Well, they say it get’s easier after the third week of a summer intensive. The first two weeks the kids are exhausted. They start to feel better during week three…stronger, less tired. Yet, that’s when the injuries start showing up as well. Overuse and stress injuries.
Tomorrow marks the end of week number three; three more to go. At our end, Julian says he’s feeling pretty good. His ankles are a bit tired, he has a blister from tonight’s “extra” tap class with Jason Samuels Smith, he’s been having some muscle cramps (I think he needed to drink more), but overall, he feels pretty good. That’s a far cry from last year when after two week she couldn’t lift his arms and wouldn’t let me touch his muscles because they hurt so badly. Even his sprained toe is healing up, although it is still swollen.
This is all good, since next Monday he starts doing something totally unplanned that I already mentioned. Our plan to follow last year’s model of one class during the week at Broadway Dance Center and then two or so on Saturday’s has fallen to the wayside. (Well…we may still do two on the weekend; we’ll have to see.) No more weeknight tap classes with the likes of Michelle Dorrance. (Actually, Julian says tap is no longer “his thing.” (Boo hoo!) He will now attempt to take two or three classes each week with Desmond Richardson and Dwight Rhoden of Complexions.
After a bit of going back and forth with the people at Complexions, Julian has gotten the okay to attend the Division 3 summer intensive class on a drop in basis. The staff questioned whether or not Richardson really meant for a 16 year old to attend teh 18+ professional division class and waited until they could actually ask him themselves. Once he told them he felt sure Julian could do it (which I think floored them as much as us), they called me and said he could do as many classes as he felt able to do on a cost/class basis. What an honor! How could Julian turn down the opportunity?
So, he’ll try to do this on the shorter days at ABT–Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We’ll see how it goes. It might mean not dancing on Saturdays. Oh, well. He’ll just have a different experience this year and make up for lost time doing jazz, hip hop, tap, etc., that last week we are in NYC when we’ve left six full days for dance at Steps and Broadway Dance Center.
I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going…and think good thoughts of Julian staying healthy and strong. Last year we stayed away from extra classes that used the same types of movements he was doing all day at ABT while he was still in the intensive.
Oh, and if you live in the NYC area, remember to look for the Complexions intensive next summer as well.
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