"ugly duckling"

[annalizzym]

Hi

 

I'm 19, I took a few ballet lesson when I was 7 then again at 16, and both times quit for the same reason.

I was called and taunted as the ugly duckling of ballet.

I have twisted femurs (genetic mutation inherited from my dad), where I have a twist inwards in the middle of my femur, causing my ball joint to sit turned in rather than in the correct position. This means I can't turn my feet out to an "aesthetically pleasing" degree for ballet without bending my legs. From facing forwards, the maximum degree they can turn out whilst I have straight legs is around 30 degrees. Also, due to this, I'm flat footed, so my arch is non existant and I look like I'm constantly leaning forward in my ballet slippers. I have full personalised insoles but they're very painful to wear in my shoes.

My dream is to go en pointe, and be half decent at it.

So my question is this, can I do it? Is it physically possible for me to look as beautiful dancing ballet both off pointe and en pointe as normal ballet dancers? I'm getting fed up with being called the ugly duckling, but 'm worried that if I start again I won't be able to perform half the moves and pointe will be impossible

 

Help?

 

Anna

[Victoria Leigh]

Welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers, annalizzym. I have moved your post to the YD forum, as here it will be addressed by our Moderator/Teachers.

 

At this point in time you have had very, very little training. I'm so sorry to hear that other students would be so cruel to you, though. There are many students who have very little rotation, and use even less than what they have, so they have no right whatsoever to criticize you.

 

The problem you will have is that you absolutely cannot turn out from the feet. It must COME from the hips, and, if your hips cannot do that, then there is no way that you can safely do classical ballet. That does not mean that you cannot dance, as there are many forms of dance which do not require rotation. But I think that ballet is possibly not a terrific idea, unless you have enough rotation, from the hips, to be able to turn out correctly. If so, then studying it, with a very, very good teacher who totally understands your condition and knows how to work with it, might be possible. I'm afraid that pointe work might not be possible, however. It just requires too much rotation.

[vrsfanatic]

The 1st cause for concern, in your case should be that you have little or no experience with taking class for a prolonged period of time and you are already considering the idea of going on pointe. Pointe is not something to be "played at". It is a serious physical endevour, only to be studied at the recommendation of a qualified teacher. You should discuss the possibility of your studying pointe with your teacher. 19 is late to begin ballet anew and pursue it with aspirations to look like a professional dancer. Your goal may need to be reconsidered. Ballet is a wonderful artform to study for all, young, middle aged and above however it is best you remain realistic about the ability to achieve various movements, on pointe or otherwise, the way a professional dancer would.

[annalizzym]

The 1st cause for concern, in your case should be that you have little or no experience with taking class for a prolonged period of time and you are already considering the idea of going on pointe. Pointe is not something to be "played at". It is a serious physical endevour, only to be studied at the recommendation of a qualified teacher. You should discuss the possibility of your studying pointe with your teacher. 19 is late to begin ballet anew and pursue it with aspirations to look like a professional dancer. Your goal may need to be reconsidered. Ballet is a wonderful artform to study for all, young, middle aged and above however it is best you remain realistic about the ability to achieve various movements, on pointe or otherwise, the way a professional dancer would.

 

 

i don't want to go en pointe straight away, obviously, im aware of how much it takes to get en pointe as i have a lot of friends who are en pointe ballerinas. i don't want to look like a professional dancer, i love ballet and want to persue it as a hobby, i know its far too late to become or look like a professional! i want to get to the stage where i can go en pointe - to own a pair of pointe shoes and actually be able to do something in them! i know im not going to be able to do a great deal, or as much as normal people. i just want to get to the stage where i can go en pointe (:

[Victoria Leigh]

Anna, did you read my post above the one you just responded to? Please do, and also check your first post, because I edited it and you need to see why. We try very hard to keep our posts on this board as clear as possible for all members, and many of our members speak English as a second language. We use capitalization where it is supposed to be used, punctuation, and no text message typing. If you look at your post above this one, and then go back and look at the one I edited, you will understand. Then please read my response to your question.

 

Thank you.

[vrsfanatic]

shulie, while your response is wonderful, at this point I must make it invisible, as this is the YD forum. I believe you do not qualify for this forum. If I am incorrect, please do let me know. Please give us a few hours to discuss the situation.

[Victoria Leigh]

Shulie, your post itself is quite fine, as vrs said. And, we do VERY occassionally make exceptions here when warranted. But right now, I would like to wait until Anna has responded to my post just prior to yours and tells me she has read my post that followed her original post. I have a feeling that she either missed it or ignored it, as I was not being nearly as optimistic with her. I could be wrong, but it sounds to me like she has a genetic disorder (as she said) which would prevent her from turning out from the hips. Picture a clock, facing 12 standing in parallel, open 30 degrees and where are you? If the right foot is facing 3, and the left 9, that is 90 degrees. Feet at 1 and 11 would be 30 degrees. And, if that is her best "turn out of the feet", we don't even know if that much is coming from the hips. If studying ballet would HELP her, according to her orthopedic physician, (hoping that he/she has some idea of what is involved in ballet), fine. But I would want that assurance prior to working with her. (I should have said that in my first post.) Otherwise, I feel that it could be physically harmful, not to mention extremely frustrating, which she has evidently already experienced.

 

So, we might put your post back after we hear from her again.

[annalizzym]

Victoria Leigh,

 

Sorry for a bit of a late reply, I've not had internet access for a while!

I understand what you are saying from your first post, I am attempting to find a teacher who will help, but after sending out a few emails no one has, as of yet, replied to me.

I have been to my doctor before, I was referred to the hospital and they suggested one of two things: either i could take physiotherapy (sp?) or they could perform an operation where they would break my femurs, re-align them and then hold them together with steel plates. As good as that operation sounds, as it is in the top of my legs there are a lot of risks involved with ateries, muscles, nerves etc, and it would render me in a wheel chair for 6 weeks. Instead I took physiotherapy, which was rather pointless! I originally went to the doctors because my condition caused me to damage knee ligaments (this was due to a figure skating move called a Spread Eagle which I foolishly tried to accomplish!) All the physiotherapist did was treat for the knee pain, rather than the actual problem I wanted sorting. I'm in two minds about whether to go back again.

 

Anna

[Victoria Leigh]

Anna, this is a structural issue, so I'm not sure that PT will be able to help a lot. The surgery sounds quite drastic to me, and if the whole or main purpose for doing it is to be able to rotate your legs for ballet, I would certainly have to question your doing that.

[Clara 76]

What is the degree of your femoral anteversion?

[annalizzym]

it wouldn't soley be to do ballet, it causes other problems as well. i cant sit on certain positions, i trip up over my own feet all the time, i can't walk or stand for any length of time because my hips, knees and feet begin to hurt...the list goes on.

i'm not too sure, the doctor did tell me but it was a couple of years ago now /:

[Victoria Leigh]

I think it might be time for another visit to an Orthopedic specialist, Anna.

 

[Please use upper case letters as required when writing your posts. I edited your first post, requested in my second post that you please do this, and explained why. Thank you.]