Medora Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Lighthearted post! Looking for some uplifting stories and examples to make us feel better about not having been born with perfect banana feet? Have you seen any success stories where a dancer has really improved the look of their feet through hard work, exercises, or just learning to work really well with what they have? Can you suggest any ballerinas or dancers in training who we could watch, or find in social media, who may not have the most amazing feet but are still amazing in all sorts of other ways? The current ideal for banana feet and hyperextended knees is a tricky one, as this is not something you can really achieve no matter how hard you train, and sometimes it feels as though these qualities are so important to teachers and audition panels etc. We’d love to see some examples of dancers who have achieved success despite not having these qualities! thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Well, famously, Margot Fonteyn! Feet like “blocks of butter”, apparently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygirlsmum Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Can’t give examples of pros but my dd had ok feet over the years they have changed so much over the years (not just in a dancey way but shape etc from met exercises) the are pretty good now, very strong and flexible. A dancer I always enjoyed watching at local festivals didn’t have good feet at all but every other aspect of her performance was breathtaking, she went on to study at Laine but tbh I am sure she could have done any genre she wanted as she is so special. I’m not really qualified as a critic but as a watcher of dance I want to see more than just banana feet. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Leanne Benjamin didn’t have “banana feet”, nor in fact does Osipova if you see her with bare feet in pointe shoes; in fact when I think of truly high insteps I only really think of Sarah Lamb and Tamara Rojo. Claire Calvert has very mobile feet too. Fortunately, unlike some Russian companies, in the UK hypermobility and locking back into swayback knees is not a prerequisite for selection. Hypermobile joints can be more prone to injury and, like very high insteps and/or arches, are not something you can or should try to develop through exercises or stretching. As long as feet and ankles are sufficiently flexible and strong enough to get the correct line en pointe, and to get properly onto the platform of the pointe shoe with no physiological restriction, then the strength of the foot can be worked on safely. And as shygirlsmum says, the shape, flexibility and strength of the foot can and does often change as pointework gets more advanced (and the right shoe can make a *big* difference too, of course). 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glissade Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 When "feet" are mentioned, I always think of Dilly Greasley! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farawaydancer Posted March 8, 2021 Share Posted March 8, 2021 Osipova was the one that came to my mind too. And her pointe shoes always look awful. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 11 hours ago, Farawaydancer said: Osipova was the one that came to my mind too. And her pointe shoes always look awful. They’re very distracting, aren’t they. 😔 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harwel Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 15 hours ago, Farawaydancer said: Osipova was the one that came to my mind too. And her pointe shoes always look awful. Gosh, I couldn’t agree more! I’m always amazed she gets away with it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farawaydancer Posted March 9, 2021 Share Posted March 9, 2021 31 minutes ago, Harwel said: Gosh, I couldn’t agree more! I’m always amazed she gets away with it. 4 hours ago, Anna C said: They’re very distracting, aren’t they. 😔 They are really distracting because once you’ve noticed, you can’t help but see them all the time!! I always think her feet would maybe look better if she had better fitting shoes on! However, it doesn’t seem to have held her back 🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted March 10, 2021 Share Posted March 10, 2021 (edited) Having 'banana' feet with high insteps and arches might gain admiring looks from others, but it means that you can go through pointe shoes at high speed and it costs a fortune. My dd once broke the shank of a pair during just one class. It is also very difficult to find shoes that actually fit and support properly without you going right over forwards or falling out of the front of the shoe. It's interesting to see what Anna C says about the Russians preferring the look - my dd's shoes had to be handmade in Russia in the end, they were the only ones we could get that fitted her. Edited March 10, 2021 by taxi4ballet edited to add 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted March 11, 2021 Share Posted March 11, 2021 I couldn’t agree more, taxi4ballet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medora Posted March 14, 2021 Author Share Posted March 14, 2021 We love Osipova, clearly her feet (or the state of her shoes) is not holding her back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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