Ballet Pensacola Receives Sports Medicine Support from Andrews Institute
Ballet Pensacola Receives Sports Medicine Support from Andrews Institute
GULF BREEZE, Fla. (September 12, 2016) The stress put on a ballet dancers body can take quite a toll throughout ones career. Overuse injuries are prevalent in ballet, and while catastrophic injuries may not occur as often in ballet as in collision or contact sports, a dancers joints are constantly pushed to the limit.
Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine supports Ballet Pensacola by providing the companys dancers with sports medicine coverage. Charles Roth, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Andrews Institute, has a passion for ballet and supporting the local arts in the community.
Ballet is a different realm of the athlete, said Dr. Roth. It is one that certainly combines art with the finesse of movement. Its a total body sport. Any body part from the neck to the toes can be injured.
Dr. Roth is not only a financial supporter of Ballet Pensacola, he is also a former board member and currently an orthopaedic consultant for the ballet. Dr. Roths passion for supporting the local arts is not overshadowed by his appreciation for the dedication and perseverance of the local dancers.
These dancers tend to perform through pain; thats kind of their mantra, said Dr. Roth. They dont give up. I think thats important to note that sometimes they will have an injury and they will continue doing what they do even to the determent of their injury.
Andrews Institute is world renown for treating elite athletes from all different sports, but Dr. David Joyner, executive director at Andrews Institute, feels that supporting Ballet Pensacola is a critical commitment.
We are in this community to provide world class orthopaedic and sports medicine care to anyone who needs it, Dr. Joyner said. And its not just what is traditionally thought of as sports, its about all of human movement. Ballet is an incredibly demanding activity that epitomizes this human movement. We feel it is important to show the community that we are here for all athletes in life.
While Andrews Institute provides certified athletic trainers to high schools in Escambia, Santa Rosa and northern Okaloosa counties through its Sports Medicine Outreach program, a group of athletic trainers attend Ballet Pensacola classes and rehearsals at its downtown studios.
Overall were aiming to prevent serious injuries and to manage the typical aches and pains that ballet dancers experience, said Kathleen McGraw, ATC at Andrews Institute. Ballet companies often do not have easy, regular access to athletic trainers, physical therapists and orthopaedic physicians so were proud to offer our services to Ballet Pensacola. We treat the dancers like the athletes they are. We are always looking for ways to help support them in what they love to do.
Richard Steinert, Ballet Pensacolas Artistic Director and General Manager, has seen the positive impact the sports medicine coverage has had for the ballet company dancers.
What Andrews Institute has been able to do is take the down time out for our dancers, said Steinert. While we are not an impact sports person to person, we are an impact sport with that floor. After decades of huge jumping and landing, our bodies feel those impacts. What weve learned from working with Andrews Institute is the importance of the front end of things.
With 32 years in the ballet industry and soon entering his 10th season at Ballet Pensacola, Steinert knows that support for the arts from a sports medicine perspective is rare to see.
There have been very few companies that I have either danced in or directed where we have been able to have this support from any sort of physical or athletic perspective, Steinert said. Were different animals, ballet dancers, because we are artists yet we are athletes. And much like skaters or gymnasts, we have the sport but the artistic element to it as well. Dealing with dancers is different than dealing with football players. Its a different mindset.
The 2016-17 Ballet Pensacola season begins November 10 with the world premiere of Wizards and Warriors. This original production, presented during the Foo Foo Festival, follows the magical adventures of young wizards. The season will continue with the annual production of The Nutcracker on December 16-18. For information about additional season performances, visit balletpensacola.com.
