DR. BELLA DOING IT FOR THE LOVE KEEPS PERFORMERS ON THE MOVE

DR. BELLA DOING IT FOR THE LOVE KEEPS PERFORMERS ON THE MOVE

Bella Eibensteiner is putting the squeeze on actors and dancers – but in a good way. Applying her doctorate in chiropractics, she gives her services freely to the performers at Invisible Theatre and the University Of Arizona School Of Dance.

“I also took care of the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes when they were in town, performing with UA Presents about 15 years ago,” said Eibensteiner, gesturing to a framed Rockettes poster hanging in her tidy office. The poster has several of the dancers’ signatures on it.

 

“I’ve always loved dance. I would have loved to be a dancer, but never had the opportunity to take dance lessons.”

 

That is actually a good thing for all those performers Eibensteiner has helped over the years. A chiropractor was what they needed, not another dancer.

 

This generous service to artists started innocently enough nearly 25 years ago through Eibensteiner’s friendship with Susan Claassen, the artistic director of IT.

 

The actors in Claassen’s company needed help and good-natured Dr. Bella was happy to oblige. In a typical season Eibensteiner estimates she assists 50 actors and dancers with their adjustments. As you might imagine, it is the dancers who need the most attention.

 

“Low back problems,” she added solemnly. “The Rockettes, they had such young bodies, they responded so fast to treatment,” Eibensteiner said, still sounding amazed.

 

One of Dr. Bella’s most complicated cases was former NFL football player Bo Eason. This professional athlete turned actor does a one-man show dramatizing the intense determination it took for him to be in the NFL. His play is called “The Runt of the Litter.” His motivation was to be as good as his big brother, NFL quarterback Tony Eason.

 

Bo Eason played safety, a defensive position that requires more quickness than heft. But he was still one of the smallest guys in the game. During his pro football career Eason's body was pulverized from several different directions.

 

“He will live in pain the rest of his life,” said Dr. Bella, shaking her head sadly. “It seems like his knees were really messed up, and because of his knees, his gait was affected. Every step he takes, that pain goes all the way up the kinetic chain.”

 

But for most actors, the discomfort is stress related. Tightness in the shoulders is the most common, although Eibensteiner says there’s not really a pattern.

 

Since Invisible Theatre also books a steady stream of New York entertainers, Dr. Bella has often helped such visiting guest artists as Ann Hampton Calloway, Sandra Reeves Phillips and Michelle Brourman, the pianist for Amanda McBroom.

 

“We are physical beings. Everything emotional is manifest on a physical level,” said Dr. Bella. “So actors and dancers are particularly vulnerable.

 

“In the week before a performance, I could be seeing five people a day.”

 

The need to do it for the love began early in Eibensteiner’s life. She had a natural healing touch.

 

“When I was about five, I would always massage my older brother’s pitching arm,” Dr. Bella explained. “My mother had heart problems and I would always massage her little finger. She said it made her feel good.

 

“Later on, in my acupuncture classes, I discovered the tip of the little finger is the heart meridian.”

 

Another fact Eibensteiner learned is that the body is 70 percent water. It is extremely important to keep that water moving around through the muscles.

 

“When it comes to health, movement is more important than diet,” she insists, always wanting to help. “Give yourself five minutes of exercise every hour.”

 

During this interview, Dr. Bella also took the time to demonstrate several balance exercises. Practicing balance is a good defense against stooped posture as a person gets older. When it comes to doing it for the love, Dr. Bella Eibensteiner shows no favorites.