The Nutcracker claims another dancer

The Nutcracker may have claimed another dancer: one of the professionals suffered a sprained ankle during rehearsal this weekend. 

Maybe pointe shoes should come with a warning label?

This is the third year of The Maryland Nutcracker, with an expanded cast and content. We're a bit more than three weeks out from the performances, but due to the Thanksgiving holiday, we have only two more weekends of rehearsals on the schedule. For the most part people know the dances and we're polishing details.

It's not entirely clear to me how it happened as I was on the other side of the room at the time. The pro dancers were running through one of the scenes, and the dancer in question was "off-stage". There was the clatter of pointe shoes from her location, followed by the thump of her falling to the floor with a soft cry of pain.

Immediately others close to her went to her aid. As a former EMT I looked to see if I needed to assist, but another of the pro dancers, whom I know to be an experienced Registered Nurse, was already assisting. When it became clear the injury wasn't critical (no blood spilled, apparently nothing broken), she was moved off the "stage" to an area where she could lay more comfortably and elevate her foot. Cold packs appeared as if by magic from a variety of dance bags and were applied.

By the time the rehearsal was over, the injured dancer was able to walk, albeit with some stiffness and a bit of pain, and she was able to drive herself home. Her status for the performances is questionable, with a decision to be finalized by the end of next week. If necessary, someone else will fill in for her.

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For myself, I'm recovering from the flu or something similar.

I'd skipped classes the first week of December because I wasn't feeling my best, but never developed a fever or other significant symptoms. I felt like I was back to normal for the Beginning Partnering class on the 4th and my regular class on the 5th. The afternoon of the 5th I went to see a friend from MYB perform in the play Blue Stockings. There I ran into yet another old friend from MYB and we spent a a good while catching up. Monday morning I went to class as usual, and Monday evening I went to the WETA Arts premiere at TWSB. 

Monday night, though, I started feeling ill. By Tuesday evening I was running a 102°F fever, but Covid-19 tests were negative. My self-imposed rule has always been that I don't participate in social activities unless I've been fever-free for 24 hours, so I skipped classes Wednesday and Friday. By Friday night I'd met that mark. My role in The Maryland Nutcracker is not physically strenuous, so with the agreement of BE management I attended rehearsal Sunday afternoon, while wearing an N95 mask to minimize any risk to others.

This week I skipped my Monday class to give myself a bit more time to recover. Wednesday I went to class, though residual congestion in my ears had interesting effects on my balance. Today, Friday, I again went to class and did okay, though my energy levels have still not completely recovered.

One of the things I've learned recently is that a flu-like bug had swept through of the cast of Blue Stockings, and some of those on stage the day I attended had still been showing symptoms. I understand the adage "The Show Must Go On!", but I really would have rather it hadn't. I'd worn a mask part of the time I was in the theatre, but foolishly had taken it off for periods to make conversation easier. Silly me.