What does a good pointe foot look like?

[dobby]

Hi, i wonder how does a good pointe foot look like?

My feet are very wide and my big toe isn´t really that big.

I have red somewhere that not everybody can´t dance on pointe

i´m worried that i wont dance on pointe because of my feet are very wide.

Could you please help me out?

[Clara 76]

Having wide or skinny feet will not make any difference at all as to whether you can go en pointe some day or not! Have a look at this sticky:

 

Facts of Life

 

Basically, the flexibility of the ankle and ability to maintain alignment and rotation are the primary considerations- not the width of the feet.

[dobby]

thanks for the link clara 76

i guess i need to work hard at my ballet lessons

[Serendipity]

Clara,

 

Is it possible to increase one's arch flexibility at our age, so that pointe work is more, um, successful? Are there any recommended exercises for such as these?

 

When I was a girl, I used to get my father to push my foot down in pointed position to increase the arch in the ankle joint (I hope I you can picture it). I'm older now, and the arch isn't as good as it was due to various issues, but I'd like to see an increase if possible.

 

Will pointe work in itself help stretch out the arch?

[Clara 76]

Is it possible to increase one's arch flexibility at our age, so that pointe work is more, um, successful? Are there any recommended exercises for such as these?

 

We don't really need to focus on the arch. We need to direct our attention to the instep and ankle. What we are looking for is extreme plantar flexion. Here is an example of a foot that does not have enough plantar flexion for pointe:

Image

 

If you draw a straight line from the woman's lower leg (right above the ankle and below the shin) straight across her foot, you will see that the majority of her foot is above that line. The result will be a dancer who cannot get fully up en pointe and who will be dancing on the pleats rather than properly placed on the platform.

 

Now take a look at this picture. Scroll down to Jeff Rouse: Figure 5

 

There is a foot that is well-suited to pointe! So basically, plantar flexion of 60 degrees or greater is a requirement for pointe.

 

It takes years of stretching, pointing, flexing, and tendus, pas de chevals, rélevés, etc., to develop the strength and placement necessary for pointe. As far as whether one can improve would depend upon their bone structure and ligaments and tendons, and of course, training. Can it improve? Yes. But the degree of improvement may or may not be enough for pointework.

 

Will pointe work in itself help stretch out the arch?

There are 2 schools of thought on this; one says yes, feet can be made better by going en pointe. This is the chief argument that is used for placing men en pointe. The other school of thought says no, the feet must be ready for pointe prior to being placed en pointe.

[airchild]

Is there a simple way of measuring the angle of plantar flexion ourselves? If so, how? Just curious to find out my range of ankle flexibility.

[Clara 76]

Physical Therapists will do measurements like that.

[Serendipity]

Thanks for all that info, Clara. I've printed out the pictures and will take them to my ballet teacher. Hopefully she'll be able to compare them with my feet. I can't really tell myself.

 

Thanks again! :-)

[lavendergrl]

Serendipity, you asked if pointework alone would stretch the foot/ankle appropriately. I myself have barely passable feet for pointework—even after hours of work each week I will forever have a difficult time doing what those with a 70 degree range make appear effortless—and so I am constantly working to increase range of motion in my ankle and metatarsal. I personally cannot achieve the stretch I need with pointe work alone. Instead I have a favorite couch that I use to slip my feet under to just above the bridge of the metatarsal and then carefully straighten my knees to increase the flexion over the top of my ankle. (Be careful to stay within a reasonable stretch for you, so as not to damage anything!) A woman I work with also recommends using the refrigerator, but I haven't tried it myself. If you have a dance "buddy", the two of you can stretch each others feet before and after class. Just remember to pull the plantar muscle, just under the heel, toward you and to lengthen the toes, otherwise tis all in vain.

[Serendipity]

Hi Lavendergirl,

No, I wasn't thinking of pointe work alone, just that it would help along with everything else. My teacher is a marvelous torturer when it comes to feet, so I'm sure with all that work, plus the pointe work, we'll achieve something.

 

I'm not so worried about my own feet. I've done pointe work before and can get onto pointe with only a little trouble (stiffness in one ankle, due to having broken it). There are a couple of youngsters in my class who have very poor feet, though, and I know my teacher is hoping that, alongside the stretching and exercises, the pointe work will help.

 

I must admit when I was a girl, I used to get my father to what you described. My torturer - erm, teacher - is now working on getting me to get my little toe on the floor (floor exercise, btw!) in turn out and with pointing.

[ripresa]

We don't really need to focus on the arch. We need to direct our attention to the instep and ankle. What we are looking for is extreme plantar flexion. Here is an example of a foot that does not have enough plantar flexion for pointe

 

 

This is good to know.. I've a low right arch. But have a nice flexion so there is a straight line from knee to toes (definitely genetics). I sometimes wish I have the extreme arch that photos in dance magazine have.. but I'm happy with my feet.

 

That article is interesting.. who knew that it helps with swimming as well!

[Serendipity]

I have the straight line, too, at least on the foot that wasn't broken. Not sure if I'll get back to that ever on the one that was, due to the metal being in the ankle now.

 

BUT, I was told or read somewhere in my youth that that gorgeous high arch that some dancers have is actually quite a weak ankle when compared with the straight line one. It was never explained why, but I would expect it has something to do with looser ligaments that allow the arch to pop out that far (?).

 

Has anyone else read or heard anything like that?

[Katthe1st]

I've heard that people who are born with really flexible bodies and feet / ankles struggle with having enough strength to dance...like they have the physical ability to lift their leg up to their ear but don't have the strength to get it up there. They have to work really hard for it. Hope that made sense.

[lavendergrl]

Serendipity, Katthe1st—you're both right. Flexibility often comes at the expense of strength. Which is why it takes a million releves before girls with banana feet have the muscle memory to rise on pointe without rolling out on an ankle the wrong way and injuring themselves. Also, think about the men you dance with (I hope you have the chance to take class with men) they are far stronger than we are, and can do amazing things that most women will never be capable of, but they'll never be asked for the same level of extension as women because the two--strength and flexibility--in extremes is a rare couple. Also, I've always found it interesting that dancers will say, "I have a very strong foot. I need a very hard shank in my pointe shoe." To me it's just the opposite. A strong foot needs very little support—I do my best pointework in shoes with almost no shank and a hard platform for balancing. I don't have much flexibility in my metatarsal, and it's the flexible instep that can accommodate getting over a box when there is significant resistance under the arch.

[Redbookish]

The high arch of the professional dancer's "banana feet" is largely developed through years of working those muscles. If that's what you've been doing every day since the age of 11, it stands to reason ...