Tag Archives: ballet

The ideas behind the minds of three fine men. Kansas City Dance Festival.

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Happy Wednesday everyone!

Remember my friends, ideas should never stop flowing.  We as dancers have an advantage.  Well we have many, but the one that dancehealthier is thinking about for today’s Wednesday post has to do with creativity.  We are creative people, and luckily with creativity comes ideas.  Putting these ideas into action brings us to another level.

The three men behind Kansas City Dance Festival!

The three men behind Kansas City Dance Festival!

A group of three fine men, Executive director Daniel L. Allen, Esq.; and Co-Artistic Directors,  Anthony Krutzkamp and Logan Pachciarz are driving 700 miles per hours lately.  They are putting on a show, coming late June, called Kansas City Dance Festival!  So dancehealthier got in on the scoop, and I’m happy to share this interview with Co-Artistic Director of the group, Anthony Krutzkamp.

dancehealthier: What has your experience been like thus far?  

Anthony: Mostly exciting.  But it does rack your brain a little bit.  So it comes with a little anxiety, but at a healthy level. The kind of level that gets you to work really hard.

dancehealthier: What was the main reason/inspiration behind launching Kansas City Dance Festival?  

Anthony: Well I have always wanted to do a show.  I have always wanted to raise it from the ground up.  I always wanted to see what it’s like to be an Artistic Director and Ballet Master and have those roles.  I’m at a point in my career where I have to invest time in what I’m going to do next.  Unfortunately, we can’t dance forever.  Logan, also co-artistic director, wanted to have a show with his friends in it, present good repertoire, and have a good time.  That’s our goal throughout all of this. . . To have a good time while putting on great dance!

KCDF Logo

Designed by Dmitry Trubchanov, Principal dancer of Colorado Ballet!

dancehealthier: What is it about Kansas City Dance Festival that is so intriguing to the KC community?

Anthony: I guess it would be the fact that there will be artists from other companies, bringing their repertoire, while also working collaboratively with Kansas City dancers.  There will be new pieces choreographed on this diverse group and the dancers will also be going out into the community to teach master classes.  This will have a huge impact on Kansas City dance students.  Also, the festival really highlights how supportive our arts community is in KC, and we are really thankful for it.

dancehealthier: You mentioned earlier, “unfortunately we can’t dance forever.”  That is a statement that all dancers are forced to think about due to the reality of a dancer’s career being short.  Do you agree that the idea of career transition can be stressful and how do you cope with your own anxiety?  

Anthony: Yeah, it can be very stressful.  But you have to have a good support system and you have to prepare yourself.  I  personally believe the world is going to be ready for you if you prepare yourself for the world.  As of now, I believe that I have to keep my nose to the grindstone and my eyes on the prize.  Kansas City Dance Festival is still teaching me so many different little things.  A lot of knowledge can come from a small idea.  And all these little things that I’m learning are helping me get there.

dancehealthier: What is one thing that people don’t think about when it comes to putting on a show like you guys are doing?  

Anthony: That everything goes with you.  Even last night, at 11:58 pm (after a full day of meetings),  my co-worker Logan and I talked on the phone spreading more information and more ideas.  I’m thankful for the adrenaline but it definitely does not help you sleep.

For more information on Kansas City Dance Festival be sure to LIKE their Facebook page.  Website coming soon. Share along too!

Also, be sure to LIKE dancehealthier on Facebook too!

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‘Tis the off season!

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‘Tis the off season!   

See you next season!

For all who may be finishing up their 2011-2012 season, already finished, soon to be finished, or finished for just a little bit; dancehealthier hopes that your layoff will be a good one.  For those who have or are celebrating their retirement, and those that may be moving on to new stages, congrats!  And to all that are looking for a recharge, there is no better time than the now.

  • Take trips, go camping, volunteer, garden, donate your time to be a big brother/big sister, visit other art forms, go fishing, take bike rides, pack a picnic, enjoy the sunshine (really), read books, educate yourself, write a short story, find new recipes, visit local farm markets, hike, watch the sun rise, exercise, take a road trip, start a journal, find new areas of town, take cooking classes, guest dance
  • Teach someone else dance, take pictures, go to the zoo, visit a farm, get an ice-cream, go to museums, pick flowers, salvage something, spend time with your family, have conversations, hand write a letter to someone, go star gazing, swim (fresh water, salt water, chlorinated water – all of the above), take walks, catch up on films, contemplate, take yoga, visit friends (they give you perspective)
  • Get on a boat (canoe/kayak works too), go to a baseball game, play games, sit around a bonfire, reminisce, embrace nature, read the New York Times (challenge yourself to a crossword), take a train ride, ask your parents/grandparents about their lives, sketch something, throw a frisbee, take advantage of our national parks, find shapes in the clouds, celebrate accomplishments, set new goals, explore architecture, walk through a college campus and feel the energy
  • Play catch in a park, take long showers, throw a football, grill out, create things, build something with your hands, take naps, change your room around, play trivia, go somewhere you have always wanted to go, sew, help someone out, help people out, give advice, sit and listen, go to a music festival, learn to play an instrument, go for something, ask advice, dress up, get out and about, put the computer down but then pick it  back up to check out dancehealthier :)

dancehealthier looks forward to the summer months to share more stories, more research, more news, more interviews, and more integration.  So visit often, share and feel free to comment requests.

Milk/Dairy Food List – Does a dancer good!

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Dance – Go home – Do it again . . .  Dance – Go home – Do it again . . . Dance – Go home – Do it again . . . Dance – Go home – Do it again . . . Dance – Go home – Do it again . . . Dance – Go home – Do it again  . . . Dance – Go home – Do it again . . . Dance – Go home – Do it again. . .     

Do you ever have days when you walk into the front door of your ballet/dance studio and say to yourself, “Wasn’t I just here?”  Well dancehealthier is certain that our muscles – if they had a voice – would most likely scream this!  “WeReN’T wE JusT HERE!”

One way – of the many ways – we can help our muscles recover faster, taper off excess amounts of lactic acid and prevent muscle fatigue is to eat healthy foods.  Plus, these healthy foods will do much more than just help out our muscles.  The benefits are endless. To name just a few: Physical strength, digestion, heart health, confidence, mental health, and “just feeling good.”  Feel free to add to this list.

Today’s Post will be a continuation (if you haven’t noticed already) of last week, focusing on Milk/Dairy.  For a look at last week’s Movement Wednesday – Love Eats food list containing Protein, click HERE!

MILK/DAIRY

Each serving contains 12-15 grams carbohydrate, 8 grams protein,

0 – 1 grams fat, 90 – 100 Calories

Please take note: Appropriate serving sizes are not listed. The listed serving size is not what dancehealthier recommends as an appropriate daily serving size value.  This list is strictly used for educational/guidance purposes.  Please take into consideration – allergies and food sensitivities.


MILK PRODUCT

AMOUNT
Skim milk

1 cup
½ % milk

1 cup
1% milk

1 cup
“Double Strength” milk(1/3 cup dry milk powder dissolved in 1 cup milk)

½ cup
Chocolate milk, low-fat (1%)

1 cup
Dry non-fat milk

1/3 cup
Plain non-fat or low-fat yogurt

1 cup
Yogurt, low-fat, light

6 ounces
Soy milk

1 cup
Although, not listed, almond milk, probiotic milk kefir, may serve as great substitutes or additional milk/dairy constitutes.  Also, many dancers confirm that drinking whole milk, and/or 2% milk is preferable due to a lack of enough!

This is how it will go for the next few Movement Wednesdays – Love Eats:

  • Week 3 – March 14th: Vegetables
  • Week 4 – March 21st: Fruits & Grains/Carbohydrates
  • Week 5 – March 28th: Fats

A 2011 recap, a top list, must reads from Dancehealthier

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Today, dancehealthier will conclude the final post for this year’s Movement Wednesday category.  With a number of Nutcracker shows, Christmas on its way, and a vacation to celebrate, dancehealthier would like to say a huge thanks, and above all, a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all.   Following this Sunday, dancehealthier will pick back up on January 11, 2012 !!

In celebration of dancehealthier’s first few months, I would like to share some favorite posts since day 1.  Perhaps either a recap, a top list, or a new read – All ways work!

Happiness

The very first entry on September 4.  An entry on how happiness compels a dancer.  What makes dancers from around the world happy?  What compels them to keep working?  Click HERE to read!

 

 

 

 

Health

Also, in an earlier post, Brooke Wade Murphy’s personal definition of health, with dance in mind, is written so well that it gained a lot of attention.  Check it out HERE!

 

 

 

 

Kathleen Rae Thielhelm

A deeper look into a dancer’s perspective – A dancer’s profile with an in depth look at why she feels there needs to be a greater awareness of a dancer’s health.  See what she has to say HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

Tutus and Tea

Blog inspired!  Tutus and Tea, Shelby Elsbree, makes the integration between dancers and health a more balanced one!  She and her blog are great, so be sure to take a look HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

PT and Pilates Specialist

Dancehealthier exploring expert opinions like this one, A Q&A session with Jill Vonderhaar Nader, PT and Pilates Specialist who has worked with a number of dancers! Click HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

Integration between dance and health would not be the same without the integration of dancers, past dancers, experts, and others working together to make this happen.  Balance is the key.  That is what dancehealthier is all about!

Stay tuned for the final 2011 Conversation Sunday post ( a continuation of last week’s Entry – Click HERE to read) this Sunday titled, From Dancer to Health Promoter Part 2 with Kate Crews-Linsley.

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) study on Professional Ballet Dancers

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I hope you found this past Conversation Sunday piece, Q & A Session with Jill Vonderhaar Nader, PT and Pilates Specialist, to be helpful.  Jill is a great resource for dancers, so take a look if you haven’t had the chance.

Shallow Portable Chamber

On a different note, I chose to take part in a study conducted by Dr. Michelle Reillo, a researcher and specialist for hyperbaric medicine, also known as hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).  What is hyperbaric oxygen therapy? HBOT is simply the medical use of oxygen at a higher level than atmospheric pressure.  Dr. Michelle Reillo contacted a Kansas City Ballet dancer with her interest in conducting a hyperbaric therapy study for professional ballet dancers.  For the study, each participating dancer received a 30 minute hyperbaric oxygen therapy session in a shallow portable chamber.  Each dancer was required to fill out a pre and post test associated with the study.  I have to admit, I knew very little about HBOT and was hesitant at first to participate.  To familiarize the dancers, Dr. Michelle Reillo shared some videos about the use of hyperbaric, which I thought I would also share with you:

This video is of the ballroom dancers that Michelle treated in Florida.
It shows the chamber we will be using.


An NFL player talks about his use of hyperbaric:


A news feature about hyperbaric treatment with athletes.  This is a
different type of chamber.


Upon talking with Dr. Michelle Reillo, and doing a little research of my own, I learned that HBOT helps relieve fatigue, enhances recovery time for neuromuscular injuries, and enhances post recovery.  My next thought was exactly how does HBOT do all that?  In order to find my answer, I found an article that broke down what happens when an injury occurs, and how HBOT helps:

  • When an injury occurs, swelling and edema (excess fluid of connective tissues) forms as a protective mechanism.
  • Other natural reactions to injury occur, such as when red blood cells compress, which restricts the ability for healthy oxygen carrying plasma and red blood cells to reach the injury site.
  • These injured tissue sites then become starved for oxygen, which ultimately slows or impedes healing.
  • Under HBOT, oxygen transport by plasma and hemoglobin is significantly increased, which is limited under normal atmospheric pressure.
  • Therefore, HBOT allows oxygen to reach the injury site so cells can heal and the immune system can defend harmful agents.
It was interesting to be in the chamber.  Dr. Michelle Reillo warned us that our ears would want to pop, much like the feeling you get when you are on an airplane.  Other than that it was relaxing.  Coming out, I had mild reactions such as glistening eyes (I guess from the oxygen), and feeling more energized.  Other dancers seemed to have had even more positive results.  I’m looking forward to seeing what step will be taken next in the study, and I hope that we can receive further treatments.  What I do like from all this, is that studies are starting to be done on ballet dancers, and not just athletes.  It’s a step in the right direction.