rolling feet?

[lynn]

Sometimes when I am balancing in the center or when I do my grand plies I roll my feet. How can I stop this?

 

Also, what are some things that you should be able to do before pointe shoes?

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello lynn, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

Rolling is usually caused by turning out the feet, but not the legs from the hips. Or turning the feet out too far, beyond what the rotational ability is from the hips. You need to have your alignment and weight placement corrected so that you can learn to use the right muscles to turn out your legs.

 

There are way too many things you need to know before pointe to list here, but the most important would be your alignment, weight placement, ability to use your rotation well and correctly, strong but flexible feet, and a good knowledge of your ballet vocabulary, including all of the positions of the body, barre exercises, and center work up through what is required for a student who has had at least 3 solid years of training after the age of eight and a half. The training during the last year before pointe should be at least 3 ninety minute classes per week.

 

There is a topic in the "Sticky" posts section, at the top of the forum, called "Facts of Life About Pointe Work". It would help you to read that!

[lynn]

So I would need to turn out from the hips more? Thanks.

[Victoria Leigh]

Ummm, yes, but there is a good bit more to it than that. When you demi plié, for instance, your knees should be in a direct line with your toes...center toe, not the big toe! This requires all the other things I said in the post above, too.

 

Since you are new, can you tell us a bit more about yourself, like how long you have trained, your age, how many classes a week you have and how long are they? That would help us to know how to help you more.

[lynn]

I have trained for 7 years, I am 13, I take classes 3 days a week (4 starting next week) and they are an hour and a half long.

 

I came back from class yesterday and I used the advice you gave me and it helped.

[Victoria Leigh]

That is good, Lynn. I'm glad it helped. Is your teacher addressing this problem of rolling? Is she/he helping you to learn how to control it?

[lynn]

Sometimes while we are at the barre, if she sees something wrong she will come and tell us to turn out our hips or tell us we are leaning and we will correct it and we will continue our dance. So, yes she is. She put her hand straight out and the other one a fist and clasped the straight hand around the fist, then she turned the fist around and around. She said that is what my legs should be doing.