Introduction to " You Were Born To Dance With Ease"
From Hon. Sabina M. DeVita Ed.D.'s book
"When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother what will I be?"
- Doris Day song
Karen Kain
National Ballet of Canada, Prima Ballernina Karen Kain in Giselle
“When I grow up, I’m going to be a ballerina,” wrote Karen Kain at 8 years old. “I will be in Giselle. It will be so much fun being a ballerina”.
Karen Kain became Canada’s treasure, one of the world’s most talented ballerinas and a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada during her 25-year career.
In a MacLean’s 1988 cover story to mark her 20th anniversary with the National Ballet of Canada, she was described as ‘one of the most respected ballerinas in the world and a living icon in Canada.’ She became Canada’s Prima Ballerina.
Though the joys of creating in dance and performing on stage are great, a dancer’s life often means pain, exhaustion, injuries, depression, dieting and the hardships of touring. Karen Kain too experienced the above-mentioned hardships that she readily admits.
Karen Kain became Canada’s treasure, one of the world’s most talented ballerinas and a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada during her 25-year career.
In a MacLean’s 1988 cover story to mark her 20th anniversary with the National Ballet of Canada, she was described as ‘one of the most respected ballerinas in the world and a living icon in Canada.’ She became Canada’s Prima Ballerina.
Though the joys of creating in dance and performing on stage are great, a dancer’s life often means pain, exhaustion, injuries, depression, dieting and the hardships of touring. Karen Kain too experienced the above-mentioned hardships that she readily admits.
In Her CBC interview.........
"Pain is a fact of life in the ballet’, said Kain in a 1976 CBC
interview. Everyday, Kain’s body ached, and once, she compared it to being ‘near arthritic’. She commented how often she would wake up to the feeling like there was "broken glass” in her ankles. The harder the dancers would work, the stiffer they would get. Fractures are also a common occurrence and can easily happen to any dancer from over use of their muscles or from lack of rest.
Classical ballet is characterized by the turnout of the hip, rising up on the toes, elevation, beats, turns and toe dancing. Injuries are a constant threat to a dancer’s career. Injuries occur from falls, hyperextension, turnout, loose joints, and overuse of muscles. Dancers must
take class every day to keep their muscles strong, loose and warm and their bodies flexible.
interview. Everyday, Kain’s body ached, and once, she compared it to being ‘near arthritic’. She commented how often she would wake up to the feeling like there was "broken glass” in her ankles. The harder the dancers would work, the stiffer they would get. Fractures are also a common occurrence and can easily happen to any dancer from over use of their muscles or from lack of rest.
Classical ballet is characterized by the turnout of the hip, rising up on the toes, elevation, beats, turns and toe dancing. Injuries are a constant threat to a dancer’s career. Injuries occur from falls, hyperextension, turnout, loose joints, and overuse of muscles. Dancers must
take class every day to keep their muscles strong, loose and warm and their bodies flexible.
Like so many dancers, they start at an early age. Children generally begin training at age 8 with some as young as four to begin their life-long careers in poise, discipline and flexibility. In comparison to the 61 common sports, only professional football is more physically demanding than ballet.
To keep themselves from slipping while dancing, dancers put rosin powder (the same rosin that’s used on violin bows) on the bottom of their shoes. Even with this precaution, amongst others, dancers injure their backs, necks, shoulders and knees, pull muscles, sprain ankles, twist joints and break bones.
When this information was shared with me, I wondered, with all that is available to us today, can we make the dancers’ experience more comfortable, healthier and harmonious? Can we help to lessen the pressures and injuries that sometimes end a dancer’s career?
This guidebook is meant to help support the dancer. I believe we can ease the young and older dancers’ experiences with the awesome powers of Mother Nature. Over the last 20 years in my natural health practice, I utilized many holistic approaches in energy medicine that eased troubled souls, pain-ridden bodies and burdened hearts. I know that with natural herbs along with the simplified Kinesiology & Brain Gym techniques outlined in this book, we can make a difference in a ballet dancer’s, for that matter, any dancer's or athletes' life.
The grace and elegance of a dancer below................
To keep themselves from slipping while dancing, dancers put rosin powder (the same rosin that’s used on violin bows) on the bottom of their shoes. Even with this precaution, amongst others, dancers injure their backs, necks, shoulders and knees, pull muscles, sprain ankles, twist joints and break bones.
When this information was shared with me, I wondered, with all that is available to us today, can we make the dancers’ experience more comfortable, healthier and harmonious? Can we help to lessen the pressures and injuries that sometimes end a dancer’s career?
This guidebook is meant to help support the dancer. I believe we can ease the young and older dancers’ experiences with the awesome powers of Mother Nature. Over the last 20 years in my natural health practice, I utilized many holistic approaches in energy medicine that eased troubled souls, pain-ridden bodies and burdened hearts. I know that with natural herbs along with the simplified Kinesiology & Brain Gym techniques outlined in this book, we can make a difference in a ballet dancer’s, for that matter, any dancer's or athletes' life.
The grace and elegance of a dancer below................
My wish for you in Your Dance
May you be filled with joy, peace and love for yourself and for the Art of ‘Your Dance’ –- Enjoy your uniqueness, your authentic expression of your soul. May you also enjoy and embrace the magnificent being that you are.
Did Karen Kain achieve her dream?
In an interview years later - she commented how Her dream had manifested:
"Giselle came into our rep in about 1969, the same year I joined, and is a huge part of the ballet tradition. I've danced it many, many times," said Kain, who made a film of it with longtime dance partner Frank Augustyn in 1976.
Copyright 2005-2017, Sabina M. DeVita All rights reserved
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