Friday, October 1, 2010

QUICK TIP - Improve your Arches!

High arches are important in ballet because they allow the dancer to rise high up in releve and get over their boxes in pointe shoes. The banana-footed aesthetic is also very "in" at the moment.



A friend from ballet class gave me this quick tip on how to improve your arches: Wear your pointe shoes until you absolutely can't! Don't rely on the support of brand new shoes to help you rise en pointe, by wearing your pointe shoes down more than you usually would, you build up your arch and the strength in your feet, as well as your skill en pointe. Soft shoes mean you have to work harder, which is good in this case!

Remember: arches are mainly a result of genetics, and the older you get, the harder it is to improve them. But hey, you're a ballerina, you know the meaning of hard work! :D

5 comments:

  1. that is amazing!! I would LOVE that flexibility and strength myself!

    Good luck with your dance!!

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  2. Thank you so much!! Not just for this entry but also for the whole blog. I <3 it :)
    and just a Q/ : do you want to wear them and walk around like in normal shoes or en pointe?

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  3. Anonymous-
    I'm just talking about wearing them in class :)
    Thanks for your kind words!!

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  4. Pointe shoes last longer as your feet strengthen - yet I think students should be careful about dancing in pointe shoes that don't give enough support....as a teacher I just wanted to mention that. I hope you keep on with your blog! Lots of good stuff on it.

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  5. What about if you are not on pointe yet because of not very good arches?

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