different area of my foot. So while the "Big Toe" was happy, the rest of my foot was not. After 6 months of whining, taping my foot and pain meds, I was drug to a chiropractor. My only regret was that I hadn't gone sooner. Dr. Leland Carroll, of the Studio Wellness Center has saved my foot, my life and everyone's ears around me. After a thorough examination and assessment, he explained and diagnosed my injury. I have pretty severe pronation. Pronation is a turning outward of the foot at the ankle, I have a tendency to walk on the inner border of my foot. It is typically hereditary, but further aggravated by my dancing. I also suffered from Metatarsalgia, a condition which causes the arch of your foot to collapse. His first recommendation was to try custom orthotics. Of course my reaction was doubtful, but faced with the alternative "fix" of surgery, I thought I would give them a try. Shockingly, I can now say that 9 months after I was first injured, and 2 months of wearing my Custom Made Orthotics (which fit into my dance shoes and boots) my foot has finally healed. Oddly enough, so is that nagging knee pain that I had,which I thought was just old age! I am not saying that every dancer needs Custom Made Orthotics, but if I am able to help anyone out there with foot , knee or back pain, I am glad to share my story. I found Custom Made Orthotics, at a discount, online. I believe some insurances cover such a product, as they are expensive, but I got the folks at OurHealthNetwork.com to extend my 10% coupon to anyone that uses the code: LovetoDance Sure hope that this helps anyone with a current foot issue or better yet, helps someone prevent one!
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Blog Re-Cap
Dancing at Los Angeles Dance Premier Looking for great Boots: Evenin' Stars Stop by and share your dancing stories with me. I'd love to hear about your trials and triumphs! http://www.ras-this.com/ The Business Stuff
Shoes,
Boots and Cruise InfoNew Categories at www.LovetoDanceOnline.com , Joe Tschirhart 's Tuesday Night Classes , Saturday Workshops. and Wednesday Night Country Two Step. Currently the price for membership is only $9 per month, once we switch over to the full sized screen, the membership price will increase to $19.99 per month. Subscribe now and you will lock in the $9 per month membership fee. You can check out the advantages of becoming a member here. Evenin' Star Dance Boots are here! Thanks to those of you that helped us become a distributor. You can now order one pair, individually any time you'd like! I LOVE my Boots! If you have any questions regarding style or size, I think I've finally got it down! We also have ballroom, Latin and practice Very Fine Dance Shoes. Ladies and Mens. Cruise Update: Single guys, where are you??? We also have a single woman looking for a roommate. There's 1 Balcony cabins and 3 inside cabins left. We actually but in a few "pretend" dancers to save a few extra cabins. We have a great group of dancers and even some scuba divers already signed up. Join us for a terrific week of learning and dancing aboard the Carnival Miracle. A $25 deposit reserves your cabin through February 25, 2010. The ship leaves Ft. Lauderdale on October 18, 2010 and will be visiting 4 Islands. Prices start at only $859.42 per person, this includes all taxes and fees, plus all the workshops, dancing and activities. The ship is the Carnival Miracle. For full details, Click here: http://tinyurl.com/ycsqg54 Join us for a great time! Joe and Michele |
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Upcoming Events
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Easter Swing - April 1-4, 2010 Seattle, Washington Reno Dance Sensation - April 15-18, 2010 Reno, Nevada LAPD Classic - April 8-11, 2010 Los Angeles, Ca Jack & Jill O'Rama - June 10th - 13th, 2010 Anaheim, Ca. Portland Dance Festival - Early July, |
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Resources
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Online Dance Instruction: www.learntoballroomdanceonline.com Ballroom Dance Association: www.USAdance.org National Association of Swing Dance Events: http://www.nasde.net/ USA Swing Dance Network: http://www.usaswingnet.com/ |
 Our
Blog: www.Ras-This.comBe our friend on MySpace Add Michele as a friend on Facebook Twitter Follow Michele at http://twitter.com/MicheleRasmusen Twitter Follow Cindy at http://twitter.com/threerivers33 Email address: ras.this@gmail.com
I am Michele Rasmussen. It is my wish to share my love of dance with anyone interested. I am
sure that I share many of the same hopes and
dreams as many of you, and
I hope to share the
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