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this will be the opening for my solo, it will start with me in my bedroom when the illness was happening and trying to get back into the studio, I will be in the same costume throughout the piece with bruises over my body to show where covid impacted me the most

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This will be the second song for my solo, This song describes the internal battle I went through when battling the stigma of society when I returned to college to continue my training and how people would treat me. It also shows still the external struggle I go through when I am at my best.

After changing my mind serval times on how I wanted to convey this piece I have settled on this which I am more than happy with.

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During independent study I wanted to play with some movement from the beginning of my solo, this will be spilt between my bedroom and the studio, this was really fun to start experimenting with movement and excited to keep creating

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Visual Elements Lighting Costumes Truth Behind the Glitz Choreographic Devices Contexual Refrences Movement & Style Refrences Music and Audio Stimuli and Inspirations Choreographic Structure Section Notes A - marylin monroe - 50’s - old hollywood - fosse - sexual exploitation C -

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Login to access and create your next design.

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today we had a zoom call to discuss how we wanted our piece to look like, overall it was successful session where we bounced off each other's thoughts really well which was really nice as before we had so many ideas and didn't have a solid idea which was stressful for me as I didn't feel we were going to get anywhere with the limited time we had. After the session was finished I felt more at ease and knew where this piece was going which is very exciting and I can't wait to see where this is going to go and for us to start making this piece come to life.

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Today me and Imogen decided to head into the studio to help each other with creating our piece, me and Imogen dance the same and create the same way so we thought by making a little duet it would help the process and it certainly did, I sometimes find starting a piece is really overwhelming so by doing this with her it allowed to me enjoy it more and not to stress about creating perfection. It was also fun to just dance without pressure, after a lot of assessments it was nice to just have a dance day

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i decided to take on the role of lighting for my group as it's something I've always been interested in from school and my job working behind the scenes at a theatre. I already had a lot of knowledge on this however I did want the challenge of doing this on my own. My first idea was to look back on previous work I had done from various tribute acts and performances from my work for inspiration, I started creating a mood board as this always helps me creativity for my ideas to flow

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in today's session we started to practically start developing our pieces, I am in charge so far of coming up for ideas for our jazz sections. I am really enjoying this process so far as I am creative on the spot, The only challenge I faced during this session was coming up with ideas for costume, I wasn't as vocal at this point in the session as I'm still trying to process everyone's ideas and it can be overwhelming at times. In future sessions, I will be more vocal about what I am unsure about.

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Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (From "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes")

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Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend (From "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes")

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On friday's session we spoke about the key structure of our piece and started to bullet point the main focus on each section to give everyone a clear understanding of which we needed for the performance, This was a great idea as we were starting to lose track of what are piece was about, Me and Lydia then went and took some time to add on to our jazz section and start teaching some of the group, I really enjoyed this session and got positive feedback from my group regarding my creative input which felt really nice. We then gave tasks for the weekend to complete which were completed and I am excited for our next session

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We decided to have a culture day to help raise funds for our costumes and raised a total of £360 pounds! This was a massive group effort that brought us all together and got to know each other so much more

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on Wednesday the 27th of November we performed our piece to the whole of second year. to begin with, I was nervous about hearing that we were doing this with little to no warning as I've recently only just joined and still finding my feet here and the fact that some people within the group kept changing sections on the spot which was putting pressure on to all of us. After a quick run through i felt more and more confident in my ability to showcase what we have all been working so hard on. However in class I sustained an injury which not only made me nervous for performing later but for the show next week. I let my anxiety's go when it came to performing our piece and had so much fun doing it, we had all worked so hard on it and was really nice to have a moment with everyone and be proud of what we had achieved in the last few months.

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In this session we decided to focus on Mary’s commercial section and Lucia’s solo as this was the section that was lacking clarity for the audience. There was a lot of tension in rehearsals as we only had a few hours before heading to tech and nothing was getting done or we were only focusing on the couple of steps we had, I decided to take charge because we only had limited time and we had to keep running the piece to get into character, I knew some of the group didn’t like that I took this on but we had to keep the rehearsal flowing, I worked on the exploitation of Rihanna with Mary a lot, trying to give her more ideas of the acting she will need to do and less of dancing as from sitting out watching the piece i got lost in her section as I didn’t really understand it, once this was set we moved onto Lucia’s solo who was more and than happy to have input, instead of the circle we both decided to come up with the idea of using the paparazzi in a diagonal line to showcase a lot more the pain and Lucia being Rihannas pain. This worked so much more better and I really enjoyed working with Lucia on this as we are such different dancers but it managed to work so well. I wish I got to work with her more one on one in this process as I feel our ideas would bounce off one another. I left this session feeling very inspired and excited for tech. I can’t wait to perform this piece

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Overall thoughts on the final performance 

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Overall thoughts on the final performance 

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Overall I wasn’t really happy with my performance, I was injured the week before after pulling my groin and struggled to go full out during rehearsals leading up to the show, when performing the jazz and contemporary sections i did go full out and was proud of what I was leaving on stage after changing most of the sections the day before I did my best and really committed to the piece.

However, during the start of commercial I felt strong and that the piece was making more sense but I slipped on stage due to a leak that caused me to injure myself again, my first thought when it happened was to get up as fast as I could and keep going which i did but I played it safe for the rest of the performance because I had to keep dancing near the water. I was so defeated by this and came up with several reasons as to how it was my fault and what I could of done to prevent it, I couldn’t enjoy the rest of show cheering on my friends because I just knew this wouldn’t happen to them. I just wanted the piece to be perfect and I felt like I let my group down by falling. After the performance everyone in my group were feeding me with positivity and telling me that I did a good job getting up quick and the fact i kept going, I knew personally it would take me awhile to believe them as I am very hard and critical of myself as a dancer but my group kept reminding me how great I was and I think that is what made this whole process so special, After only joining shock out in September the girls have welcomed me with open arms and made me feel so comfortable in their environment.

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The start of our jazz section A, started creating on the spot which was a fun session. We communicated well with each other and our ideas bounced off well with each other. I really enjoyed this session overall and am excited to keep going creatively with Lydia and cara

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I started playing around in this session with teaching some of the group my jazz section, i really wanted a massive jazz section with this piece to link with the paparazzi surrounding Lydia, however there was a lot of absences in my group and some members not listening when I wanted to teach/ go over my section. I felt really defeated by this because me, cara and Lydia had worked really hard on it and we had to fight every session to get this done.

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https://youtu.be/bZOatdXzmsY?si=ED2IpMRWS01ogZEL

Montage of the work we got up too this week

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Start of teaching the group overture choreography, it was a really fun session as I got to push myself out of my comfort zone and start teaching a style that I really enjoy. Everyone had a positive attitude towards this which I loved as it made it so much easier. The only thing I would take from the session is to believe in myself more.

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I was so proud of the way the whole jazz performance went with how little time we had teaching, cleaning and growing the piece. I do feel with more time and people wanting to learn this we could of added or changed bits of the dance to make it better. I really enjoyed choreographing this section as it was so different to me doing this type of jazz but I loved the challenge, I was also in charge of lighting and I’m very happy with how to turned out for this, i wanted the feeling of the 20’s with gold lighting for the trio and sticking with gold but adding more colours to give the effect of Marilyn performing to the crowd.

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inspiration for the piece - looking for Alaska 

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inspiration for the piece - looking for Alaska 

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First section of my solo complete for movement 

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First section of my solo complete for movement 

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This section of my solo will be based on how I was struggling mentally and physically with getting into the studio after I got covid. I wanted to use levels, force and motif in this section the most. I used a spoken word piece to help the audience watching understand how a chronic illness affects a person and especially as an athlete trying to get back to some normality. I really enjoyed making up this section as I got to see how far I’ve came as a person and not just a performer. I think for next time if I was to do this again and I would have more still moments in this to show I was constantly in pain and kept pushing on.

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Today I started to make a mind map on what topic I want to do for my solo, my mind is set on being stuck in a toxic cycle, that being in a routine or an aspect of your life or looking into the social media route, stuck looking into someone's life online thinking their life is perfect. The reason i want to do this is because I am very guilty of this and think its something I can make come to life and I am really excited to expand my ideas on this. I want this piece to really show of my creative side as I feel when i was doing our group piece by ideas were brushed to the side when it didn't come to the jazz section.

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Playing with movement for second piece of my solo 

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Playing with movement for second piece of my solo 

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I decided to start all over again for my second piece as I wasn’t feeling inspired at all with this piece of my solo. I decided to strip everything back and start improving to see how body would react to this song, I decided to take most of which I did in this session to my final edit as it really fit with my vision. This part of my solo will be on how I had to put a mask on in the studio and to the outside world on how I was feeling, due to the stigma I had to keep saying “I’m fine, I’ll be alright. I just want to get better” these lyrics really impacted me as that was all I wanted at the time when dealing with covid.

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In today's session i wanted to look at creating my second section of my piece looking at how I delt with covid when I was allowed back into the studio.

I really struggled with this today as I wasn't motivated to continue the process. When doing our group pieces it was much easier as in a group setting you had people to help motivate you and bounce ideas from, but in this case I only had myself. I was annoyed that I was wasting my time but i managed to pull myself out and create 1 count of 8. I wasn't pleased with myself in this session and knew that I had to work harder in the next.

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I have made a collage of some of the moments from filming, this was a good starting point to see if my vision was going to make sense, it didn't go completely to plan and I knew it wouldn't but I am excited to keep the process going and learn more about what I want.

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Today I had my scratch night to show how my process is coming along with my solo, Before hand when we had this for our group piece I was very hesitant to showcase our work due to not having time to clean, put together or help showcase the storyline. I really wanted to challenge myself tonight and not just do a presentation, I wanted to showcase the work I have been working on and put myself out there, I did have anxiety about performing it as I didn't know how people would react, would they understand it? is it a topic people are going to want to watch and learn from? During the performance I didn't feel any negative energy within me or from the audience, I really enjoyed it and it gave me so much more drive to keep going, I was feeling like I wasn't getting anywhere in this process but tonight showcased I am doing extremely well and I should be proud of my progress in this but also as an artist. In the next few sessions moving forward I am going to look into focussing on my second piece, Use more of my motif development, start getting a rough draft together to showcase and see if anything else is needing changed.

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COVID-19: Long-term effects

Some people continue to experience health problems long after having COVID-19. Understand the possible symptoms and risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome.
By Mayo Clinic Staff

Most people who get coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recover within a few weeks. But some people - even those who had mild versions of the disease - might have symptoms that last a long time afterward. These ongoing health problems are sometimes called post- COVID-19 syndrome, post- COVID conditions, long COVID-19, long-haul COVID-19, and post acute sequelae of SARS COV-2 infection (PASC).

What is post-COVID-19 syndrome and how common is it?

Post- COVID-19 syndrome involves a variety of new, returning or ongoing symptoms that people experience more than four weeks after getting COVID-19. In some people, post- COVID-19 syndrome lasts months or years or causes disability.

Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19, 1 in 5 people ages 18 to 64 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19. Among people age 65 and older, 1 in 4 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19.

What are the symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome?

The most commonly reported symptoms of post- COVID-19 syndrome include:

Fatigue

Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort

Fever

Lung (respiratory) symptoms, including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and cough

Other possible symptoms include:

Neurological symptoms or mental health conditions, including difficulty thinking or concentrating, headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand, pins-and-needles feeling, loss of smell or taste, and depression or anxiety

Joint or muscle pain

Heart symptoms or conditions, including chest pain and fast or pounding heartbeat

Digestive symptoms, including diarrhea and stomach pain

Blood clots and blood vessel (vascular) issues, including a blood clot that travels to the lungs from deep veins in the legs and blocks blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism)

Other symptoms, such as a rash and changes in the menstrual cycle

Keep in mind that it can be hard to tell if you are having symptoms due to COVID-19 or another cause, such as a preexisting medical condition.

It's also not clear if post- COVID-19 syndrome is new and unique to COVID-19. Some symptoms are similar to those caused by chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illnesses that develop after infections. Chronic fatigue syndrome involves extreme fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity, but doesn't improve with rest.

Why does COVID-19 cause ongoing health problems?

Organ damage could play a role. People who had severe illness with COVID-19 might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain. Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen. It isn't clear how long these effects might last. The effects also could lead to the development of new conditions, such as diabetes or a heart or nervous system condition.

The experience of having severe COVID-19 might be another factor. People with severe symptoms of COVID-19 often need to be treated in a hospital intensive care unit. This can result in extreme weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event.

What are the risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome?

You might be more likely to have post- COVID-19 syndrome if:

You had severe illness with COVID-19, especially if you were hospitalized or needed intensive care.

You had certain medical conditions before getting the COVID-19 virus.

You had a condition affecting your organs and tissues (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) while sick with COVID-19 or afterward.

Post- COVID-19 syndrome also appears to be more common in adults than in children and teens. However, anyone who gets COVID-19 can have long-term effects, including people with no symptoms or mild illness with COVID-19.

What should you do if you have post-COVID-19 syndrome symptoms?

If you're having symptoms of post- COVID-19 syndrome, talk to your health care provider. To prepare for your appointment, write down:

When your symptoms started

What makes your symptoms worse

How often you experience symptoms

How your symptoms affect your activities

Your health care provider might do lab tests, such as a complete blood count or liver function test. You might have other tests or procedures, such as chest X-rays, based on your symptoms. The information you provide and any test results will help your health care provider come up with a treatment plan.

In addition, you might benefit from connecting with others in a support group and sharing resources.

Show references

See more In-depth

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Some people continue to experience health problems long after having COVID-19. Understand the possible symptoms and risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome. By Mayo Clinic Staff Most people who get coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recover within a few weeks. But some people - even those who had mild versions of the disease - might have symptoms that last a long time afterward.

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Understanding the effects of chronic illness 

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Understanding the effects of chronic illness 

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7 Things All Chronically Ill Dancers Can Relate To - Life of Pippa

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Since being diagnosed with my long-term condition, I’ve realised that there’s a huge correlation between professional dance and chronic illness. For me, it was ballet. I trained intensively all throughout my childhood and early teens and was lucky to enjoy some ultimate highs and accomplishments, until (in a nutshell) my underlying condition relapsed at the […]

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My Experience With Long COVID Forced Me to Acknowledge the Vulnerability of All Bodies

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As a dancer, I have always understood how much I depend on my body. But I hadn’t ever thought about how much my world would change if it functioned differently. I thought I was rather invincible, with my young age, agility and health. Then, one day, I couldn’t breathe. Not easily, at least. I became­ […]

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Starting to piece the first section together

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Starting to piece the first section together

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in todays session I decided to take some of my filmed work and put it together on cap cut. It was so exciting to see my work come together and start playing around with edits and timing. this session was really rewarding for me and shows the hard work I have put into the process and made me even more excited to keep going with the final push. Even though some things didn't work out and need redone I am so proud of it so far and can't wait to show it.

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changing the format and songs for my solo

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changing the format and songs for my solo

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After putting my first section into capcut I really liked how my vision was coming to life and was really proud of the progress with my work. However, as time went on and I started to create for the second part of my solo I was feeling really uninspired, the song wasn't connecting with me which was frustrating as I was really enjoying the process. I decided to ask around and let people hear my vision and listen to the song. Everyone's answer was the same and that it wasn't really me. This was annoying as the deadline is soon and all I wanted was a perfect piece by this point. I spent the session listening to a lot of songs that were talking about chronic illness and I am currently stuck between two. Through the whole process I have learnt to not create to lyrics or a certain song as this is how I will always be stuck in this process. I have created a minute which can work with either song until I make my mind up. Even through this hurdle I have had a really productive session and ready to finish my piece.

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Left leaving scratch night feeling so proud and motivated to keep going, so happy people liked my work :)

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As I was trying to piece my choreography together i realised I wasn’t as passionate about my piece as I thought I would be, I wasn’t really inspired to create a piece about being stuck within social media, I decided to take a couple of days away from it and decided I wanted to do my piece on my struggles with long covid, I’ve never been vocal about my illness but when taking part of a survey that was about my struggles with chronic illness I knew this was what I wanted to do, my ideas for the piece started to flow a lot more than my previous topic and I’m satisfied with what I am coming up with so far

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When creating my piece I wanted my outfits to be so much more simple than my group piece was. This is a theme that doesn't need glitz and glam. I went through my wardrobe and actually found the outfit I wore when I tested positive for covid in 2021. This was meaningful for me and started to feel even more inspired to create my concept. The shorts and black vest top will be used throughout my whole piece, This is to show the "darkness" of a chronic illness. Looking into costume ideas for the second half of my solo was difficult for me. I didn't really know how to showcase what it is like to recover from this as it is still something I struggle with. I found the costume I wore for my first solo back at college after I was able to return to college in 2023, This felt like a massive Milestone in my training and only seemed fit to be involved in my solo. These two costumes, as much as they are simple hold such a massive part of my life in them and was only right to use them.

For hair and make up, I decided to use Light make up - none to show the sickness, how pale and lifeless I looked and to really go with the song "How to be sick", I will also be using make up to put bruises on my body to show the parts that covid affected me, for insistence, I get really bad chest pains now which can go from a dull ache to being unable to move most days. This will be scattered all over my body.

For my hair, I decided to a slick back bun, curls and half up half down. This is to show the return to the studio.

Overall, I feel this will be really impactful on my piece and helps the audience to understand my work.

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Aimee helped me film some of the last shots of my solo, I wanted to have more still moments as this was suggested in my scratch night for feedback and I agree with everything that was said. I needed more acting moments to show off long covid more. I am feeling very confident within my piece and what I have delivered so far. For my next session in devices I am going to ge editing my piece together and edit the finish touches

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Today for filming I am focusing on the healthy version of a chronic illness performer. I will be focusing on section 2 as this is the part I was struggling with when creating . I am really proud of this section however I do feel if I didn’t overthink this section it could have been better. When filming the only problems I had were the lighting and how dark it was. Even using lights in the studio didn’t help so we had to wait until it was warmer outside for a natural lighting to come in, I also didn’t like any of the angles that I had so we need to reshoot next week which I am excited for, even though there was complications today I am still motivated and passionate my piece

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my overall thoughts on the end of this are really positive. Using choreographic devices has let my vision and piece come to life in different aspects, for example; the use of levels helped to show the highs and lows of my illness, How I physically couldn't move and get off the floor to doing a lot of high movements to show how I am the healthiest person I've been in years. This device really helped to show the overcoming of this chronic illness and how even when I seem healthy I can be back to square one again in a matter of time. Another device that helped bring my vision to life was Repetition to show I need to repeat a lot of movements so my body can get used to it again, I repeated two certain sections ( One from section 1 and one from section 2 ) the reason being that even in a "healthy" state my body will struggle to do it so some parts look more full out than others.

I really enjoyed researching other people's stories on their struggle with long covid as it is a controversial subject, I tried to incorporate some of their affects from this illness as well as my own, I used my chest pain a lot in my solo as this massively affected my body and training when returning to the studio and I wanted to highlight this a lot in my solo as it's not just a loss of smell and taste. Something I really struggled with was researching song choices, especially for the second part of my solo, I didn't know how to portray this section as I didn't want it to seem "Hey she's all better now" I wanted to show that It's still there and sometimes It's a mask we have to wear to seem better. It took me till the last two weeks to find the song I wanted to use and I feel it works perfectly for my piece as It does talk about how internally a person suffering feels and I felt that would hit the audience more than just a normal song I had picked before. Overall I feel I used my time wisely through this whole process and I gave it everything I had. I really enjoyed this module and looking forward to make more projects in the future.

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Lukas McFarlane was a big inspiration behind my movement, I love the way he creates and the meaning behind every movement has a story

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Lukas McFarlane Got To Dance Semi FINAL “Too Close” 10 Years Later…

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Without Fear | @DermotKennedy  - Lukas McFarlane IMROV Solo @ TRANSFORM Winter Camp

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I have followed Max Jarish for awhile now and his work never fails to amaze me, His and Lukas's movement is similar but so different at the same time and the contrast works well and I wanted to use this in my solo

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Chill Sessions... | Vol.12 - Max Jarish | Ben Mark Films

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An effective way that helped us bring our vision to life was using a pinterest board, we made one for each section to make sure we stayed on the right path and to give us an idea on costumes, hair, make up, lighting and how we wanted the movement to be. This was really effective and helped us as an overall group gain a further understanding on our piece

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When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures.

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Day in and day out, dancers expect their bodies to perform at the highest level of athletic and artistic achievement. However, some develop chronic medical conditions that prevent them from doing their best consistently. Still, many learn to manage their symptoms while dancing professionally. Pointe spoke with four dancers who haven't let medical problems stop them.

Alicia Holloway

At 13, Alicia Holloway almost quit dancing. Her asthma was so bad that she struggled for every breath during rehearsals. However, today the Dance Theatre of Harlem artist maintains a professional rehearsal and performance schedule.

To do so, Holloway takes good care of herself. To ward off illness, which aggravates her asthma, she sticks to a healthy diet: a lot of protein to build muscle, veggies for energy and sweets rarely. Also, when Holloway has physically demanding roles, she does extra cardio to build her stamina.

Despite these measures, Holloway's asthma occasionally erupts during class or rehearsals. In addition to fighting to breathe during her attacks, which last 2 to 15 minutes, Holloway worries she could pass out and hit her head. Therefore, she keeps her inhaler nearby and takes breaks when she needs them.

"When I feel an asthma attack coming on, I'll say, 'Give me a second and let me relax, and I'll be ready,' " she says.

Also, touring can be challenging for Holloway when the company performs in a high-altitude location. If her body can't acclimate, another dancer takes her place.

Holloway says she has always been supported by her artistic director and fellow company members when her asthma flares up. Even so, she says, she must put in the extra effort to ensure it doesn't interfere with her dancing or her career.

"I have to work 100 percent harder than others," Holloway says. "But if you have the will, you can do it."

Nicole Haskins

Two years ago Smuin Ballet dancer Nicole Haskins was diagnosed with psoriasis. The disease, which causes raised, itchy, painful red patches on the skin, can be aggravated by many elements dancers encounter daily, such as perspiration, tight-fitting clothing, and the harsh detergents and dyes used on costumes.

Haskins follows an extensive holistic regimen to keep her disease under control. "Taking care of psoriasis has become part of my routine, like brushing my teeth," she says. For instance, she uses all-natural soaps and lotions. Haskins also keeps her skin moisturized, which can be tricky when she's performing-if she mistimes it, she gets the stage oily. To keep sweat from irritating her skin, she frequently changes her dance clothes, which are made of high-quality fabrics and washed in all-natural detergents. She also uses an all-natural cleanser to remove stage makeup (the only makeup she wears).

Keeping inflammation and stress down is important, too. Therefore, Haskins eats a healthy diet, sees an acupuncturist and takes herbal supplements. She also practices yoga, journals and meditates.

Despite her efforts, Haskins says, she often has patches of psoriasis."But that doesn't mean I don't have things to offer," she says. "It's all in how we embrace what we have and use it to its greatest potential."

Sarah Walborn

In 2016, after a decade of remission, freelance dancer Sarah Walborn's Crohn's disease flared up, and it almost ended her career. Walborn suffered the severe gastrointestinal distress typical of Crohn's and lost weight and muscle. The company she was with said she didn't look well enough to perform and took away her roles, Walborn recalls. She left at the end of the season.

"They didn't know how to deal with the situation and weren't supportive," Walborn says. After taking more than a year to heal and get back in shape, she resumed her career.

Today, Walborn maintains specific protocols to keep the disease in check. She sticks to a healthy, high-calorie diet that maintains her weight. Next, she surrounds herself with positive people, sees a chiropractor and gets massages to alleviate the stress that could bring on an episode. When Walborn does feel one coming on, she takes a steroid to prevent a full-blown attack. And, occasionally, she'll take sick days to recover from a flare-up.

Walborn hopes more dancers and companies will openly discuss medical issues. "It's important to acknowledge that as dancers we may have medical conditions, but we shouldn't have to label ourselves as a sick person," she says. "We live with it, but it doesn't define you as a dancer."

Jordan-Elizabeth Long

At 12, Miami City Ballet soloist Jordan-Elizabeth Long was diagnosed with scoliosis. In a year's time, the curve in her spine had grown so severe that Long was immediately fitted for a back brace. She wore the brace for a year, removing it only for ballet classes and showers. The next year, Long wore it at night.

By taking care of her back then and now, Long says her scoliosis hasn't limited her as a dancer.

Long's number-one spine-health strategy is to work regularly with a physical therapist and Pilates instructor. (Because she has a flexible back, Long has had minimal pain from scoliosis.)

Second, Long constantly adjusts her body to accommodate her spinal curvature: She keeps her right side back for pirouettes; pulls her right shoulder down and back for penchés; and checks the mirror to make sure her port de bras looks correct. "I must think of those things all the time, every day," Long says.

In addition, Long helps her partners understand her needs. For example, because her back is rounded, she tells her partners she must place her arm farther back than other dancers.

Though Long says her scoliosis forces her to "work smart," she doesn't consider it a shortcoming. "All dancers have gifts and weaknesses," she says. "Dance is about what you bring to the stage that is different from other people."

If It's You

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, you don't have to tell your employer you have a medical condition. Further, unless you require reasonable accommodations (i.e., a diabetic needing breaks to get an insulin shot) or there is reason to believe you cannot perform the job successfully or safely because of your condition, an employer may not ask about it. Also, they can't withdraw a job offer or terminate you because of a medical condition unless you pose a direct threat to yourself or to others, or you can't perform the job even when reasonable accommodations are provided.

However, disclosing that you have a chronic condition could benefit you. Boston Ballet's artistic director Mikko Nissinen says it's best that he knows a dancer has a medical problem as soon as possible, upon hiring if not during the interview. "No one can help them if they don't let you know," he says. "The dancer must open the dialogue so everyone can be understanding and supportive."

Zippora Karz, a former New York City Ballet soloist who developed type 1 diabetes early in her career (and wrote about her experiences in her memoir The Sugarless Plum), recommends informing artistic staff in a way that reassures them that you can do the job: "Tell them, 'I have this condition, but it's well under control and I'm very responsible with it.' " Also, Karz adds, by opening up, you can enlist a company friend to be a safety net-someone who recognizes the signs when something is off and knows what to do to help.

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Dancing With a Chronic Medical Condition: 4 Pros on How They Make it Work

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Day in and day out, dancers expect their bodies to perform at the highest level of athletic and artistic achievement. However, some develop chronic medical conditions that prevent them from doing their best consistently. Still, many learn to manage their symptoms while dancing professionally.

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As the celebrity-industrial complex continues to feed the seemingly insatiable appetite for information about stars that marks twentieth- and twenty-first-

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I decided to make a little vlog to show the highs and definitely lows of this whole process, looking into the how I created the piece, what choices I was going to make that didn't make the final cut. I also thought this would be a fun memory to look back on for this process and it gave me a lot of motivation to keep going.