![]() ![]() Matt Abalos, who also dances with Outlaw, is a frequent fixture on the country dance scene. "In dance, a lot of head gyrations, a lot of moving, if there's any banging heads and fast movements." 'If your feet leave the floor, then you're out the door' "You don't even have to hit your head to have a severe concussion," she said. She says the prevalence of injuries like concussions in dance is hard to track, but the greatest risk for head injuries in dance comes from falls. Lynda Mainwaring is an associate professor in the faculty of kinesiology at the University of Toronto, and a psychologist who researches dance and sport concussions. "I switched jobs because at the time where I was working, it was a really loud space and I just couldn't handle it," she said. The first three months after the injury, she had to remain in a dark room with no stimulation of any kind, even a phone or a book, lest it aggravate her symptoms. She says her dance partner didn't check in before attempting the move and she was left seriously concussed. Melissa Knightley remembers being dropped during a dip by a dance partner while attending a folk music festival in central Alberta a decade ago. That's why he recommends lessons before people attempt flashy moves they may have seen online. Victor Morante and Dannica Robertson showcase an aerial move they perform and teach with Outlaw Country, a Calgary western dance company. He says adding alcohol into that equation only increases the risk for injury. Morante says injuries often happen when dancers aren't aware of their surroundings, are attempting a move they haven't practised or aren't on the same page as their partner. "I'll get a heel to the ankle or elbow to the face," Morante said, joking he should wear a helmet when he goes out. When he dances socially at a country western bar, he's seen all kinds of injuries, like being kicked or kneed by someone doing a backflip or spinning too hard. The company teaches western swing, line dancing and other partnered dances. ![]() ![]() Victor Morante is a dance coach with Outlaw Country who specializes in lifts - technical moves that often require one partner to bear the weight of the other when they're hoisted into the air for a turn, flip or stand. But mix in alcohol, crowded venues and inexperienced dancers attempting big lifts or dips - that danger increases.Īnd during the 10 days of Calgary Stampede, when huge crowds descend on the many venues blasting country music and promising turns with a new partner, they say self-awareness can help avoid getting hurt. Those in the local country dance industry say the risk of injuries in partner dancing always exists. "I've seen a few people, like, lay on the ground. Peiterse says falls like hers aren't uncommon on a night out at a country bar as people try to impress their partners with daring moves. But recently she was dropped by a dance partner and hit her head. Margé Peiterse enjoys going to country western bars in Calgary, sometimes performing moves like the one shown above. ![]()
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