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How the bottom of the foot contacts the floor is very important.
Whether standing on a stretched leg, or in a plie, the ankles and soles
of the feet should not be tense. The tension in the ankles will be
correct if the turnout is held from the top of the thighs, down to the
knees, by the back of the thighs and inner thighs. The foot may
be naturally high under the arch, or flat along the floor. The foot
should not be rotated towards the outer ankle joint in an effort to
show an arch lifted off the floor. It doesn't matter if the foot is
flat, when you are standing on it. It is important that the foot and
ankle are not tensely trying to hold a position. Ankles may fall in if
the arches are fallen and many peoples' are. Holding the turnout from
the thighs will lift the inner ankle slightly, but that isn't the point.
There
are very simple exercises to strengthen the sole of the foot, aside
from the numerous tendus, degages and sautes in a class. But
let's go to turnout first. Ideally the 180 degree turnout of the foot
positions comes from the turnout of the legs inside the hip joint - and
it actually does for the most flexible dance student. Children and
adults who take ballet once or twice weekly should never be allowed to
turn their feet out more than their thighs can turn out. A good teacher
will NOT allow this. In choosing a ballet teacher, extreme forcing of
the foot turn out is easy to spot, even when the legs are straight; the
knees will be pointing in one direction and the feet will be turned out
to another direction. In a plie, or knee bend, even a slight
exaggeration of the foot turnout is noticeable to an untrained eye, and
the ankles will be rolling forwards and down as well. A
conscientious teacher will not allow unrealistic foot positions at the
expense of healthy knee ligaments and ankle muscles. A constant
sprain/strain of the knees and ankles is occurring with a forced
turnout. A well-trained teacher will instruct students to work
with the flexibility that they have, and will teach stretches that may
improve it. I say may, because some people do not get much more
flexible with stretches, no matter how dedicated they are, yet most
will see improvement. The importance is being able to HOLD the turnout
that you have, while moving through adagio, jumps, and pointe work. And
anyone can do that if they understand how to do it, and have the
concentration to do it repeatedly. Good technique DOES matter
even if you are studying for enjoyment, with no professional
aspirations. Straining off balance, working the muscles incorrectly and
getting injured hardly leads to enjoyment. The overall development of
strength and attainment of grace is more attainable if the basics are
correct. A wonderful exercise to strengthen the turnout is as
follows: lie down on the floor on your back, feet in first position,
flexed as though you were standing. Because there is no weight on the
feet, you can turn your feet out for more feeling in the turnout
muscles at the top of the thighs. Press the back of the legs into the
floor, and move the legs, feet still flexed, slowly outward toward
second position. Keep pressing the back of the legs into the floor, and
don't let your back arch. You may only be able to go an inch , - but
you'll feel those turnout muscles! Do that ten times every day and you
will be much stronger standing up and doing the regular class
movements. You won't regret investing time in this exercise. Dianne
M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada. She
taught there for several years, and also taught at York University and
George Brown College in Toronto, and at Harvard University. More
articles about ballet can be found soon How the bottom of the foot contacts the floor is very important.
Whether standing on a stretched leg, or in a plie, the ankles and soles
of the feet should not be tense. The tension in the ankles will be
correct if the turnout is held from the top of the thighs, down to the
knees, by the back of the thighs and inner thighs. The foot may
be naturally high under the arch, or flat along the floor. The foot
should not be rotated towards the outer ankle joint in an effort to
show an arch lifted off the floor. It doesn't matter if the foot is
flat, when you are standing on it. It is important that the foot and
ankle are not tensely trying to hold a position. Ankles may fall in if
the arches are fallen and many peoples' are. Holding the turnout from
the thighs will lift the inner ankle slightly, but that isn't the point. There
are very simple exercises to strengthen the sole of the foot, aside
from the numerous tendus, degages and sautes in a class. But
let's go to turnout first. Ideally the 180 degree turnout of the foot
positions comes from the turnout of the legs inside the hip joint - and
it actually does for the most flexible dance student. Children and
adults who take ballet once or twice weekly should never be allowed to
turn their feet out more than their thighs can turn out. A good teacher
will NOT allow this. In choosing a ballet teacher, extreme forcing of
the foot turn out is easy to spot, even when the legs are straight; the
knees will be pointing in one direction and the feet will be turned out
to another direction. In a plie, or knee bend, even a slight
exaggeration of the foot turnout is noticeable to an untrained eye, and
the ankles will be rolling forwards and down as well. A
conscientious teacher will not allow unrealistic foot positions at the
expense of healthy knee ligaments and ankle muscles. A constant
sprain/strain of the knees and ankles is occurring with a forced
turnout. A well-trained teacher will instruct students to work
with the flexibility that they have, and will teach stretches that may
improve it. I say may, because some people do not get much more
flexible with stretches, no matter how dedicated they are, yet most
will see improvement. The importance is being able to HOLD the turnout
that you have, while moving through adagio, jumps, and pointe work. And
anyone can do that if they understand how to do it, and have the
concentration to do it repeatedly. Good technique DOES matter
even if you are studying for enjoyment, with no professional
aspirations. Straining off balance, working the muscles incorrectly and
getting injured hardly leads to enjoyment. The overall development of
strength and attainment of grace is more attainable if the basics are
correct. A wonderful exercise to strengthen the turnout is as
follows: lie down on the floor on your back, feet in first position,
flexed as though you were standing. Because there is no weight on the
feet, you can turn your feet out for more feeling in the turnout
muscles at the top of the thighs. Press the back of the legs into the
floor, and move the legs, feet still flexed, slowly outward toward
second position. Keep pressing the back of the legs into the floor, and
don't let your back arch. You may only be able to go an inch , - but
you'll feel those turnout muscles! Do that ten times every day and you
will be much stronger standing up and doing the regular class
movements. You won't regret investing time in this exercise. Dianne
M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada. She
taught there for several years, and also taught at York University and
George Brown College in Toronto, and at Harvard University. http://www.theballetstore.com |
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