BBfB

We were fortunate to be found by Wisconsin State Journal photojournalist John Hart, dancing at the park.

Come join us!

Susan was part of a panel presenting how Madison and Dane County, Wisconsin are addressing falls prevention and promoting programs that improve balance. Click the photo, below, to play the presentation by Fitchburg Access Community Television!

This was the last dance we did in-person inside.  Susan’s class at the Madison Central Library was a line dance created by young people in Vietnam in reaction to the Ghen Cô Vy Challenge from the Vietnamese Government. It was a way to spread the message about washing hands and staying safe from the coronavirus.

We are looking VERY much FORWARD to getting back to in-person dancing! Remember to check our Classes page regularly, or sign up for our email list to stay in the know.

Whether you join us or not – KEEP MOVING! 

There are SO MANY WAYS to keep dancing! Remember, just three hours a week of challenging your balance (dancing being a FUN way) is shown by research to reduce falls risk! Start today!

Ballroom Basics for Balance has been growing and changing with this past year. We are ready to offer you some new classes!
See our Classes webpage for ALL the details.

Spring 2021 – sponsored by Madison Senior Center

• Krista and Atala continue their amazing class with a new series on Fridays from 10a – 11a, starting 09 April.
• NEW! “Next Steps” BB4B is an intermediate offering for those who have taken the class in the past and those looking for more of a challenge! Starting 07 April, Wednesdays for six (6) weeks – to get us to the warmer weather for more in-person offerings!

Summer 2021 – Get ready for OPEN AIR CLASSES! Stay tuned to this list and our Classes webpage for new offerings as soon as they are here.

What does Fall bring? Hopefully even more in-person classes. Virtual, too? We hope so! It has been wonderful to have you here from across the state and the country this year!

Non-BB4B offerings –

• We highly recommend the Dance for PD classes! Take advantage of these joyful, artful offerings by company members of the famed Mark Morris Dance Company from NYC! Appropriate for ALL people, and created with those who have Parkinsons.
• Check out YouTube! Really!
  • So many people have bumped up their virtual offerings…there are riches!
  • Simply type in the dance style you would like. Or search for “beginner [dance style]” or “simple [dance style]”.
  • For example, I found this WONDERFUL line dance (Jerusalema) and the channel it came from – “Beginner Dance Tutorials” – I love that the teacher says “it’s all about moving and having fun…if you are moving, you are doing it right!” 

I am going to steal this dance and use it in my next in-person offering!

We’d love to see you, or at least hear from you, soon!

Train with BB4B – Use our curriculum to Enrich your work or become an Instructor! 

We have redesigned the training process for BB4B!

We now have two tracks: Enrichment and Instructor.

Join us. Here’s the way.

1. Try it out: Register for our 2-hour (2 CEUs/contact hours) Introduction to Ballroom Basics for Balance™ course. Virtual or (eventually, again) in-person. Enrichment or Instructor Track. Begin using the principles right away!
2. Take our 7-hour (and CEU) Ballroom Basics for Balance™ Core Curriculum Training. Enrichment or Instructor Track. Integrate the curriculum into your practice or community! Virtual or (eventually, again) in-person.
3. Instructor Track: Continue to Certification by completing a Practicum.
4. We invite ALL to continue in community – sharing ideas, resources, and asking questions!

Next Ballroom Basics for Balance™ Core Curriculum Training is at the APTA – WI spring conference! It is all virtual. Professionals and students may register. Contact us for more information!

Susan was featured on Badger Talks Live recently. Listen, watch, and participate!

Enjoy an overview of the history & curriculum, test your balance and falls risk and try two dances!

Simply click HERE to see the talk and join in!

Susan has been invited to the Badger Talks community through her role as a guest lecturer at UW-Madison. Graduate students in the physical therapy and occupational therapy programs have always been an important – vital! –  part of BB4B.

From NBC 15, April 2, 2020

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) — Some private practitioners who are not on the front lines of the pandemic are facing a difficult decision amidst the outbreak, with many wondering if they should continue serving clients, or close shop.

According to Governor Tony Evers’ Safer At Home order, “individuals may leave their residence to work for or obtain services at any Healthcare and Public Health Operations.” Included in those categories in the order are allied health providers, massage therapists, and chiropractors, among others.

Now, some of those private practitioners and other wellness providers deemed essential but not on the front lines in the fight against the coronavirus are left juggling whether they owe it to their clients to be available for appointments, or whether they would rather close doors to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus.

“Is it moral to not help their patients, or should they not see people because they might transmit the virus, even unknowingly” said Susan Frikken, a physical therapist and massage therapist.

Frikken said that dilemma is being discussed among fellow private practitioners as they work through the ramifications of the coronavirus. While some are closing doors, others have found ways to continue to serve their clients in a way that is safe.

“I think there’s that struggle of these are peoples’ livelihoods, and if there’s a way that they feel they can do it safely, then they might explore that,” said Jamie Pekarek Krohn with Be Well Madison, a community of wellness providers. “And other people might be like no I just have to really step back and close my practice for now, and find new creative ideas to do, there’s still that ambiguity that’s out there.”

While those providers legally can stay open, Frikken said in following social distancing, it can be difficult for those whose fields require close proximity, if not physical touch, in treatments.

“I do a lot of what’s called manual therapy, so it’s a lot of hands on work with people,” said Frikken.

Now, Frikken said her business has largely come to a standstill.

“Unlike many of my colleagues in mainstream healthcare systems who are being repurposed now and moved away from their work to hospitals to help with the treatment and the screening, my business pretty much just stopped,” she said.

Before coronavirus caused her to suspend classes, Frikken was leading her program called Ballroom Basics for Balance, a course aimed at helping improve balance and prevent falls through dance.

While fields like Frikken’s may not be battling the pandemic, programs like her Ballroom Basics for Balance can prevent further injuries or falls from happening.

“Many of these people providing services that are so necessary right now and have clients that rely on these services for their wellness, whether it’s management or healing,” said Pekarek Krohn.

Now due to the virus, Frikken is providing online sessions when she can. However, in a field like physical therapy, virtual and verbal, rather than physical guidance, can be challenging.

“The weakest spot is probably the fact that a lot of people don’t have appropriate technology on their end, especially the older adults that I work with,” she said.

For other wellness providers, such as occupational therapists, telehealth can be a helpful substitute.

The choice to close doors, or a drop off in clients and loss of business, has led many to look for options to stay fiscally afloat.

“They’re connecting with the small business bureau and trying to get updated on loans that can happen, they’re talking with landlords how they can negotiate some rent, they’re stepping back and looking at their budgets in a whole different way,” said Pekarek Krohn.

In the meantime, Frikken said she will continue to do what she can to help clients virtually.

“I just want to keep people as well as possible until we can see each other again,” she said.

Watch this video highlighting our amazing student volunteers – one of the best parts about BB4B!

Thank you to Craig Wild and crew from UW-Madison Communications department!

Madison Central Library partners, again, with BB4B! Guy Hankel, reference librarian and music selector*, will be providing music and books for participants in our downtown class (sponsored by the Madison Senior Center) each week, starting in 2020!  On Friday 13 December we ended class with a celebration, including a selection curated just for us.

Pairing the right music with dance movements will help us PRACTICE, which is crucial to improving balance.

Research shows that at least two hours per week of balance-specific activity is required to improve balance over six months and ongoing. Yes, forever! (Think of it like brushing your teeth – a good preventive health plan!)

Mr. Hankel will also provide books about the dances, their history, and more, to help enrich our learning.

Participants can check these out each week to make it easier to have fun preventing falls.

THANK YOU to the Madison Library system for its ongoing commitment to community programs like ours, and making access to the arts easy. Collaborative partnerships make this a rich, rewarding experience.

Here’s to 2020!

*Read more about the Yahara Music Library collection and how you can access music with local connections, HERE.