Emphasis on Parallel Position

When entering ballet lessons with Miss Emily, young dancers are started in parallel position - also known as ballet 6th position. Why does Miss Emily not emphasize a "turned-out" 1st position? Famous ballerina, Margot Fonteyn says it very well, "Turnout is generally thought of as turning the feet out so the toes point out to the sides instead of to the front. But it is not just the feet that must turn, but the whole leg from the hip joint. The common fault is to turn the feet out farther than the knees and the hips, which results in what is called "rolling in". What is wrong with rolling in is that the whole sole of the foot is no longer in firm contact with the floor, and it is that contact which is the most valuable thing a dancer has. From it comes stability, control, and most important of all, the power to spring up into the air. It is dangerous to force even the more supple (children), because their bones are growing and still soft. From all this, one can see why just how advisable it is to go to a good teacher in the first place. One cannot be too careful with young children. If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing well."

Miss Emily Says: Please Bundle Up Your Dancers!

I must say, it drives me crazy to see kids/dancers without their winter coats, or with their winter coats not zipped up. Why does this drive me crazy? It is WINTERTIME! It is COLD OUTSIDE! When a person/dancer is not wearing their coat, or their coat is not closed, and there is no hat, no gloves, no scarf around the neck, a person/dancer is more susceptible to illness. When the body must expend much more energy to keep the vital organs warm than it would if a person/dancer is properly bundled for the low temperatures, than the body has much less energy to fight the myriad of viruses and bacteria it encounters. Please read this text of a fabulous article from Lilipoh magazine, Spring 2003, by Rosemary Rau-Levine, M.D.

--Poppa is please with her progress at their first follow-up visit, "Anna's antibiotics have decreased to once in December, once in January, and now look, no cold today!"  I am thinking to myself, "Where did I go wrong?" One antibiotic in five years is too often in my work. A cold gray wind drums the windows as I have my hands on Anna, applying cranio-sacral therapy that acts on allergies. Anna has a five-inch gap of bare skin between her hard black jeans and printed pansy tee shirt. Liver, spleen, intestines and kidneys are exposed. "What kind of outfit is this for this weather?" I ask, looking up at 6'4" Dad. I'm in wool from chin to toes, ballast against our usual freezing California spring weather. Dad looks uncertain, "Anna just picked out this outfit for herself," he explains. "It's a great summer outfit, let's put it away until then," I say. I can see that Dad is envisioning Anna's behavior were her to deliver this dictum to his daughter. I quiz my acupuncture associate at our therapeuticum - Art and Medicine, "Guess how old Anna is?" "13?" "No." "11?  9?"  Anna is three. Today is a sunny, brisk, windy day in the park. I pass Mom in a big windbreaker with a stocking capped infant in a stroller. A smiling little girl dances in front of me in a tee shirt and capri pants. "Let me know if you want your jacket," calls out Mom. The little girl serenades her mom by clearing her throat and coughing. Another antibiotic Anna, another parental defeat.  "My daughter is doing much better," says Mom at our second follow-up visit. "The teacher says she's learning now, and she's even helping another student with homework. Her temper tantrums are gone. The last time she was down on the floor having a tantrum, it was because she didn't want to put her hat on before going outside." Six-year-old Marilee grins in agreement. This mom courageously got down in the trenches. The child does not know that without physical warmth there is not an activated immune system. How can we American parents, so determined to allow our children their every freedom, face this dilemma? One of my patients, a kindergarten teacher, wraps up so much before going outside that colleagues say, "Looks like you're going to the snow!" "I remember what you told me so long ago about warmth, so I make the children go back in and get their jackets. The kids will say they are not cold. Yes, I say, but you will be. Then I have them zip 'em up too." This is not a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover study about coughs, just 40 years of observation in the out of doors!--

And, even if your dancer has on her coat and it is zipped, but underneath only has on just her leotard and tights... PLEASE! Leotard and tights are NOT outdoor-wear! Put clothing on your dancer before going outside! It's COLD out there!

With love, always,
Miss Emily