Arches too good?

[Guest arches2147]

Hi, I have a problem with my feet. I wear freed wing blocks, and my arches always pop out of them. After I wear a new set of pointe shoes, they get worn out, and the shoes becomes "dead". Is there any way i can support my feet, more? Are there any other dancers out there with exceptionally good feet? HELP.

[Mel Johnson]

I think you could use a link to Ms. DeVor's Pointe Shoe Suggestion Form:

 

http://balletalert.com/dancersforum/index.php?showtopic=4410

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello arches, and welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers

 

I was going to move this to the Pointe Shoe Forum, but then decided to leave it here, as it could also be a question of strength and technique.

 

People with very high arches and insteps often have weak ankles, and in spite of the beauty of the foot, it can be more difficult to work with when you first go on pointe. The right shoe is also extremely important. You need a high vamp, a strong shank, and maybe even the addition of a piece of very wide elastic across the top of the foot at the edge of the vamp.

 

More importantly you must work very hard on strengthening your ankles, and learn how to be so lifted up out of your shoes that you never push too far over, which is what breaks the shanks. Your alignment and control are crucial, and if you are not really strong in the abdominal area this could create difficulty too.

[vrsfanatic]

Sounds like you have "banana feet". Most young ballet students would be jumping for joy to be graced with such a problem. It is indeed a difficult situation, both physically and financially.

 

Follow Ms. Leigh's expert advice on the type of shoe you should wear and take seriously her discussion of abdominal strength. One cannot lengthen the legs and feet sufficiently for strong pointe work without this knowledge. Sitting into/on the legs and feet will stagnate ones technical developement eventually and the financial situation will only worsen since the hours of increased pointe work will require more shoes.

 

In your ballet classes concentrate on how you are pointing your feet. Lengthen your toes. In pointe class, emphasis how you go up and down from a flat foot to pointe. You need to strengthen also under the toes, where your toes connect into the ball of the foot. If you look at a skelton you will see that the toes are made up of many small sections. Work to keep your toes straight, not bent. There should be a long flowing arc, not a hook! Working on demi-pointe will also help to increase the strength of the body and legs. Perhaps you could ask your teacher if you could do some extra exercises on demi pointe to help to strengthen your body, legs and feet?

[mylildancer]

My dd may be having some of the same problems. Although she doesn't have "banana feet", she has high, lovely looking arches in a newer pair of shoes, but as the shoes "die", she starts to pull in her ankles. I've always wondered why that happens. Is this problem related to the strength and technique problems that you mention above, or is this a shoe problem? DD also wears Freed wing-blocks. What shoes would have higher vamps and stronger shanks?

[Victoria Leigh]

The question about the shoes will have to go into the Pointe Shoe Topics forum, mylildancer. But as to the technique part, yes, that could be the problem. There is absolutely no way for us to know without seeing her on pointe.

[Guest arches2147]

thanks, that helps a lot.

[Banana Feet]

Hi, I'm also a dancer with "banana feet." Definately go for a shoe with a hard or even see if you can get double shanks. If you don't mind a small box, try grishkos because their shanks last really long and their vamps help pull you back a little bit. Also, if you aren't already, try rotating shoes. Get 3-4 pairs at a time and don't wear the same pair 2 days in a row. It helps a little to prolong the life of shoes. It's definately sort of a mixed blessing to have feet like this because sometimes they can be great, but other times I wish I didn't have to deal with them.

[Guest arches2147]

whenever i get shoes with harder shanks, my feet just pop out of the box, no matter how hard i try not to. Either that or my feet sink into theshoes. The shoes that work for me are freed wing blocks, but they don't last that long.

[violet]

Gaynor Minden makes 'vamp elastic'. Go to http://www.dancer.com/ and click on 'Shoe Accessories '.