Demi Plie

[Guest PointeGirl727]

When i land a jump, weather petit or grande i cannot land it with my heels down in demi plie, especally in fifth position. Whats going on here? Everyone else can do it.Am i doing somthing wrong, can i improve this?

[Tiiny Dancerx33]

Hello PointeGirl727,

 

I used to have a girl in my class with that same problem. Her problem was that she had tight calf muscles. Maybe this could be the reason your having trouble. You should ask your teachers for some good calf stretches.

[Mel Johnson]

Welcome, PointeGirl727, to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

Two things may be at work here, and probably they are working together. First, your Achilles' tendon, at the back of the ankle, may be a bit stiff yet and not stretched out sufficiently to allow a generous demi-plié. Secondly, the muscles at the instep and front of the ankle have to release in order for you to go down into the plié. The cure for this starts at the earliest part of the barre, and continues through the entire rest of the class until you can do it every time without fail. It'll take awhile to train in.

 

Tiiny, your desire to be helpful is commendable, but no matter what is done on other boards, on this one, the teachers, Ms. Leigh, Ms. Schneider, and I give the technical advice.