Wobbling ankles...

[Claude_Catastrophique]

I just noticed in class that when I do pas de bourré piqué on pointe I have very wobbling ankles. It looks like I would not have enough strenght to hold my feet and ankles back from wobbling. Usually I am very strong on pointe. It cannot be a strenght issue. Piqués and conesecutive relevé ond one foot in the center work fine for me without wobbling. But why do I wobble while doing pas de bourré and how can I fix it? My teacher never told me that I wobble...

 

She just told me once that when I do grand jeté developé my left foot wobbles in the air. It is pointed but just unstable in the ankle. It never happens when I do other jumps. It is really annoying because I really try hard not to wobble, to hold it but I just can't figure out why I can't stop it.

 

Answers and suggestions are most welcome

[MJ]

When you can do 30 relevers without a pause, do it on one foot.

 

Stretch your feet before the barre.

 

Mike

[Serendipity]

You might want to take it slowly at the barre doing pas de bourrees and try to figure out what you are actually doing with your feet when you do them. I had a similar problem and realised I was actually flexing my foot slightly to do the pas de bourree because I was afraid I wouldn't get on pointe. Once I realised that, I figured out how to lock my ankles and now I don't wobble.

 

 

You might need to work on "isometrics" in the ankle joint - tightening and relaxing the ligaments - different ones over and over again. Perhaps that's where the wobbling is coming from, along with doing something WITH your ankle joint (as I mentioned above) while you are trying to pas de bourree.

[Chinafish]

Another thing might be weight placement issue? Maybe in the pas de bourree pique you needed to step out on your leg but your body was not following?

[Clara 76]

I just noticed in class that when I do pas de bourré piqué on pointe I have very wobbling ankles. It looks like I would not have enough strenght to hold my feet and ankles back from wobbling. Usually I am very strong on pointe. It cannot be a strenght issue. Piqués and conesecutive relevé ond one foot in the center work fine for me without wobbling. But why do I wobble while doing pas de bourré and how can I fix it? My teacher never told me that I wobble...

 

You said that your teacher never told you that you wobble, right? This is just something you noticed yourself and want to fix. First off, are you certain that you never wobble in piqué movements elsewhere, like turns? How much 'wobble' is there? A piqué movement is a piqué movement is a piqué movement.

 

Piqué means: Pricked. Pricking/stabbing the floor with your feet. You won't be able to piqué properly if you aren't capable of quickly transferring your weight from one foot to another. You have to both push off of the supporting leg and quickly transfer your weight to the other foot. Because the working leg's foot has left the ground, it should already be in a fully pointed strong position, ready to handle the weight.

 

Of course, it goes without saying that the rest of the body must be in alignment, you must maintain your rotation, and you must have lift-off.

[ami1436]

Wait! Claude, I think we need some clarification.... You said pas de bourree pique - the terminology, as I understand it (at least in Europe???? who knows!) means a pas de bourre in which leg is lifted to demi-retire or retire or so, right? NOT a regular pique?

Am I right?

[Claude_Catastrophique]

Thank you for your replies! With Pas de bourré piqué I mean the movement where you start with one foot in coupé and in plié, "sting" into the floor with the foot in coupè go up and retiré the other leg, stretch it out to the side and retiré with the other leg and close (while moving slightly to the side).

Normal piqué (fling out your one leg to à la seconde while in plié and go up on pointe on the straight leg with other foot in retiré) work totally find for me, no wobbling, no problems with transfer of weight. Also when I do turns, no problem. Or when I do them in flats they are very stable and controlled. Just when I do it one pointe I wobble.

 

Tonight I have ballet class. I think I ask my teacher (although it is not my pointe class). Abd yes, she never told (only that my foot is wobbling in the grand jeté but only on the left side, which is usually stronger than right, also foot).

 

It really could be an alignement problem. I'll check it with my teacher

 

Again, thank you all for your replies.

[Claude_Catastrophique]

I couldn't ask my teacher...my stupid boss held me back to leave the office so that I missed the train and missed the last class before holidays. But my summer ballet-camp is coming up soon.