bannana feet

[tomuchtallent]

The other day i was listening to some russian ballet teachers and they were talking about how their top schools select their 10 year old students.They were saying that very arched feet were a must as one of the requirements.Is it the same in the UK or other countries?I thought that as long as feet were reasonably arched that would be ok but maybe not?

[taxi4ballet]

I'm sure this has been talked about in another thread - search for high arches or something like that..

[Anna C]

Yes, you're quite right taxi - I think it may have been in an MDS thread or a Tring thread. I have searched for it unsuccessfully but IIRC it was - possibly - one of the requirements for MDS funding at Tring. Don't quote me on that though!

 

The trouble is with feet is that you can strengthen them, and to an extent you can increase their flexibility, but in the long run you can only make the best of what you've been given. I was reassured to watch a clip of the gorgeous Lauren Cuthbertson the other day, who has lovely feet, but they're not banana feet by any stretch of the imagination. :-)

[Interested Parent]

Hmmm this is a topic close to me and my DD's heart. DD has been told by a couple of teachers that her technique and performance are excellent, flexibility progressing nicely in general and she has the long neck, short body and long legs always mentioned HOWEVER her feet are poor in terms of arch and instep and general flexibility. We are convinced that this is why she has never been chosen for vocational school (offers of school place, finals and bursaries but never that infamous MDS). We were also told that during the growth of her feet there is potential to enhance what she's got but obviously not to change it significantly and DD has worked so hard to do her strength and flexibility exercises. During the recent growth spurt her metatarsals are looking amazing but her ankle hasn't changed at all and pointework is causing problems at this time. We hope and pray things will change but certainly this 'lack of facility' has been her biggest problem. Have to say though, she has amazingly strong feet and never has an injury.

[Anjuli_Bai]

That is pretty much exactly the problem. The less flexible the foot (generally speaking) the stronger the foot is (tightly constructed), the more flexible the less strong (more losely constructed).

 

The aim is to have enough of both for safe and effective use in whatever activity one is trying to pursue. As said in the post above there is only a certain amount of change that can be effected. However, In addition to working for that end one can also learn to use the foot to visually accentuate the positives and hide the negatives - but again only to certain degree.

 

I have very strong feet with enough of an arch to be called "serviceable," They did serve me well and I had to not only work on flexibility but I also had to learn to use them as effectively as possible - accentuating the positives.

 

One day when a young student told me I had "elf feet" - I silently smiled to myself - somehow during all those years of work I had managed to make a less than wonderful arch look better than it actually was.

 

So, it's not only working of strength/flexibilty - but learning to work to make what could be a visual deficit into an asset.

 

Taglioni did this with arms that were thought to be too long.

[balletla]

 

So, it's not only working of strength/flexibilty - but learning to work to make what could be a visual deficit into an asset.

 

Taglioni did this with arms that were thought to be too long.

 

Oh goodness, don't tell me you can have arms that are too long! I thought long arms were a desirable feature and one of the few desirable ballet features that my DD actually has.

[Anjuli_Bai]

I didn't say "I" thought Taglioni's arms were too long!

 

I think it was her father (as I recall) and thus he choreographed for her that famous arms over the head position in which the arms cross at the wrists.

 

It's a beautiful composition of the arms and has become a signature of the Romantic Era.

[hfbrew]

I love telling Taglioni's story to my students. They were enthralled to hear about her" celebrity" status and how supposedly one of her slippers was eaten!

Edited July 20, 2012 by hfbrew

[Anjuli_Bai]

Maybe we should start a thread with recipes for pointe shoes?

 

pointe shoes au vin

 

pointe shoe stew: dice two shoes and put in slow cooker for 6-12 hrs....for ten days....

 

pointe shoe tacos: slice just above the box of the shoe and use it to hold the lettuce, shreds of meat (your choice), .....darn edges to seal and then deep fry.

 

pointe shoe soup: in a very large pot immerse one whole pointe shoe (it will serve as flavoring), strips of elastic, two ribbons, and shreds of tights, simmer from June to August for maximum flavor.

 

uh.....

[tomuchtallent]

sound great, wish i could cook!

[Picturesinthefirelight]

The other side is that it's all very well having arched feet (other mums at dance rave over dd's beautifully high instep- hell to find school shoes though) but she will never be one of the elite dancers.