Last weekend we were at the Palm Springs Summer Dance Camp and a friend of mine who had previously taken Cipro,  and has had two previous surgeries on her calves due to ruptures,  re-ruptured her calf while dancing. It is a harsh punishment to take a drug that robs you of your passion.

What I would like to know is when this will ever end! The fact that Cipro, Levaquin and Avelox (flouroquinolones) cause severe muscle, tendon,  joint pain and rupture and are still being prescribed without telling the patient of these risks is ludicrous! They claim that “only” 1% of people taking these drugs are effected and that they are otherwise “safe”.  I believe that to be an inaccurate number of people effected due to the lack of correlation between the antibiotic and an injury, therefore there is a lack of reporting the incidence to the FDA.

I have found numerous people that have been effected by these drugs and never realized that the antibiotics were the cause until it was brought to their attention. How many of you ever even thought that your muscle and joint pain, or ruptured tendons might be related to an antibiotic? I know that I never correlated my first tendon rupture  due to Cipro, until one year later when I took it again and could not even walk.  It was then that I re-examined my medical records and found that I was on the drug for 2 days when the rupture occurred.

I urge anyone that has had any injury of been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, or Rheumatoid Arthritis to go back and check their medical records to see if you had previously taken any of these drugs. You may be amazed to finally be able to figure out why your physical health seemed to deteriorate overnight.

Doctors and hospitals love these drugs and prescribe them like candy. It is a crime that they continue to do so with no warning, and no cure once the damage has been done. You will be hard pressed to find any help or even someone to believe you if you are poisoned by these drugs. Dancers’ and all others please Beware of the Antibiotics called: Cipro, Avelox and Levaquin.

Sometimes the best dance of the night comes from the least suspecting partner! While attending the Fresno Dance Classic, I asked a young man in a ball cap to dance. My bad, I didn’t introduce myself before asking him to dance, sorry about that JD. Luckily, even tough he introduced himself to me, I did not realize that he was a Champion dancer! Had I known, I would never have asked, and would have been terrified to dance with him.

As it turned out, it was the best dance of the weekend for me! It wasn’t until we had established a connection and danced through the basics  that he ramped up the material and led me through some of the most amazing 2 Step patterns that I have ever danced!

My saving grace was that I kept my basic rhythm and timing of the dance, my arms relaxed and my lats engaged so he could lead me, and my mind focused! Sometimes I even amaze myself!

Well, a dancer can only sit on the sidelines so long! I figured I hurt when I sat down, when I walked and when I slept, so I might as well hurt while dancing, too! Having already ruptured one tendon in my foot, I approached dancing very cautiously. I taped up both of my feet, put on ankle and knee supports and gingerly danced. Of course most of the dancing was during a class, so it wasn’t nearly as strenuous as a real night out on the floor, but it was better than nothing!

I am pleased to say that while I was almost afraid to wake up this morning to more pain than ever, I am no worse fore the wear! I think I shall try it again!

I am writing this article based on my own personal experience. I am hoping to bring awareness of the side effects of the antibiotic Cipro or Ciprofloxin. I understand that Levoquin has the same side effects.

I will preface this article with the knowledge that I have been dancing regularly, 4-5 times a week for 3 years and that dancing is not a new activity for me.

On April 16th, 2010 I started taking Cipro for a bladder infection. On April 17th, 2010 we taught a 4 1/2 hour dance workshop, something we do every other weekend. On April 18th, 2010 I could barely walk. Upon getting out of bed, my feet felt as though I were walking on razor blades and the joints, muscles and tendon in my legs were in excruciating pain. As the day progressed, the pain remained and I was puzzled as to how the workshop could possibly be responsible for my inability to walk. I continued taking Cipro.

On April 19th, 2010 I awoke with the same pain, plus additional hip pain. I just kept thinking that something was really odd and that this leg pain could not possibly be from dancing. That evening I started getting sharp, stabbing pains in my left leg. I began to wonder if I could possibly have a blood clot, so I went to the internet to look up the side effects of Cipro. While I was pleased to realize I didn’t have a blood clot, I was appalled that my muscle, joint and tendon pain was a side effect of Cipro. I stopped taking the drug immediately and contacted my doctor and two pharmacists.

My doctor was shocked and claims he has never seen this side effect and offers no management, treatment or prognosis. The pharmacists are more aware but have a “it might get better, it might not ” attitude. After hours of research I have found that Cipro has landed many in wheelchairs and walking with canes. It can hit your body while taking it or months later. For some it seems that the side effects reverse themselves as soon as the medication is out of their bodies, forothers the suffering lingers for years. You can develop symptoms months after you stop taking the drug. If you have or have had unexplained muscle, joint and tendon pain, or ruptured tendons or been diagnosed with fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis and have taken Cipro, be sure to alert your Dr. and never take it again.

I believe that the percentage of incidences that the drug companies report are way understated. It occurred to me, after this episode, that one year ago I suffered from a popped tendon in my right foot. It took 7 months for that injury to heal. I confirmed the dates and sure enough, I was on Cipro when the injury occurred. I never put 2 and 2 together to make the correlation of the injury as a side effect to the antibiotic. I know know differently and have reported my side effects to the drug manufacturer and the FDA.

Dancers’ do you find yourself sitting on the sidelines watching others dance? If so, there is only one sure fire way to resolve this problem. Get up, walk over to another dancer and ask them to dance. Chances are that they will lead you directly to the dance floor.

In a dance community, asking someone to dance does not imply that you are interested in starting a relationship with that person. It simply means: “I would like to dance”. There are many couples that go social dancing or attend dance conventions together and rarely even dance with each other. Couples, we dancers all thank you for sharing your significant others. We understand that  “A Dance is just A Dance.”

When I first started dancing I was HORRIBLE. I did not have a clue how to dance but, I was determined to learn. I would show up at my local social dances 3-5 nights a week and literally BEG the guys to dance with me. I was unaware that dance classes were even available, so I was at the mercy of anyone that would help me.

During that time, my 3 year old grandson was visiting for 3 weeks. One night he fell asleep watching Shrek, if any of you have kids and have watched the movie you will know exactly what I am about to say. At the end of the movie the little donkey jumps up, over and over saying:  “Pick Me, Pick Me”, I was too tired to get up out of bed and shut it off, so all night long I heard, “Pick Me, Pick Me”!!! The next night at dance, my hand flew up in the air and the words just came out of my mouth: “Pick Me, Pick Me!!!”" From that day forward, I never sat on the sidelines again! As a matter of fact,  as I eventually learned to dance, all it took was one “Pick Me” a night and I rarely left the dance floor. You see, once you get yourself out there on the dance floor, chances are that you will find your next dance while still there. So dancers, feel free to use my mantra and ask them to “Pick You.” Do not be afraid to ask someone to dance and if you must turn someone down, do it politely. There are legitimate reasons for saying no.

Positioning is also very important. Do not hide in the corner or sit at the back of the room. Stand near the dance floor and look like you WANT to dance. Watch where the dancers are entering and exiting the floor and remember that they are there to dance, just like you. I know that it is often difficult to ask a dancer that is more experienced than yourself, but if you truly want to become a better dancer, you’re going to have to be brave and do it! In retrospect, if you are a more experienced dancer, try to “remember when” and occasionally ask a lower level dancer to dance. Let’s all dance together and build a strong healthy dance community.

Bottom line: if you are sitting on the sidelines, you have only yourself to blame. You must be brave, suck it up and ask someone to dance!

While I am certain that there are many different types of foot injuries that occur while dancing, I will be referring to my own particular foot injury. I am in no way trying to diagnose anyones foot problems, I am just going to share my own. You may suffer from some of the same symptoms that I have and I will tell you how I cured mine.

First of all, let me tell you that I have been dancing for almost 3 years, my foot injury occurred 9 months ago and has plagued me right up until now. As a beginning dancer I was out dancing 5 or 6 nights a week with dancers of all levels, from a beginner like me, to much more advanced and experienced dancers. I had no formal training and was at the mercy of whom ever I danced with.

I distinctly remember the exact moment my injury occurred. I was dancing a Country 2 Step with a leader that took large steps. While continually stepping backwards, the ligament under my big toe was pulled. I felt a sharp pain, finished the dance, limped off the floor and thought to myself, “That was strange.” It wasn’t until I got back on the dance floor that I realized how bad the injury was. I went home and popped 3 Vitamin I’s (Ibuprofen) and iced my foot. Much to my dismay, my foot was even worse the next morning. I didn’t dance for several weeks, but was so addicted to dancing that I just couldn’t stay away,  I just kept dancing right through the pain.  Literally, months went by and I kept taking Vitamin I, dancing and whining.

Eventually, I went to a Chinese Foot Massage place near my home. I figured it couldn’t hurt and I was willing to try anything at that point. ( you would think Dr. might have entered into my mind, right?) The weekly foot massages actually began to improve that particular injury. What I hadn’t prepared for was the continuing foot pain. The pain had traveled from the big toe area of my foot  to the next two toes and ball of my foot. It also radiated to the top of my foot.  You see, while I was babying my “Big Toe”  injury,  I put added strain on a different area of my foot. So while the “Big Toe” was happy, the rest of my foot was not. After 6 months of whining, taping my foot and pain meds, I was drug to a chiropractor. My only regret  was that I hadn’t gone sooner.

Dr. Leland Carroll, of the Studio Wellness Center has saved my foot, my life and everyone’s ears around me. After a thorough examination and assessment, he explained and diagnosed my injury. I have pretty severe pronation. Pronation is a turning outward of the foot at the ankle, I have a tendency to walk on the inner border of my foot. It is typically hereditary, but further aggravated by my dancing. I also suffered from Metatarsalgia, a condition which causes the arch of your foot to collapse. His first recommendation was to try custom orthotics. Of course my reaction was doubtful, but faced with the alternative “fix” of surgery, I thought I would give them a try. Shockingly, I can now say that 9 months after I was first injured, and 2 months of wearing my Custom Made Orthotics (which fit into my dance shoes and boots) my foot has finally healed. Oddly enough, so is that nagging knee pain that I had,which I thought was just old age!

I am not saying that every dancer needs Custom Made Orthotics, but if I am able to help anyone out there with foot , knee or back pain, I am glad to share my story. I found Custom Made Orthotics, at a discount,  online. I believe some insurances cover such a product, as they are expensive, but I got the folks at OurHealthNetwork.com to extend my 10% coupon to anyone that uses the code: LovetoDance

Sure hope that this helps anyone with a current foot issue or better yet, helps someone prevent one!

If you’ve never been to a dance event before, the Los Angeles Dance Premier is a great one to attend. It is a country event with competitions and workshops in Country 2 Step, Night Club 2 Step, Cha Cha, East and West Coast Swing, Polka, Triple 2 Step, Hustle and even Waltz. There will be a Swing room and a Country room.

There will be a great teaching staff:

Ronnie DeBenedetta & Brandi Tobias
Gary McIntyre & Susan Kirklin
Aaron & Tiffany Lorenzen
Mike Eads & Annick Paquet

just to name a few. Joe Tschirhart and I will be teaching a Country 2 Step Lesson as well. If you’re there, look me up for a dance or two!

During my not so long dancing career, I have twice been in a situation where I have given free reign to the person teaching me to dance. I have given them the go ahead to “Beat me Bloody”…..on the dance floor, that is.

I am here to warn you, if you ever find yourself in my dancing shoes: BEWARE! I am for warning you, that while your dancing may improve in leaps and bounds, noticeable only to others, your ego and self confidence takes a beating. You have to remain strong and know that one day it will all pay off.

So, be careful what you wish for, as your wish may just come true!

While dancing it is imperative to stay connected, however this does not refer to a death grip!

Leaders place your hand firmly on the followers shoulder blade, up underneath her arm, not in the middle of her back. Give her enough support to allow her to settle back into your hand and  form a connection. Followers do not “lean” back to establish this connection.

Followers, place your hand lightly upon the leaders shoulder, arms touching and connected without expecting the leaders to hold up your arm. Do not grip their shoulder. Place your hand  into the leaders hand and gently close, do not grip tightly.

Both Leaders and Followers must hold up their own arms. While turning, followers should create a cup with your hand so that the leader is able to freely move his fingers within your cup.

Of course there are different frames for different dances and you must make adjustments accordingly, but the above rules still apply.

I am sure that all West Coast Swing dancers do whips. The question is, do they really “whip”, or are they just going through the motion.  Last night at our weekly class, we spent the entire class doing nothing but two whips and honestly almost everyone was struggling.it wasn’t that they weren’t going through the motion and footwork correctly, it was that they were missing a key ingredient that actually creates the whip itself.

To create an actual whipping motion, both leader and follower need to have compression in the connection of the followers right arm and the leaders left. I am not sure exactly how to explain a “feeling”, but done correctly there is actually a whipping motion. Once you have experienced a whip done properly you will never go back to just walking through a whip again!

Today I am going to bring up a rather touchy subject that has been
brought to my attention. I feel that it is worth mentioning and
realize that this does not pertain to most people. So please do not

situation that may occur while out dancing.

Dancing is a great social activity and a great way to make new
friends. Occasionally you may run across people that are there for
the wrong reason. The “wrong” reason that I am talking about today,
is one that can cause a lot of grief to men and women alike.
Sometimes men or women frequent dance activities simply to
“hook-up” with a member of the opposite sex. Sometimes for just the
night and sometimes for a week or more. There are people that can almost
become stalker-ish and will take advantage of a dancers’ social etiquette.

As dancers’ it is rare to turn down a dance when asked. However, if
the person asking takes advantage of you during or after that
dance, you have every right to refuse to dance with them again.

It is not uncommon that a beginning dancer can become a target. A
more experienced dancer with the wrong intent may prey upon a
beginning dancer by offering to spend time teaching them to dance.
They may then suggest getting together before or after dancing
hours. This may result in a short term “relationship” that often
ends badly with the beginning dancer disappearing from the dance
community either out of humiliation or embarrassment or just not
wanting to face the other person. The person doing the preying

the next, often quite quickly.

We must all take responsibility for ourselves. You can count on
being approached in ways that make you uncomfortable if you are a
social dancer that is out several nights a week. Be strong and
listen to your inner voice. Do not open the door, even a crack, if
you are uncomfortable in any way. These people are relentless and
oblivious to your caution or discomfort. Stick up for yourself and
take responsibility. Learn to say No. This can also happen during
group classes. Remember that it is your own responsibility, not the
the instructors, to safeguard yourself. Those of you that attend
classes with the intent to “hook-up”……..Knock it Off!

I know that these types of occurrences happen in all areas of life,
but as a dancer, I also know that when left to fester it seriously
effects our dancing community!

I promise happy thoughts next time!

Happy and safe dancing,
Michele

One of the most difficult things for me about social dancing, and I am talking about “organized club” dancing in my area, is that no matter what type music is played, most (ok, almost ALL) dancers still just dance West Coast Swing. It is so hard for me to just do West Coast Swing when the DJ is playing a Cha Cha or Hustle. Even if you can find a fellow Hustle dancer you will have a difficult time “doing the Hustle” as the West Coast Swing dancers get annoyed if you use too much floor space! UHG! Same applies to Cha Cha……oh, well, I guess some dancers prefer to only dance one dance………..what a shame, because the other dances are equally just as much fun!

If you have never attended a dance convention before, here are a few suggestions to help make your event more enjoyable. These are just suggestions and items that I find helpful. First and foremost bring a smile, an open mind and a joyful attitude. There is much to see and do and so many directions that you will be pulled, that being adaptable will also help.

Bring extra clothing, as you are likely to become hot and sweaty…. often! Dancing day and night is a lot of work and frequent showers and a change of clothing refreshes you. I also like to have a cooler in my room. This is easier to achieve if you drive to the event, but can be accomplished with a quick taxi ride and a disposable cooler from a local market. Good things to have on hand are a loaf of bread, chicken salad, potato salad, hard boiled eggs, nuts, bagels, cream cheese, power bars, fruit and water. Of course beer, margaritas and power drinks are optional!

Having food available and in your room  not only cuts down on the cost, but also allows you to have food available at any time. You will find that your eating schedule depends upon you dancing schedule. It is not uncommon to be eating a chicken salad sandwich at 3 am, just to get up enough energy to dance a few more hours!

I can’t think of a better way to spend Memorial Holiday Weekend than at the Frezno Dance Classic.  They will be celebrating their 25th Anniversary and it is sure to be a party! The theme this year is “The Wild, Wild West”, so Saloon Girl or Cowgirl? Hmmm, guess you’ll have to stay tuned to see!

One of the greatest things about attending a dance event like Frezno, is the vast variety of workshops, instructors, competitions, parties, shows and tons and tons of dancing!

As they put it:

Fabulous dance event.
Rich in Fun, frolic and good times.
Excellent dancing on many levels.
Zealous dancers who are passionate for “dance”  and want to share their talents.
No better Master of Ceremonies than “STEVE ZENER”.
Others’ have tried to imitate, but Frezno Dance Convention is still the best.

Hope to see you there!

Even though I am now able to put one foot in front of the other, turn without wobbling and follow many different leaders, I still find the different theories and concepts of dancing quite challenging and often frustrating. It is amazing to me how many different ways one dance is interpreted and taught depending upon your instructor,  and often even where you live.

My “theory” is to listen closely to the person that you are either learning from, or dancing with, and apply what he or she is teaching you at that particular moment. Attempt to retain as much information and technique that you can from each and every individual. You will find that you will become a more accomplished dancer by allowing the many different styles, characteristics and  idiosyncrasies  that you encounter to permeate your body and mind while learning and dancing.

I am certain that we all hear and feel music differently, but during a  dance it should be both dancers’  goal to connect  to each other and to dance as one. So bearing this in mind, apply what you have mastered through experience, be open to new philosophies and technique and try and have the best dance that you can at any particular moment.