Remembering Frank Owens

One of the great privileges of taking ballet classes at the Maryland Youth Ballet is having the most amazing piano accompanists play for our classes.

Frank Owens

One of them was a gentleman named Frank Owens. He played for some of the classes I took, and when passing him in the hallway I always made a point of acknowledging him with a smile and a nod. He also played at The Washington School of Ballet.

Frank was killed in a car crash in DC this weekend. He'd just turned 90 on September 1st.

The Audition: Nutcracker Edition

Having not learned my lesson this spring, I decided to audition for the supporting cast of Ballet Embody's production of The Maryland Nutcracker this afternoon.

Sticking needles into my feet

About six weeks ago I finally took action to address the pain I've been feeling in my left heel by visiting a physical therapist. Since then I've been able to resolve my initial complaint, which was pain on the lateral aspect of my left calcaneus. However, I've continued to experience stiffness in both lower legs, which results in a different pain in both heels.

During my last session, my PT commented that he thought I'd benefit from "dry needling". To quote the Cleveland Clinic website:

Dry needling is a technique that acupuncturists, physical therapists and other trained healthcare providers use to treat musculoskeletal pain and movement issues. It’s almost always used as part of a larger pain management plan that could include exercise, stretching, massage and other techniques. During this treatment, a provider inserts thin, sharp needles through your skin to treat underlying myofascial trigger points.

I've had this before to address pain in my shoulder, and said I'd consider it.