I hope you guys are doing really well! I'm putting together some new videos for you between breaks from working on my other book. It's rather fun doing both! But man... those videos get distracting! 

Until those are up, I want to talk to you about something I rarely get to address, but it's most definitely important - for every dancer!

Work your injuries "right" to stay bright til you're 90!

I am a dancer. And I have the same problem every other dancer faces: I don't want to stop dancing.

I've danced through stress fractures in both of my feet, a torn up knee, a spinal injury, a neck injury and a super weak shoulder.

I'm a dancer. I kept dancing. Danced right through it all. That's what we do!

So it took me two whole years to finally take my new injuries seriously. And because of that, because I didn't stop when I was supposed to stop, my butt was kicked by Mother Nature. I had entirely new problems that, had I stopped dancing and stopped traveling, I probably never would have ended up experiencing in the first place.

Do not worry. I have been blessed enough to find the right kind of doctors who happen to be amazing ones as well. I think of them as my own personal Avengers! And they have done the right tests to help me find the right answers and hey! look at that! When I listened to their advice and did what they asked... I got better!

Let's get real though. It's a slow process. But I am SOOO okay with that! I want to do it right. I can see how it's paying off.

You're a dancer, I'm a dancer, we all are dancers! And we never want to stay down.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it's worth staying down. Don't do what I did. Don't put it off. Don't take off a "little" time. Don't just slow down. Come to a full and complete stop! (do I sound like a DMV guy? I think I do!)

It's the little things that make a good dancer GREAT - and it's the little things that get lost when we don't take care of our bodies like we're supposed to.

Don't just get an ice pack. Get ten! All shapes and sizes. Don't just buy a heating pad - buy three! Don't go dancing just to socialize, with the intention of staying off the floor when you're injured. When people see that you're out, they think you're there to dance. They will wear you down, I promise you, and get you on that dance floor. And it won't be pretty later on.

I remember when I first tore up my knee. I had a mammoth brace on my leg and as I sat on the couch next to the floor, a dancer rolled up to me and said, "hey!!! I had that happen - know what to do? Take three vicodin and three shots of crown!"

I remember thinking then that that was a bad idea and that he'd probably have to pay a worse price later down the road. And then? Guess what. I essentially did the same thing when it came time for me to come to a full stop. I tried to adjust. I tried to push on. I fulfilled all of my contracts signed before the injuries - oh! I thought I was being soooo good by not signing any new ones!

Nope. I was just being dumb. 

Be a smart dancer. Under play your hand, not over. 

And I know I only hear it because of you guys. I could never have done this on my own. Your love and your cheers have made all the difference. I don't talk about my health a lot with you because it's kinda scary when you see it in writing. I mean, I had to stop everything - forget dancing - no walking! Physical therapy all day long, etc, etc, etc.

But you know what? I'll be dancing when I'm 90. SO worth it.

Love you guys. Stay clean. Stay safe. And, as always...

THANK YOU!

xoxo,

K