This dance season has certainly pushed our bodies, and Quarter 3 made that especially clear. Our bodies are crying out for some love and attention. First, Šarlote re-aggravated her old neck injury from 2019 (just before Blackpool), and then Nolo had a flare-up of his 2019 pre-International lower back injury.
Šarlote: “My pain started after getting a new office chair at work. My spine locked up, and I couldn’t turn my head to the left. It took about three weeks to get back to normal. But then, as I was warming up in Tasmania, just before the final, my neck locked up again. I couldn’t turn my head without pain at all. I honestly thought I wouldn’t be able to walk out onto the floor. With tears in my eyes, but a big smile on my face, I pushed through, focusing everything on supporting my upper back, so that I can stabilise my movement throughout the dances. That’s all I could think about during the final. I don’t encourage pushing through injuries, but I knew how to manage my body, as I had to do the same in Blackpool 2019.”
Nolo: “My pain flared up right after Tasmania, just as we were preparing for our show in Geelong. Our choreography had several lifts, and after ten days of practice, the day before the event, we had to cut a couple of lifts because my back couldn’t handle it. Nurofen helped me get through the show. After that, it was five weeks of off-and-on recovery, with my lower back constantly flaring up, I was determined for preparing for upcoming competitions. Also managing both work and rest was tough, and in hindsight, I wish I had taken more time off early on. We ended up missing two competitions—Oceania and Evolution—because of it.”
Lessons learned in Q3:
Šarlote: “Stretching and yoga/Gyrotonic are essential, especially if you have a full-time job or school where you’re sitting for long periods. Sitting shortens your hamstrings, which eventually causes your hips and spine to lock up. You might not notice the benefits right away, or see visible improvements, but at the very least, you’ll be maintaining enough flexibility to stay pain-free. I normally stretch every weeknight, but for some reason this habit fell off my list the week of getting a new office chair.”
Nolo: “Recovery time means recovery time. Rest is crucial. If you try to push through, you only end up prolonging your recovery. Resting might be hard when you’re looking at the season ahead, but if your body is asking for it, you simply need to listen. There are ‘no if ands or buts’.”
We wanted to share our injury experiences as part of our Q3 review because so many dancers go through something similar and normally it’s a lonely process. It can definitely be a demotivating time, but we believe that staying positive and focusing on what you can do helps speed up recovery. Dwelling on what you can’t control only brings you down.
If you’ve experienced or are experiencing injuries during your dance journey, we understand. Keep your chin up, enjoy the break, and know you’ll come back even stronger, with a new fire in your belly. That’s certainly how we are choosing to feel.
Wish us luck in Q4!
Nolo & Šarlote
Excellent feedback and analysis. Lots of good information for all of us, even those of us who are not dance competitors. Thanks guys. All the best for Q4.