Pointing from ankle

[Guest Jaime]

My ballet teacher told me that when she was a young dancer she had bad feet until the age of 17. Then her teacher told her if she points her foot where her pointe shoe ribbons tie her feet would get better. In fact now she has amazing feet. I unfortunatly have the same probelm. But I can seem to feel the difference? DO you have and suggestions?

THANKS

[Victoria Leigh]

Jaime, do you mean where the ribbons cross on the top of the foot, or where they actually tie, on the inside of the ankle?

[Guest Jaime]

Where they cross at the top of the foot.

[Victoria Leigh]

Well, that part of the foot is certainly most important in pointing! In fact, I don't really see how one could point the foot without working that part. When you work with a theraband on foot stretching, that is the part of the foot you are working. So, what is the question here? Where WERE you pointing it from?

[Guest dancinabbs]

I think a main part of working on that part is just imaging it in your head, and just work on it a bunch. I think that you were pointing with your toes before, am I right? (this is the answer to your question, probably, Ms. Leigh.)

[Guest Jaime]

The question is that if you constantly think about pointing from ankle will it make such a big difference as it did with my teacher. Does that make any sense??? Usually I only point my toes when going from Alasgone (sorry I can't spell) to arabesque.

[Mel Johnson]

That's à la seconde, Jaime, and predicting whether your feet will react the same as your teacher's falls into the realm of magic, and my crystal ball is in the shop for an oil change. Will it do precisely the same thing? Probably not. You are a different person from your teacher, and your anatomy is probably subtly different from hers. Will it be good for you to articulate your feet fully whenever* pointing them? Unquestionably!

 

*and you should be pointing them whenever they're in the air or otherwise off the floor.

[Victoria Leigh]

The "Golden Rule of Feet" (according to yours truly): If a foot is in a ballet shoe or pointe shoe, and it leaves the ground AT ALL, it's pointed! The only exception would be if certain choreography demands a flexed foot. There is nothing much uglier than a dangling foot in a pointe shoe.