How to Improve When You’re Injured | Pro Tip from Melody Staples Hammell

Our current Featured Guest Melody Staples Hammell is a former principal dancer with Charleston Ballet Theater. We asked her to share some pro tips that she learned during her sixteen-year career as a professional dancer. Melody believes that dancers can still improve even when they’re injured.

Melody says:

I went to the Virginia School of the Arts for my senior year of high school and as happens to everyone, I got injured. I still attended class but sitting and watching.

After class where I had barely stayed awake, the pianist told me a story about a friend of his who danced for a big company, had gotten seriously injured, and was out for months. She came to class every day and did the port de bras. She took every class and did just the arms for every combination and every group in the center. When she was able to dance again, her port de bras had improved so much that she was promoted as soon as she was back in shape.

That story totally inspired me, and I started to practice the port de bras not just while I was injured but also during class when other groups were dancing. I did port de bras every chance I got, and it made a huge difference.

Image: Special thanks to Flora McLeod, former student of Melody's and dancer at American Repertory Ballet.