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Daniel Jones
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It's am injured life...
It was a beautiful Saturday morning, all I had scheduled for the day was ballet class at Jay Mews and then I would be free for the weekend. There was a great atmosphere in the class and as there weren’t too many people in class there was plenty of room to fly around. With five minutes to go before the end of class, it was time for a manège (Jeté, jeté, fouetté attitude). It is always a wonderful feeling when you reach this part of class and the body is more than ready for just about anything. With no fear, I threw myself into the air as high as I could, and everything was fine, when suddenly, I found myself rolling along the floor and I was flat on my back, with no feeling in my right foot and ankle. I felt sick instantly and I heard someone scream in the distance. Immediately I was surrounded by the other people in the room and ice appeared from somewhere and was placed on my ankle. Everyone wanted to have a look to see what I had done but I didn’t want anyone to look as I was terrified. The class was over, and lying in the middle of the studio, I was waiting for an ambulance. I felt so angry, stupid, and very scared, but worst of all, I was completely helpless. It wasn’t long before I was at Chelsea and Westminster hospital having x-rays. After two hours of waiting I was to be sent back to the x-ray department, as they hadn’t x-rayed the part of my foot that was most painful. Finally, I had an x-ray that revealed the damage. I had fractured the fifth metatarsal on my right foot and was put in plaster from foot to knee.
Three days later I visited Mr Mark Davies, a foot and ankle specialist, at the hospital of St. John & St. Elizabeth. I was sent to have an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan on my foot and ankle and was offered an Air Cast boot, as opposed to wearing a plaster. This boot, which, I was told was the same boot that David Beckham had worn to aid the recovery of his famous fracture, would help me to maintain as much movement in the foot and ankle as possible. The boot would also allow me to take a bath without wearing a bin liner over my leg. Of course I had to have it, and it really was a great help as it allowed me to maintain as much mobility as possible, while allowing the foot to rest and be protected. The results of the MRI scan revealed that as well as the fracture of the fifth metatarsal, I had also ruptured three ligaments in my ankle, which would explain why my foot and ankle were turning black and blue. Fortunately, the surgeon reassured me that this was not a career threatening injury, and that surgery would not be required. Time and physiotherapy would be my healers.
Due to the extent of the injuries I had sustained, I was well aware that I would not be dancing for a number of weeks. And so, now that I wasn’t going to be waking up and thinking who was taking class and what rehearsals I had that day, what was I going to do with myself? Physiotherapy, and alternative exercise, were obviously going to play a major part in the coming days, but if I was going to stop myself from feeling miserable and pathetic, I needed to find something that would allow me to have as much creative fun as dancing, without thinking about ballet. Fortunately, I have another passion, which is perfect for times like this. Music. Having studied the violin, piano, guitar, and taken singing lessons during my earlier days, my passion for music has, over the years, developed into a craving for composing all kinds of music, and has cost me a fortune whenever I hear an instrument that I like. Now, I was going to have some time to play with musical ideas. Along with the pianist Jonathan Still, who performed with the company this season, playing the piano for Mark Morris’s Drink to me Only with Thine Eyes, we spent many an hour experimenting and recording music. This has been great therapy, and if I could give anyone a tip for how to deal with traumas, I would say, learn a musical instrument. Then at least if you can’t dance it, you can play it.
Believe it or not, being on crutches has not stopped me from choreographing. Thanks to Angela Huntbatch, an artist from The Royal College of Art, I created a mini circular ballet as part of her final project. Angela’s balletic idea needed to be filmed in a blue screen studio which would enable her to put her own animation behind the dancers. Filmed with four cameras, the result will then be displayed on four television screens. The viewer, will be able to stand in the middle of the screens and watch the dancers dance around them travelling from screen to screen. Jonathan Still and I also created and recorded the music for the project, using circular musical ideas. The project will be on display at The Royal College of Art masters show from May 28th -June 9th.
Hopefully it wont be too long before I am back in the studio, flying around with no fear. The last six weeks have certainly been an experience, and I am well aware that when I get back in the studio it is going to be hard work to get myself back to where I was. This is all part of life as a dancer, another challenge, another test, and more sweat to look forward too. I will let you know what happens…
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© William Potter
