Saturday, September 6, 2008

Ballet Pointe Shoes For the Lower Arch

 Can you improve your lower arch for dancing in pointe shoes?

source.
Many young would-be ballerinas are reaching for the top in their dreams, for the beautiful pink satin pointe shoes and Swan lake tutus. Then they get into ballet class, and eventually into pointe shoes and their feet just don't look quite right.

Did something go wrong?

No, but they just bumped into the wall of Fashion in ballet. And then they go on to learn......

.....that this is something they cannot change, at least not very much. The truth reveals itself - their feet will never, never, point like - well, like most dancers that you see in a professional ballet company.

Oh woe. And beyond woe. This is true heartbreak for the aspiring ballerina.

Young dancers are chosen for professional ballet school training largely on their physical attributes. The right skeleton and the right flexibility will get them through years of daily training.

Let's face it, high arches in the top curve of the foot are - Ballet Fashion.

This really, truly sucks. It is SO not fair. But, there is always hope.

Here's the thing. If you have those lower arches that do not curve on top of your foot - there are 2 things you must do:

1. Develop really strong feet with pre-pointe exercises so that you can do everything better than - everybody.

2. Find the exactly right fit and kind of pointe shoe that will support and show off your foot to its best advantage.

A place to start is with: Gamba pointe shoes, which are much softer than, say, Freeds. Try on every vamp height, and width that you can, in your local ballet store.

Try the Bloch Amelie pointe shoes which has a graded shank, for more subtle use of "going through the foot", a slightly V-shaped vamp, and gently curved insole.

But try every pointe shoe that you can. Let ballet fashion accommodate YOU.

Reaching for the top is the nature of artists. A foot muscle or two may have to be isolated and worked on.

Ballet toe shoes can present obstacles - or your path to fulfillment. Is it your sole or your 'soul of art' that will be ultimately judged? Do your best, and do not lose your inspiration to succeed.

For home instruction on preparing for pointe shoes, fitting pointe shoes, and fine tuning your basic ballet technique, get The Perfect Pointe Book.


1 comment:

  1. Hi there !
    I agree with your article about arches and insteps. Ballet companies should learn that there is much more to ballet than a beautiful instep like technique,grace and passion. Margot fonteyn and Gelsey Kirkland didn't have perect feet but instead they had STRONG feet :)

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