Bowed legs

[Yellowbutterfly]

Hi, if a child has bowed legs does this affect whether they will be accepted in to a JA scheme and can therefore train to be a ballerina? My dd auditioned for a year 4 place on the RBS JA scheme but didn't get in. She wants to audition again next year which I'm encouraging but I understand that the audition concentrate on the physicality of a child and obviously this is something she can't change. TBH I didn't realise she had bow legs until I took the photos of feet in parallel. She has beautifully stretched legs and feet but wondered if bow legs are a no no in classical ballet? Thanks in advance!

[Tulip]

When you say bow do you mean sway back or bowing out to the sides? What does her dance teacher say? If you have only just spotted this in your daughter, the bowness must only be slight. When my daughter was a senior associate there was a girl there with scoliosis, bad enough for surgery, she was a beautiful girl who went onto professional training at 18. The point I'm making is the Royal make their own minds up, people and sometimes teachers try to second guess them. To get into the senior associates is harder because of less spaces, I wonder how many people may have told that young girl not to bother due to her curvature? Another point to add, my daughter was never a JA only an SA.

[Yellowbutterfly]

Thanks Tulip. They bow out to the sides, so In parallel her heels are together but she has an inch or so gap between her calfs,knees and thighs. She doesn't have any gap in first position. I think she may have very slight swayback too. It's hard not to second guess what RBS are looking for and its encouraging to hear that your DD was never a JA too. Thank you.

[Lisa O`Brien]

Hello. Can't help with your particular issue but just to say when I was a child I was incredibly knock- kneed. Really noticeable in photos of me, especially as I was so skinny too. I started ballet lessons when I was nine. Well neither me or my mum noticed the change but one day when I was about thirteen my mum suddenly exclaimed "You're not knock -kneed anymore". Can only think it must have been the training, working the turnout. So I would say definately, the ballet training can physically alter some physical traits. [i was never an Associate or anything though. We didn't have things like this in my day]. With my knock- knees being as "bad" as they were ,if Associates had been around in my day I doubt very much I would have been taken on. Unless as I say, they knew that after a few years of training it would be rectified. Don't know if i've been any help or not.

[Moomin]

True bowed legs are caused by a curve in the bone so unlikely to change very much. However if you push back into swayback knees it often creates the same look of a gap between the legs. Maybe have a look when you've got her to stand with knees properly aligned?

[Lisa O`Brien]

True bowed legs are caused by a curve in the bone so unlikely to change very much. However if you push back into swayback knees it often creates the same look of a gap between the legs. Maybe have a look when you've got her to stand with knees properly aligned?

I was thinking that too, Moomin. If Yellowbutterfly's DD is able to "pull up" out of her legs it might change the appearance of them,as opposed to sinking in to her legs,which might be making them bow.

[MumToTu]

I asked this question too before my dd auditioned, but was told her legs look like that when she pushes back into her extension, could that be the case for your dd too? maybe ask her teacher? DD got a place and is now MA so good luck and don't worry Xxx