Did you know that foot stretching is very important to how well your dancers can point their feet?
Feet and arches are what help your dancers achieve the graceful body line that makes their performance so beautiful.
The American Ballet Theatre notes that the importance of the line is beyond beauty but is critical to their ability to perform moves properly. Ballet dancers with the best feet have high arches and flexible ankles enabling the dancer to create a straight line from the shin to the top of the foot when pointing and perhaps curving into a well-pointed foot. The quality of this line is especially evident when dancers dance in pointe shoes. And stretching the top of the foot will also help the student do the best job of getting on top of their pointe shoes. (April Longo – professional ballet dancer and teacher)
An article featured on HealthyLiving.com is a good read for learning more about feet stretching – sharing techniques for use in class, with partners and with equipment such as bands and exercise balls.
This post suggests four other articles that cover some specific areas related to feet stretching such as exercises for legs and feet, lifting arches, improving feet and strengthening feet. Each activities that can have quite an impact on your dancers’ abilities, confidences and performance.
