Returning to Dance

by Karen Dito - Suite101.com

There are lots of reasons people take vacations or breaks from their dance training. For me, it was an amalgamation of things; death in the family, pregnancy, and lack of motivation (which I'm sure had a lot to do with the first two items on my list). For many dancers, injuries, family obligations, and the cost of instruction keep them away from technique class for extended periods of time. Before I tell you about returning to dance, let me remind you of the benefits of the dance vacation.

Whether you are a professional dancer, a college student, or just a person who takes a class or two a week, a temporary retirement from dance is not always a bad thing. A college professor of mine always recommended that we take a few weeks off in the summer to rest our minds and bodies from dance.

I can remember in the last semester of my college dance program, I was exhausted, dancing 20 hours a week and taking lecture classes, doing homework, etc. On Spring break of that year, I went to a baseball game and it was such a relief! I was acutely aware of doing something totally not dance-related and it felt really good. Realizing that many dancers are afraid of even a short break because of loss of muscle memory, let me say that it has been my experience that all of this comes back faster than you would imagine once you begin taking class again. Even if you love dance more than anything, you will find that taking a short or extended break, depending on your needs and situation, will help you feel revitalized and allow you to start again fresh.

And please, if you are injured, take a break and recover! Dancing through injuries only causes more injuries. You will not heal unless you rest.

I guess what I needed this time was to heal as well; only for me it was emotional healing. It took about a year and a half, but I finally reached the point where I wanted to dance again. I actually started having dreams about dancing. Writing this column always kept my mind active in thinking about dance while I was not dancing. I was ready to start dancing instead of just thinking about it, finally.

Any of you who have had a baby know what changes this causes on your body. This was one obstacle for me - the weight gain from my pregnancy that I had not yet lost. Going to yoga helped me get a grip on this (read my last article) as well as start to get some of my flexibility back. Yoga also served as a nice transitional activity before taking a dance technique class. So it was finally decided: I would take a ballet class. What helped me here is a friend who agreed to accompany me. She, too, had been on vacation from dance for even longer than I had so we figured we would embark on this journey together.

Before class began, we met the teacher who seemed excited at our presence. My friend and I decided on the walk to the studio that we wouldn't let on "who we were" - that we had tons of experience, degrees, were teachers - so we could just blend and be normal students. Of course, as soon as we started talking to the teacher, it all came out. But it was fine. There were actually only 4 students in the class that night and it was nice to have some personal attention. Also, this teacher was sensitive to the fact that we had not danced for a while. The class was very enjoyable and I left looking forward to next week's class.

Then came the muscle spasms! Oh boy, all night long the muscles of my inner thighs cramped. My lower back ached thanks to the many port de bras after every barre exercise. But the next day I felt better and by two days later I was without pain. During my second class, I could already feel an improvement in myself, or really, that I was slowly getting back some of what I had lost. I still have a long way to go, but I feel like I've taken the first few baby steps.

So my retirement from dance is officially over! The best advice I can give to someone returning to dance is this: be nice to yourself. Take it slow and it will happen. It is okay to dance in the body of a 30-something year-old if you are in your 30's! (or 40's or whatever!) There is a place in dance for everyone, from the young child, the college student, and the woman who has her own children now and beyond. Find a supportive environment and start dancing.