Yo, Bunheads! (on tv)

On tv, there is ballet related tv series now showing. Bunheads on imdb.com
It is on Hero Monday to Thursday (or Friday, not sure) around 11 pm to midnight I think. Todays episode is 3rd (season 1) so it'll be easy to catch up with it.

Pic fron imdb.com

Of course if you live anywhere else than Finland this info will be totally useless to you ;)

Help Wanted

Dear dancing friends and strangers, a fellow dancer is in need. Of help,that is. And you can do it.

Bush ballerina needs something simple from you. Her request is here, clickclick. In short all you need to do is measure your heart rate right after doing one side of plies ( from 1st, 2nd, 4th&5th incliding port des bras if you like). That's option A.

Option B is to measure your heart rate after both sides of plies in row.

How simple is that! Just measure your rate and report back to Bush Ballerina. Help a fellow dancer in need.

And the same in Finnish just in case  it helps:
Bush Ballerina pyytää apua kaikilta balettia harrastavilta. Hän tarvitsisi sydämen syke tietoja A) yhden puolen plie -sarjan jälkeen (plieet ekasta, tokasta, neljännestä ja viidennestä asentosta+ port des braat jos haluat), ja jos jaksat niin myös B) molempien puolten pliesarjojen jälkeen.

Tärkeää on molemmissa tehdä sarja/t ja heti sen jälkeen mitata syke.

Sykeenhän saa mitattua joko kaulalta henkitorven vierestä tai ranteesta peukalon puolelta. Laske kuinka monta kertaa sydän lyö 15 sekunnin aikana ja kerro neljällä= on sydämen syke minuutissa. Käy raportoimassa Bush Ballerinalle, tai jos haluat, voit kommentoida tuloksesi myös tähän postaukseen, niin välitän tiedon eteenpäin.

Lisähelppiä sykkeen mittaamiseen.

How Come I Wasn't Told?

On Fridays class my spot at the barre is in a corner in front of mirror. We start the class with left hand on the barre so I'm facing the mirror.  By the time we get to the grande battements I'm doing fine on the right side. No problems, enough space to swing battements away to my hearts content. But on the left side, it's always the same problem.  I'm this close to kicking the classmate in front of me and almost every time I do kick the mirror (now behind) me at least once.

So yesterday it hit me. My left leg must be at least 20 cm longer than my right! Why else would I have these problems only on the left side?

How come no one never told me this?

How come the FTs, the Orthopedist and other doctors never noticed this?

I mean, no wonder I'm having issues with my right foot, 'cos it's that much shorter!

If only it were that simple though... Right?

Bet her legs are the same length!
(Pic reference)

Well, I had a MRI scan of the right foot on yesterday (prior to the epiphany). Maybe I'll get some real answers finally.

With my luck, the found nothing, though.

I really do love the minions! I just wish they wouldn't make me crave cheese puffs so much...

I feel restrained

Kinesio taping on my right foot.

Needles to say I saw my FT. She taped the foot again. This time it's just so tight around the ancle that I can't really point my foot. Or do releves for that matter. Or so it feels at least.

There will be interesting ballet classes this weekend. Me trying to point my right against the tapes. Well at least I'll get a proper work out, right? (no pun intended) Silver lining and such. Maybe I should tape the other ancle too? Yeah, right! No I mean left! Oh, whatever!

I'm off to class.

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Fleeding moments of lost inspiration

I've been noticing having moments in class when I'm wondering "Why I'm doing this?" Why am I here? Trying to flex and stretch my body into positions that, frankly, aren't that healthy. I mean honestly! I'm feeling tired, exhausted really and can't keep my thoughts together at all. This happened last fall too.

My weekly schedule is now:

Monday: 40 min core for dancers & 75min ballet
Friday: 90 min ballet
Saturday: 75 min ballet (with short pointe work at the end of the class)

In the fall I also had the 60 min pointe work after the Fridays class. I dropped that of my schedule, 'cos the plantar fasciitis issues.

How that going by the way? Still active. Had second Orthopedist appointment and the second cortisone injection. Got recommendation for some new gear and have seen the physiotherapist of the occupation health care for few time now. Will post about those more later, but in short: no real progress yet.

But back to the lost inspiration. I realized at some point that it only occurred on Mondays. So no real panic there.

It's just Monday

Was this supposed to help?

Had my ultra (the foot just so no one get the wrong idea). Nothing was found.

Had the orthopedist consult. He thought nothingh wrong with the big toe tendon, just the plantar fasciitis issue.

Got a cortizone injection to my heel. Wasn't excited about that then either. Now its been week and all I'm thinking is: Was this suppose to help me? Optimism gone.

Okay, I have to admit the pain is not in the same anymore. Location and general feel have changed. So far the pain level has been more painfull than before the injection. Great. Most of the time it feels like walking on a bruise under my heel.

First three days were really bad. Made me miss the first ballet class of the term. Now for few days the outer rim of the heel has hurt when I walk in addition of the bruise under my heel.

"No need to limit your activity" he said. Yeah right. I have a follow up appointment in a week. Have things say.

But today I'm going to class. The gear for today:

Turquoise leo from Plume
White skirt by me
Off white legwarmers from... dunno
Black tights from Revolution
Bloch Elastosplit slippers in Sanshas bag, hah

Yes, I wear black tights with pink slippers and off white legwarmers. So sue me. Don't really care right now (read: never).

Christmas Break, New Year and so on

The leg issue is still on. More on the matter. Persistent bastard that one is.

Well at least this Christmas break has shown again, that break from ballet is not the cure for my itch, so to speak. I have had both, pain in the hell and outer thigh too (IT band). Regular foam rolling keeps the thigh in check, but only when done regularly. Thats to say every 2 or 3 days. What a drag really. I mean, I'm on a combined Christmas holiday/Summer vacation (yes I really did save some summer vacation days for this time a year), and all I wanna do is slouch on the couch, U know. And I have work for my health! Geesh!

Saturday will sort me back to regular schedule, ballet lessons start to rolling again. To work I had to go already yesterday. So the slouching will have stop. Before that I will have an appointment with a doctor and an ultrasound, followed by an appointment with an orthopedist. For the leg, recommended by the PT. Lets see if they can sort whats wrong with the foot, an more importantly, if there is something that can be done to fix it. It's only been 1,5 year, so I'm so ready to get rid of it! 

Right now the weather is nice and frosty