Received some very worrying news. One reason I’d begun taking lessons with a new teacher is that Pasha, my teacher of a year and a half (pictured above, competing at the U.S.National Championships last September with his pro partner, Anna Garnis) has been MIA from the studio since our last showcase in October. I’d originally been told he was “taking a short break” and would be returning soon to resume lessons. Being the most popular teacher at the school (that’s where looking like a 26-year-old Latin Baryshnikov, and being an awesome dancer to boot, will get you here in these United States 🙂 ) and having so many students that in that last showcase they had to set up a Chinese screen in the wings for him so he could zip in and out of his various costumes during the show, I figured we’d all run the poor guy down to the point that he needed a big long break from us all. But it’s now been a while.
So I made some inquiries. Found out that he wasn’t just taking a break, he’s been very ill, and even spent some time in the hospital.
Apart from the sadness of his being sick, everyone is so worried about him financially. Most ballroom dancers (and I would suppose most dancers in general) have no health insurance, so these medical bills are just going to be astromonical. Plus, most ballroom dancers make their living entirely by teaching, and they’re not salaried, so every day he’s bedridden is another day he’s losing out on essential income derived from his lessons. People are thinking of organizing some kind of benefit for him at the studio, and I’ll definitely post about that if it comes to fruition. I’m just so worried. Please keep him in your prayers and thoughts.
Ah – I will keep him in my prayers. What an awful situation. True, dancers are often one medical emergency away from being flat-out broke. And since their livelyhood involves their bodies — it’s hard to (literally) get back on your feet after a set back like that. 🙁
Thanks, Erin!
Holy – I didn’t know. I hope DTS does organize something; Pasha and Anna are an inspiration to all of us, and I’m sure everyone would like to help out if they can.
Yes, I will definitely keep Pasha in my thoughts and prayers. This is exactly the reason why I wish we had at least a national health plan, even if it means paying higher taxes, like they do in most westernized nations.
BTW, my blog named changed to http://alifelessexamined.blogspot.com/
I know — I agree; I was going to write something about how the President is spending more money sending yet more troops into Iraq, which the majority of Americans are against, and ignoring serious problems here, like the sorry state of the health care system. But I forgot to add that! Too busy… Thanks for reminding me 🙂
I was wondering what happened to your blog, Chimene!
That’s so sweet, Parker — they ARE an inspiration!
i wonder if pasha would be OK with your spreading personal information about his health status on your blog.
Well, it seemed that everyone at the studio already knew about it, so it didn’t seem like I was revealing anything, but I thought about it and decided it was too much so redacted the specifics. I was writing in shock upon hearing about it, and with extreme concern about him.
Because of my being the obsessive SYTYCD watcher that I am, in my free time, I sometimes power- Google stuff and I always end up back at your blog, just really old posts that I’ve never seen. It’s funny because people are always talking about ‘Pasha’s illness’ but none of them seem to have any idea what they are talking about other than the fact that Pasha was ill. Lol, I’m tired and have started wording things oddly.
BTW: Is Anya actually Anya or is she Anna?
Selly