I am celebrating Mother’s Day but not engaging in any mothering activities at all. None. Nada. Bubkes.

Well, I did speak to both my kids, who did remember to call me on this auspicious occasion. (Yay. They get a some points.) And Julian did relate some audition information to his father via the speaker option on my phone, since he just returned from Germany last night and hadn’t spoken to him for a while. Oh, and I did relate some audition information about Julian to my sister…and my friends, who were all together sans me :~( , called and asked me questions about Julian…but other than that I’m not doing anything related to being a parent. Oh, well, I’m not doing anything at all or thinking about them after I finish this post. (I swear.)

So, I chose the artwork above (from www.zazzle.com) because dancin’ boy’s moms reach for the starts constantly not for themselves but for their sons. They see their sons as rising stars, and, indeed they are. And we function as their managers, trying to make sure they become stars–professional dancers in their own right.

My son, Julian, is, oh, so close. He and I can almost feel the lights, smell the warm bodies in the seats, hear the applause…

But he isn’t quite there yet. We thought he might be by now, that he’d have a contract in hand. (And maybe you’ve been waiting for the big announcement.) But no. Not yet. (Lot’s of expletives here…) We have been through several weeks of living hell as he tries to complete his audition process. It should have been over last week, but due to some “miscommunications” that really sent us into the fire, we are still stuck waiting–a bit more peacefully, though–until early or mid-week until he can make a decision. He fit one more audition into last week, and that was awesome. (I’ll have so much to share when I can.) But we are exhausted. We’ve had angry words spoken, tearful phone calls as we expressed our fears of losing one contract while waiting for another offer to come in, lots of advice passed along, nasty words texted to me as I was told to…(can’t share that here), many conversations about different options, excited discussions, frustrated emails, and much encouragement shared.

In the midst of all of this, there was the computer that crashed right before Julian had to turn in a paper required for graduation, and the text that said, “I fail. I won’t be graduating.” And then came the long emails I wrote to the teacher…and to SAB asking for validation that he had, indeed, written the paper and had a computer crash (no dog-ate-my-homework story). And the stress of waiting for answers–the fear that he’d be repeating his last year. (But he isn’t, as long as he passed the paper and the rest of his work.)

And there was the last-minute trip home for a company class that yielded no answers. That provided an answer in and of itself.

Stress, stress, stress, stress. Emotions always on the brink of exploding…in a positive or negative way.

And my daughter, the lovely, independent and usually not-needy-at-all costume design student just now becoming a Junior at NYU, has a knack for calling or texting in the midst of the turmoil so I can’t quite totally focus on her accomplishments or  issues despite my best efforts. “Mom, what do you think of this apartment?” “Mom, the check to secure my apartment bounced; I don’t think my checks are linked to my account anymore.” “Mom, my end-of the year project went really well!” (She texted a photo of that project to me that I’d missed and not replied to for several hours because I was writing emails to try and get information on a possible European offer for Julian…Bad Mom.)

One day I stood in the shower and simply surrendered. Things just working out. I couldn’t “fix” any of it. Something “Higher” had to do the work. My son wanted me to bud out. My daughter actually seemed to be handling most things on her own. Time to let go. Time to give it up. Even my dancin’ boy is about at the point (especially now that he’s got his wonder ADD drugs) where he wants (and seems to have more ability) to take control of his own life. And this decision about his career is more his to make than mine (or his Dad’s). Plus, I’m a firm believer that everything works out as it is supposed to. He’ll land where he should professionally. So…time to stop doing so much damn (active) parenting.

Well, we never really stop parenting, do we? But it’s a nice thought. And we do need to let go and let them spread their wings and fly…or…well…dance. And my dancin’ boy is just about ready to do that. Amazing.

So, today, dear dancin’ boy moms, take a break. If you can, don’t:

• drive your sons
• encourage your sons
• hound your sons
• help your sons
• advise your sons
• clean up after your sons
• cook for your sons
• watch your sons dance
• watch videos of your sons dancing
• help your sons with their homework
• remind your sons to do anything
• washing your son’s clothes
• washing your son’s dance clothes
• take your son’s to dance class
• pick up those yucky sweaty dance clothes off the floor
• clean out your son’s smelly dance bag
• do anything related to parenting your dancin’ boy if you can help it

Instead, do this: Dance.

Right? Why don’t we dance? Put on some music and shake your booty. Enjoy. Happy Mother’s Day.

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Yes, it seems a bit like having a young baseball, basketball, football, or soccer player who is being recruited by a variety of professional teams before he can even consider college. Of course, in Julian’s case, college dropped off the table a while ago. But he’s had days when he couldn’t even study for a test because he kept getting calls form artistic directors.

Now, let me just say that the audition season at the School of American Ballet is a bit longer than it is for the average ballet boy who goes out to auditions. In fact, all the auditions were over and artistic directors simply kept on showing up to watch the Advanced Men’s Division at SAB take class–and then to make offers.

The last have come and gone now, though. And just about all the boys in the Advanced Mens’ Division 17 or older are spoken for. Unless, that is, they have been told they might have an apprenticeship at New York City Ballet. These few boys (and girls) are anxiously waiting to hear if this dream will come true; it seems contracts are not handed out–or not firm offer made–until just before or after Workshop. Those performances are June 3 and 5–long after everyone else has accepted a position.

A few companies are waiting on these kids, hoping against hope that they won’t get a NYCB apprenticeship. A few of these boys might be left with no job if they’ve turned everything else down or artistic directors got tired of waiting and the NYCB apprenticeship doesn’t come through. Peter Martins is the only one who waits until June to decide, keeping many young boys and other artistic directors waiting on his final decision.

Lest you think Julian is one of the boys waiting on Martin’s decision, I will tell you this: He is not. When he first received an offer and he also had his summer intensive scholarship at San Francisco Ballet, where he is supposed to be on the “watch list” for a trainee position, word was sent to Martins. This is normal procedure, so he can say whether or not he wants this boy to hold off for a likely NYCB apprentice position. The message came back that the apprentice spots were spoken for already, and that Julian was “a beautiful dancer who should be dancing. If he has an offer, he should accept it and go dance.”

Julian was very disappointed, as was I. NYCB was his dream job.

(Knowing what you now know, you might surmise that he is, therefore, still making some sort of…um…decision.) Again, mum’s the word.

I can tell you that having a son at SAB is an advantage when it comes to auditioning for companies. There are simply more opportunities–or ones you don’t have to seek out.

As for how many jobs there are, I can tell you that everyone, including the teachers and school director at SAB, agree there are less jobs this year than ever. I guess the economy has taken it’s toll on the ballet industry as well. So, the older boys were all told to audition and to take jobs if they could get them. In fact, even those boys who originally were told they could return next year–like Julian and at least two other boys turning 18 over the summer–have all been told not that they cannot come back. They have all received at least one job offer.

That pretty much cleaned out the older group of boys from the program. (Lots of spots open for next year…)

If you are wondering how young boys land a ballet job, you go to an open audition. Some are held in places like at San Francisco Ballet School, Alvin Ailey or SAB, or at some other large ballet school or dance facility. These are “cattle calls” in some cases; there are lots of boys and girls and it can be harder to get noticed.

If there are no large open auditions, you arrange to take company class as an audition. This means you show up at the ballet company at an arranged date and take class with the company; the artistic director watches and decides.

Contracts are given out each year. Dancers in each company have the option to renew or not to renew. Companies are restricted to some extent as to how many dancers they have, so without attrition, there may not be any spots for new corps dancers. At NYCB, some apprentices were let go this year, for example, and not promoted into the corps. New apprentices will come on. But if there are no corps spots open, no one gets promoted.

That’s it for now. We have lots of stress and drama going on, but it’s all good, and we are all trying to trust that it will all work out for the best. I always do. Julian has always landed in the right place at the right time. I’m sure this first job will be no different.

I should have news within a week…

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We missed something HUGE, and other parents of really smart and really creative kids miss it, too. If it hadn’t been for one of my blog readers, I still wouldn’t realize the problem–and Julian would still be struggling and wondering why he is so stupid, lazy, bored, and irresponsible, which, of course he is not. He is the opposite of all of these things: He is extremely smart, driven and responsible, not to mention creative, talented and interested in many things.

So, ask yourself if your dancer:

• Is easily distracted, misses details, forgets things, and frequently switches from one activity to another
• Has difficulty maintaining focus on one task
• Becomes bored with a task after only a few minutes unless doing something enjoyable
• Has difficulty focusing attention on organizing and completing a task or learning something new or trouble completing or turning in homework assignments, often losing things (e.g., pencils, toys, assignments) needed to complete tasks or activities
• Doesn’t seem to listen when spoken to
• Daydreams, becomes easily confused, and moves slowly
• Has difficulty processing information as quickly and accurately as others
• Struggles to follow instructions or doesn’t always hear them
• Has difficulty paying attention to details and tendency to make careless mistakes in school or other activities; producing work that is often messy and careless
• Is easily distracted by irrelevant stimuli and frequently interrupting ongoing tasks to attend to trivial noises or events that are usually ignored by others
• Has an inability to sustain attention on tasks or activities
• Has difficulty finishing schoolwork or paperwork or performing tasks that require concentration
• Frequently shifts from one uncompleted activity to another
• procrastinates
• Has disorganized work habits
• Is forgetful in daily activities (for example, missing appointments, forgetting to bring lunch)
• Fails to complete tasks such as homework or chores
• frequently shifts in conversation or doesn’t listening to others, doesn’t keep his mind on conversations, and doesn’t follow details or rules of activities in social situations

If you answered “yes” to even one fourth of these items, there is a high likelihood that your dancer has ADD or ADHD, or Attention Deficiet Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. That’s right.

And so does Julian. For all these years we have been punishing him, yelling at him, hounding him, struggling with him…OMG. We have been beside ourselves about why such a smart and creative kid just couldn’t get his act together and get As in school, couldn’t turn in his work, couldn’t just do what it took to get his school work done. And this year, with just two darn classes, he has been almost flunking out of school.

Well. Well…one of my blog readers asked me if we had ever had him tested for ADD. She mentioned that her daughter had struggled in many of the same ways and been diagnosed with ADD in her junior year in high school. My mind started to whirl.

After I spent a whole day crying, totally distraught that I might have missed this in my child, feeling so guilty that despite my best efforts to be a good mother I might have been a terrible mother and just not seen the problem my child had (and angry–Why the hell hadn’t the teachers seen it?), I did some research and discovered the symptoms above (and some more). I then sent them on to Julian. I told him I was making him an appointment the next week to see our family psychologist while he was home for spring break.

When she saw him, the psychologist said it was basically a no brainer. Of course, he had ADD. So, Julian went back to New York and immediately saw a psychiatric nurse practitioner, who also said it was obvious as all get out, and put him on some meds.

Okay…all you holistic people out there, I am also all for the natural route. But,  this kids needs help fast to graduate high school. Plus, there are no REAL studies that show that the holistic or natural route really does any good. We will try all that  along the way. Meds can actually, in some cases, retrain the brain, we were told. In two year, he might go off them and find he is better and doesn’t need them any more. But right now, he really needs them.

For his sake, I’m not going to go into all the details of his particular symptoms. Let me just say, that if you think your child might have ADD or ADHD, please take them to see someone. Supposedly lots of creative people had or have it. And supposedly the smart and creative ones get by and don’t always get noticed by the schools–who also don’t want to diagnose it, because then they have to pay for the treatment. Nice, huh?

Put a kid like Julian, however, in a more stressful situation with out parental help and support, like at the School of American Ballet, and all doo doo hits the fan. With the need to perform, less school structure, his injury, being away from home, no one telling him what to do or helping with his disorganization or scheduling, all the auditioning, etc., his condition got aggravated. Schoolwork became way more difficult to focus upon, and many of the other symptoms he has got worse as well, such as difficulty falling asleep, focusing in class and turning off his thoughts. (Not that this is an excuse for not doing well in school, mind you.)

So, today’s post is a warning to parents. Keep your eyes open. Don’t miss ADD, or ADHD as they like to call all types of ADD and ADHD, in your dancer. I know you don’t want to think your child has it, and you may not want to put them on medications (neither did I), but it’s surely better to diagnose it than not to do so. And do it before you send your kids off to a year-round ballet program where it could get worse.

Plus, Julian was so very relieved to know that HE was not the problem. Now he knows he has a condition that makes it  hard for him to perform in school. It’s not that he is bad. He has a learning disability. While that could be seen as a stigma, it surely is a better “label” than all those other ones he had that lowered his self-esteem. And I can assure you he felt pretty terrible about himself all the time because of his lack of performance in school–and at life in general. Not to mention that he has some trouble focusing in dance class, too, and now he knows why.

Please, please. Go back to the list above. Read through it again. Ask your child some questions. Check out this basic site on line and then do research on your own:

Symptoms of ADHD/ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)

Then take your dancer to a psychologist or counselor of some type if you have any doubts at all. You won’t be sorry.

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Julian managed to land a spot in the first cast of one of the two pieces that will be performed at Workshop, Les Petits Riens, which has just eight dancers in it. (There are two casts; cast one performs two times.) He felt this was quite an accomplishment. And he’s in the corps of the other piece, Cortege Hongrois, but has a small solo. Peter Martins is coming to some of the rehearsals to watch, so that’s a big deal.

Workshop, in general, is a big deal. There are representatives from most of the ballet companies from around the nation and Europe there to watch, and I believe The New York Times reports on it as well. Last year two of the new NYCB apprentices were mentioned in the paper by name.

As for all those ballet company auditions, it seems most of the boys have heard from the companies; Julian has not. So, maybe they thought he was too young…or not good enough yet. I don’t know. There are one or two that have not made decisions yet, such as Kansas City and Boston; Boston came and viewed the kids in class so they wouldn’t have to come back from spring break early–or so I”m assuming, since the actual audition is the weekend before they return. Pennsylvania was this weekend. So, I suppose he might still land something.

I’m not too eager at this point for him to take a job with a company, although going back to SAB means spending a whole lot of money and no academic education. I think at 17 going on 18 he could use one more year to mature, to put it nicely.

We are still struggling to get him through high school. Yes, same ol’ same ol’. Grades. Turning in school work on time. And he only has two classes.

I don’t know what to say. I’d like to blame it on the ballet world and say that there is no focus on college or grades or school. That’s what we were warned about at TDC when we said we were going to take Julian out of the contemporary ballet program and put him into a classical ballet program. They said no one would focus on anything but having him go straight to work in a company. And they were right. No one expects him to go to college.

But I don’t think I can put all the blame on classical ballet. And I definitely can’t blame SAB. They have bent over backwards to help us help him get his work done and succeed in school. They have spoken to the teacher. Checked on assignments. Pursued options like enforced study halls and grounding. But no one can make a kid do his work or do it well.

I do think that when a boy like Julian who has not had a good school experience in the past and isn’t motivated by school or to do school in general gets into an environment like SAB or even a strict ballet program, the lure of just going into a company makes school seem unimportant. That’s pretty sad.

The other kids, however, don’t seem to have the same problem as Julian, so I wouldn’t say that every child will respond as he has. You’d have to know your child to know how much structure they need, how motivated they are, etc. The lack of structure did not work for Julian. Many kids who are overachievers at their sport or activity are overachievers in school. I know that many of the SAB students are also straight A students. Just not mine. He’ll just eek out a high school degree, I’m sad to say. I’m not sure he even really want to take college courses at this point. He says he does.

All very sad for me. I’ve been a bit heartbroken over the whole situation–especially after speaking to the head of student life and hearing how she has been struggling with him and the situation.I would love for him to at least take a few classes next year and have a college experience of some type…

I considered not writing about this, but I know you all like the fact that I share the good and the bad with you. And some of you may have sons who are on the cusp of being able to go out into the work world, like Julian (he’s a summer baby), or do not enjoy school. If so, you may be interested in my struggles on the academic front with Julian, especially now that he is at SAB–or finishing up his last half a year of high school at SAB.

I will just add that not going to college is not the only option for classical ballet dancers. A friend of my brother-in-law wrote to me the other day and told me that her son is at Indiana and loves it. He dances a ton of hours per day and is taking academic classes. Plus, a lot of kids from Indiana seem to end up at Boston Ballet, according to her. So, it seems at least one large ballet company likes the fact that the kids go off to college and get education and training. I heard the same thing from a representative from Oklahoma University, who said their students–in particular their boys, were getting placed into companies, and the ballet program had a relationship with Houston Ballet.

I don’t believe in forcing my child to go to college. I already did that once actually; we forced my stepson to go to college when he didn’t really want to. He almost flunked out for two years. (He went back to school in his late 20s and got straight As, then got a scholarship to graduate school.) I won’t repeat that mistake. Julian will have used all his college money to go to SAB for two years, if he is allowed to stay in the dorm a second year–and if he goes back again. So, college will be all loans if he chooses to go later. I would have loved for him to go into a program like Indian.

Whatever, as the kids like to say. At this point, my expectations are quite low. I’m just hoping for that high school diploma. And I’m hoping for good news after Workshop. Maybe…just maybe…NYCB will want him. That would be his dream come true.

He’ll be home this coming week. It will be great to see him, if he isn’t too angry about all the school related issues. We’ll take him up to City Ballet School to dance.

That’s it for now. Happy Passover and Easter to all of you–a bit early. Enjoy your spring breaks.

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Anyhoo. Since I wrote last Julian has been struggling with his tendon tear. He has gone to PT twice a week, and that has been helping. Initially, it didn’t seem to do much, but then something kicked in and the tendon appeared to start healing. Tendons don’t get a lot of blood flow, so their healing process is a bit iffy in general.

Julian went from not doing much on that right foot to doing more–releves, some turns, but still nothing that wasn’t two footed. He had been taking class all along, but he was sitting out during the latter part of class. He began to do more.

Additionally, he was “saving” himself for summer intensive auditions. So, he would only do what was necessary in class. Then he’d go full out in auditions. He skipped a few summer intensive auditions, like Houston, after he got the great deal from San Francisco Ballet. Basically, he decided that was where he’d go this summer–unless he ends up needing surgery.

At this point in time, summer intensive auditions are over. However, auditions for companies have begun. Although Julian is a bit young–he turns 18 this summer, he’s been told to audition. He’d like to return to SAB next year and try for a spot as an apprentice at NYCB. However, it seems there are less and less spots in companies, especially given the economy. The boys have been told to take a job–even a trainee position–if they are offered one–including Julian.

He might have some tough decisions to make by June or so.

In the meantime, he dances full out in company auditions, and does what is necessary in class. He pushed himself recently while being auditioned for choreographic institute numbers. And then he regretted it. Not only that…the faculty at SAB decided not to allow him to participate in the choreographic institute numbers because of his ankle, preferring to “save” him for Workshop, the end of the year performance. This one is attended by representatives from ballet companies from around the nation and from Europe, from what I understand (a bit like when recruiters come to watch athletes at sporting events). This hit Julian really hard, since it came on the heels of being cut out of the Winter Ball choreography because of his ankle as well.

We called SAB to ask about the latter decision (choreographic institute) and were told the school is not focused on performance opportunities. The only thing that really matters is that Julian perform 100% in class and in Workshop. Okay then.

He was very upset but got over it. I guess it’s all a lesson in learning to take care of his body better. Don’t push past your limits. Listen to what your body is telling you. Go to the chiropractor, for massage, to the PT, etc. Warm up!

We’ll see what happens with Workshop. They get their roles next week, I think.

As for college auditions (I throw my hands in the air), forget about a Plan B–at least a Plan B for failure or for not dancing right away. We had to call Juilliard and discuss his injury; Julian couldn’t rehearse his solo even once after choreographing it. In the end, two days before the audition he went to speak to the rep at Juilliard who invited him to audition and discussed it personally with her. They both agreed he shouldn’t risk hurting himself and that he had no chance really of getting admitted without a solo. So…no Juilliard audition. (I wipe away a tear…)

We haven’t heard from Indiana, but he won’t be able to audition anyway. We haven’t heard from Oklahoma; he’s into that dance program already. He’s on the waiting list at Butler–guess why? His grades last quarter were less than stellar, so we’ll see what the other schools say.

Well, he doesn’t want to go to college anyway, at least not full time. He just wants to take classes while he dances professionally. So, I have a new Plan B–Plan B for success. He simply must get a job in a company, succeed at dance and become a choreographer along the way. If he also gets a college degree along the way and learns to be a body worker (Plan C), super.

As for the surgery…we won’t know about that until June. He was even told by one of the SAB school representatives that he should simply dance full out for Workshop and then have the surgery afterward if need be–if the tendon gets worse. In other words, take a risk to show all those reps from companies (and Peter Martins of NYCB) what he has. Then go have the second MRI and handle the consequences.

My response? Go check in with the doctor. Then go dance your heart out. Focus on Plan B for Success.

If you haven’t purchased your copy of the
Summer Dance Intensive Handbook yet, don’t wait!
Even if you’ve chosen your program,
the guide contains great information to
help prepare you and your dancer for
a super summer dance experience.
Order your copy here:

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Anyway, thanks to those of you who helped get the blog nominated and who then went back and voted. I really appreciate the support. You make it worthwhile for me to keep on blogging.

And one of these days I will get around to writing the book that is at the foundation of this blog…I promise.

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Now, Julian is facing a tendon torn in such a way that it has split and become swollen and enlarged so it can’t move through the small area it has to move through. He is going to physical therapy in NYC, and dancing some. He isn’t doing large jumps or anything where he lands on just his right foot. He saves himself for auditions and for the upcoming big Workshop, the show that all the advanced men and the graduating class performs in.

If the tendon doesn’t heal, he may face what I’m told is a fairly minor surgery to repair the tear. He’ll be in a boot for four weeks and then have a four week recovery period with physical therapy and some dance. No summer intensive.

In the meantime, he is hoping it will heal with massage, acupuncture, laser stimulation, and some care about what he does. And he continues to dance and to audition for summer intensives–and soon for companies.

As for summer intensives, that’s been interesting. Although some of the other boys got large scholarships to Boston, Julian did not. He also got only a partial scholarship to Pacific Northwest Ballet. He did, however, get a full scholarship (even housing) to San Francisco Ballet, and his name will be placed on their training list. That does not mean that he is a shoe in for their training program. It means that if they like what they see while he is there, they will offer him a spot.

Now…we just need to get his ankle healthy enough to do a summer intensive. The good news is he’ll be close to home. He can go for all the great therapies that helped him while he was home — if he doesn’t need surgery.

This intensive is only four weeks long. So, if his ankle is healthy, maybe he’ll attend Complexions later in the summer again. We’ll have to wait and see.

Oh…I’m wondering if he’ll be able to audition for Juilliard. He has a piece choreographed, but he can’t really rehearse it right now because of his ankle.

So, that’s the news.

Don’t forget to get your copy of The Summer Intensive Handbook! Click on the cover on the right…

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We examined Julian’s feet when he got home. His arches were all swollen as were his ankles. He had big knots on the tendons in places and when he moved his feet the crunched. Yuck!

I, of course, was all over him about not taking care of himself. He’d hurt his ankle back in October just before we came to see him in the the SAB Student Choreographic Institute. He had never gone to see the chiropractor for an adjustment. He insists the PT person at SAB adjusts his heels and ankles for him. According to Julian, he hurt both his ankles doing something or other a while ago, and that’s when the problem really started. Of course, he didn’t stop dancing. What serious dancer would, right? Not when you want to get noticed by Peter Martins, who has been teaching Saturday classes quite often.

Anyway, the first night we had him soak his feet in warm water and Epson Salts. Then it began…the many trips to all the specialists we know in my attempt to give him the care I couldn’t provide for him in NYC–my attempt to cure his tendonitis. First, he went off to see Royal Jacobs, a local massage therapist who created a therapy called Releasology, which is based on acupressure. (Julian hopes to also learn this and may be get certified by Royal…) He has had two appointments and will have a third before he leaves. Two days later, the swelling was down and the pain was almost gone.

Second, he went off to see the PT in San Francisco…yes, we began our long drive to San Francisco and back again–can’t say I missed that much…for a total of four visits. However, the doctor in NY, a Dr. Hamilton, recommended this particular PT facility, Active Care, because they treat the dancers from San Francisco Ballet. And actually, they were super. They told Julian he could begin dancing again–small jumps only at first and then whatever didn’t hurt–and put his feet to work. They said his arches were not strong enough (What about those doming exercises I’ve written about? Mom’s don’t know squat…or at least don’t get listened to.), nor were some other parts of his feet; strengthening exercises were prescribed to help him stop from falling in on his arches as he dances–something he says is quite common among dancers. On the last day, an ex-ballerina-now-physical-therapist actually worked with him at the barre and showed him what to focus on to use his feet correctly.

Here’s what he learned from her: The correction really comes down to concentrating while dancing upon not falling in on his arches. “In releve,” he said, “when rolling down, dancers have to  maintain turn out, but in an attempt to do so a lot of times they push forward toward the inside of the ankle and over stretch the tendons and ligaments on the inside of the ankle. Instead they need to think about lifting the arch while rotating from the top of the hip and inner thigh, and focus on maintaining the correct tracking of the ankle so the weigh is mostly over the second and third toe.”

After that first PT appointment, the next day Julian had one of two appointments with one of our two acupuncturists. Dr. He, who specializes in sports medicine and treats some dancers as well. He treated him, and said he didn’t feel the injury was too severe. (As I write this, Julian is in his office and shared this collage of photos to show the treatment he received. Dr. He tends to use electrical stimulation on the needles and to leave the needles in using tape so the treatment lasts longer. That means you get a more healing effect. The first time the needles only remained in for a few hours because Julian had to go to his MRI appointment. We didn’t think it would be a good idea to have the needles flying around in the MRI machine. LOL.

The second acupuncturist, our magician, is Dr. Wu.  I’ve written about how he cured Julian of all sorts of things, such as tendonitis in the hip, with just two sessions. He had only one session available. He put needles in Julian’s head and hands and made him do releves and other movements with his legs and feet (which he hadn’t been doing for two weeks on doctor’s orders but had just been given the go ahead to do by PT two days earlier) for something like 35 minutes. He got an additional needle in the arm, and “danced” for another 10-15 minutes. Amazingly, this helped. At first the needles hurt each time he moved his feet. The more he moved the more they hurt, but as he kept it up, the needles and his feet stopped hurting.

Oh, he also went to the chiropractor twice. Our regular chiropractor, Dr. David Renbarger, is the best!

By the end of the first week home, Julian had taken one open class at his old studio, City Ballet School, and his feet felt better and looked better—less crunching, smaller bumps on the tendons, and much less swelling.

As I said, he had a total of four PT sessions, three acupuncture visits, and two Releasology sessions (one more this coming weekend), and he was feeling little to no pain–plus his feet were looking better. The MRI results said there was a slight tear, but we’ll see what Dr. Hamilton says about that. Our doc here didn’t say a word. That probably isn’t much different than a sprain–or so I hope.

Now, Julian did go to three dance classes…hopefully without negative consequences. PT said he could. He said nothing hurt. He wanted to take several classes with his old teacher, Yuri Zhukov, and did one day, but ended up taking two this last week with Yuri Possokhov, San Francisco Ballet’s choreographer in residence (although they didn’t have a bio and The Joffrey did; go figure). We were told by someone once that being at City Ballet would be worth it if Julian go to take class with Possokhov for even 15 minutes. In the last year and half he’s taken class with him several times. This week it was super; Possokhov actually corrected him on the way he was using his feet and told him to pull up on his arches. He noticed what Julian was doing, basically, that causes the tendonitis. Kudos to you, Mr. Possokhov! Why has no one at SAB noticed this? Indeed, I’m told Julian has not been corrected on this particular technique issue–one with physical consequences, no less.

So, my conclusion, based on the fact that he has pretty much no pain and the swelling, bumps, and crunchiness have all been reduced considerably, is that we have almost cured his tendonitis in two weeks–well, make it four with the two weeks off. Now he’ll have five days off before he starts back up at SAB, so that’s a plus for the continuing healing process. I’m going to give him a tennis ball and tell him top dome, dome, dome in the meantime.

My other conclusion: SAB is darn tough on a boy’s body. Julian’s best friend danced hardly at all for two months (or more) because of a back injury. I’ve heard tell of boys who broke their backs…(and did dance again). I’ve seen several boys sitting out when I was there due to injury. And the new boys to the Advanced Men’s division take not only the Advanced Men’s classes but also the Intermediate Men’s classes that first year. That’s a heck of  a lot of jumping and turning and general wear and tear on the bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments. No wonder they end up with over use injuries, let alone fractures in the bones and tears in the muscles and ligaments of their backs and feet. I can’t wait until next year when Julian only has to take the Advanced Men’s classes.

Happy New Year everyone!

Oh… and please, please do go vote for this blog here: http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/ I sorely need the votes. At this rate, I will not even come in second this year in the Best Dance Blog Contest. So, if you love this blog and find it helpful, please show your support. Go vote, and tell all your dancing friends to vote. Share the link on Facebook and Twitter and Google+ and tell them to click on My Son Can Dance and then hit “vote.” Thanks so much.

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I’m so happy today to offer the superb information on becoming a professional dancer, choosing a style of dance and a dance company, and dancing with The Joffrey ballet offered by Willy and Adam as well as the information on The Joffrey documentary, which you won’t want to miss. You can watch the trailer and read all about the film and the history of the company below. Reading what these two men have to say will make you all the more interested in this unique ballet company.

Let me start by telling you a little bit about these two former Joffrey dancers. Willy Shives began his dance training in his native south Texas before receiving his formal training with the School of American Ballet (where Julian currently is studying) and the Harkness Ballet School on full scholarship in New York. He joined the Joffrey Ballet in 1999 at the invitation of founder and artistic director Gerald Arpino and remained a dancer with the company until 2008, when he assumed the ballet master role.

Adam Sklute enjoyed a 25-year career as a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet, which began as one of the last two dancers hired by Robert Joffrey. He also served as assistant ballet master/associate artistic director with the company before being named artistic director of Ballet West in March 2007. A native of Berkeley, California, Sklute trained at the Oakland and San Francisco Ballet schools and became a member of The Joffrey II company with only three years of formal training.

Now, on to the questions I asked them. You can find the two men’s answers indicated by their initials.

I’ve often heard it said that in ballet, men are just the barre for the women. They make them look good. However, I understand that Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino felt it was important to choreograph artistically for men as well as for women. He did several ballets that really showcased the men, rather than looking at them merely as partners to women on stage. What advice would you give young male dancers as they explore the world of dance, different companies and different styles of ballet and seek out a way to express themselves without feeling just like a barre?

AS: I think in this day and age male dancers are taking more and more of the center stage. Both Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino championed the male in ballet, but certainly superstars like Mikhail Barishnikov and Rudolph Nureyev helped bring that change about.  Nowadays a male ballet dancer can find fulfilling work anywhere around the world. Ballet has changed a lot over the past few decades.

My son recently decided to attend the School of American Ballet. He previously was interested in contemporary ballet and also attended American Ballet Theatre. When young boys explore different types of choreography and styles of ballet, how can they know what is best for their own ability, strengths and weaknesses, etc.?

AS: If a young boy is interested in ballet then he must start with good strong classical training.  That is the base, and from there he can go in any direction he wishes. A dancer who has had good early classically training can branch out into any style.

Can you give them a few tips to help them figure out where to land when it comes to choosing a style or a company?

AS: First off, it’s what moves you, what inspires you that should dictate what direction you chose to follow. I think making a good assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses in a healthy way also will help determine that.  One’s physical facility is very important for classical ballet (feet, proportions, turn-out, etc.), more so than contemporary or modern dance. So, that may help guild your choice as well.

What three or four tips would you offer young male dancers on how to succeed as a professional male dancer?

AS: “The three Ds”: Desire! Drive! Discipline!  One can have all the talent in the world, but if you do not have the discipline to work, the drive to succeed and the desire to create your art it won’t matter. I started dancing very late, and because I was driven, disciplined and had a great desire to dance I became a professional very shortly after and had a wonderful performing career and a life in my beloved art form of ballet.  If I can do it, anyone can do it.

WS: Make sure have a very strong background in ballet technique.  This will be the strong point in any style of dance.  Take as many jazz and contemporary classes as possible, so you have a good feeling of movement and how to be grounded in your legs.

Most dance companies want dancers that can do it all.  So being that all-around dancer will get you a long way.

As a male dancer you are expected to do all the big jumps and multiple turns, but when it comes to adagio, this is where we are lacking.

Also:

1. Keep you body strong.  Swimming is the best thing for your over all body strength and flexibility.
2. Make sure that your adagio is as good as the women or better.  It only makes you a better rounded dancer.
3. Most of all be very, very—and I stress very—consistence with your work.  Ballet class every day and cross training, like swimming, to keep you in top shape.
4. Musicality—listen to all types of music. Being very musical is a big part of really being a great dancer.

What makes The Joffrey different from other ballet companies, and does a young ballet dancer looking at companies need to discern the difference between one an another—and prepare differently to audition for them.

WS: The Joffrey Ballet takes dancers that have soul.  The dancers really believe in what they are doing. The company is an all-star dance company.  You might be doing corps work one night and then the lead the next.  This is how The Joffrey Ballet has always worked. It makes for strong dancers that appreciate their art.

When auditioning for a dance company, do a background check on the company. See what ballets they have done, see what ballets they are going to do.  What kind of technique is expected?  What is the vision of the artistic director?

Companies now are not just hiring male dancers because they need a male dancer but [because they need] a male dancer that can really move, has strong ballet technique, is very musical, and has great partnering skills.

Be honest with yourself.  If you don’t have the double tours from 5th to 5th or the flexibility, don’t look at companies that have a strict classical base rep.  Modern and contemporary dance is the most full feeling of the dance art forms, but there is nothing like the challenge of classical ballet.  You really have to love what you are doing and be passionate about your work so you can do whatever it takes to be the best that you can be.

Having heard what these experts have to say, you’ll definitely want to check out Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, the first film to chronicle the legendary Joffrey Ballet. It is set to premiere in New York City in January 2012 (location TBA). The world premiere simulcast of the film that will happen throughout the United States on January 28. The link below gives a listing of the cities in which you can watch it to date check the site for updated info):

The feature length documentary takes a look at this groundbreaking cultural treasure, known as the first truly American dance company. Narrated by Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Mandy Patinkin and directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), the film documents how the Joffrey revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet, and setting it to pop and rock music scores. Following the North American premiere in late January, the film will embark on a theatrical tour to select cities in the U.S. Released through Hybrid Cinema, the documentary is expected to have a DVD release in the first quarter of 2012 as well. For more information, please visit www.joffreymovie.com.

Here’s the trailer:

If you don’t know much about the Joffrey Ballet, here is a bit of historical information. Co-founded in 1956 by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey and dancer Gerald Arpino, who would become their principal choreographer, The Joffrey Ballet began as a DIY dance company of six dancers touring the United States in a borrowed station wagon. What started as a childhood dream quickly grew into one of the world’s most exciting and prominent ballets companies. Together, Joffrey and Arpino transformed the face of dance by merging classical ballet technique with bold new perspectives for edgy new ballets that challenged conventions. Aggressive touring took the Company from school auditoriums across America’s Heartland, to the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation, and on to Russia for a month-long tour during the height of the Cold War, and beyond.  They also garnered extensive media attention for their daring originality, which included appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, the cover of Time magazine, and in major motion pictures such as Save the Last Dance and Robert Altman’s The Company (which is based on the Joffrey).

Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance weaves a wealth of rare archival footage and photographs along with interviews featuring former and current Joffrey star dancers, showing the full history of the Company from its founding in 1956 to the present. It describes how the Joffrey repeatedly resurrected itself after devastating financial and artistic setbacks and introduced cutting-edge choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Laura Dean and Margo Sappington to larger audiences.

The film features rare excerpts from many seminal Joffrey works including Astarte, Trinity and Billboards, as well as breakthrough collaborations with choreographers Twyla Tharp (Deuce Coupe), Kurt Jooss (The Green Table) and Leonide Massine (Parade). It also features Kevin McKenzie, Helgi Tomasson, Lar Lubovitch, Ashley C. Wheater, Gary Chryst, Trinette Singleton, Anna Kisselgoff, Adam Sklute, Christian Holder, Dermot Burke, Paul Sutherland, Francoise Martinet, Brunilda Ruiz, Jonathan Watts, Diane Consoer, Sasha Anawalt, and Hedy Weiss.

Julian’s YAGP partner, Jeraldine, is enjoying her first professional job at The Joffrey. She’s had both large and small, corps and lead, roles, just as Willy mentioned, which makes dancing for The Joffrey a very attractive choice for many dancers looking for that first job. Plus, as you can see from the trailer, the repertoire is quite varied interesting.

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