Rolling Through the Foot

I've been told it a thousand times by my teachers, but have you ever stopped and actually thought about how important it is to roll through your foot?

What do I mean by rolling through the foot? Rolling through the foot can be done either from toe to heel or heel to toe, but most commonly in ballet it is the former. When you roll through your foot you should do exactly that: from your toes, to the ball of your foot, and then finally your heel.

This is extremely important in ballet. Think of how you not only bring your tendu out, but in as well. Are you gripping the floor? Then you are not rolling through your foot. When you make the transition from ballet slippers to pointe shoes, you need to be able to roll through your foot both on your way up and on your way down. If you do not roll through your foot in pointe shoes on the way down, then you will land flat footed and make that dreaded pointe shoe on floor noise (We all know that sound, right?)

Try this: stand in first position and take a tendu a la second. Your heel should be the first thing that leaves the floor, then the ball of your foot, then your toes point. You should feel the resistance against the floor. Now bring your foot back in to first position. It should be ball of foot then heel. When you put the ball of your foot down, you should be thinking of Barbie shoes (You know how Barbie is perptually walking on her toes, almost like she is on pointe forever?). Think of bringing your heels together as well as your thighs. Now try a saute in first position. When you land back on the floor, are you going toe, ball, heel? You should be.

Dancers who do not roll through their feet are prone to many foot problems, including bunions, hammertoes (from gripping instead of relaxing your toes), cramping, as well as injuries from landing incorrectly from jumps. Rolling through the foot from jumps prevents injuries like sprains and breaks.

Dancingly,

Jenn from CT

PS: Picture is not of me. This is an example of doing a tendu in first, albeit not a very good one to demonstrate. Notice that the dancer has swayback knees, has her weight back on her supporting leg, and needs to turn out the working leg so we can see the innersole of her foot. Her arm a la second is behind her as well, which will prove a problem when she goes to turn.

Foot Cramps

While in class lately, I have been experiencing foot cramps. Dancers who suffer from foot cramps know how difficult it can be to make it through class or a performance. You need to be at your best when it counts, and foot cramps should not hold you back.
Typically, foot cramping is caused by dehydration, a lack of potassium which helps keep our body chemistries regulated, poor circulation and lack of oxygen being carried to the feet, and pinched nerves. Smoking or drinking alcohol can also contribute to this problem, as well as changing hormones in the body, and stress or fatigue in the foot. If the feet are overworked, they are more susceptible to foot cramps. Some birth control medicines cause cramping in the extremities, so if you are experiencing cramps and take birth control, contact your gynecologist immediately, as this may be a sign of a larger circulatory problem.
In order to prevent foot cramping, dancers should be drinking water consistently throughout the day. Eating foods high in potassium, like bananas and peanut butter will help increase the levels of this mineral in your body and re-regulate your body chemistry. Taking ibuprofen or aspirin before class may also help relieve your symptoms. Dancers with injuries to their feet should wrap an ice pack around the foot cramp, but not directly on the area that is affected.
If the foot cramps are chronic, dancers should use warm, damp washcloths on the cramp three times a day and wrap the affected foot with an elastic bandage. Dancers with persistent foot cramps should attempt to stay off that foot until the problem clears, or see a podiatrist who can further diagnose the source of the cramping.
Dancers who have portable bars in their studio should stand on the edge of the bar and let their feet hang off the edge. This will loosen up the muscles from the calves to the feet. Doing runner’s lunges (one leg in front of the other, back leg straight and heel barely touching the ground, front leg bent at the knee at a 90 degree angle and weight forward on the front leg) will also help stretch out the muscles. Before class, dancers should warm their feet up with Pinky Balls, a small rubber ball, by rolling their feet over and over the ball.

Dancingly,
Jenn
jenn@centralctfootcare.com

The Dancer's Foot

I always wanted to be a dancer, back when I was a small child, dancing in front of the television to the TJ Maxx commercial.

It was not immediately meant to be. Always tall for my age (I currently stand at 5'10"), my mother tried to get me into ballet classes when I was in fifth grade. Studio owners said that I was too tall, too old, and that there would be no shoes to fit me. So I took no ballet lessons.

When I started working at a law office, in the same building was a dance studio. I would frequently see dancers out in the hallway. On New Year's Eve, 2002/03 I saw the movie Center Stage. It was the impetus I needed to make that phone call. Very soon after, I was enrolled in ballet classes.

Six and a half years later, I've come a long way from beginner ballet. It's been a rough road: I'm dancing with people half my age, who have been dancing forever. Many of the basics I've missed and catching up is a constant. Building strength is key to prevent injuries.

At one ballet class I met a podiatrist who went to school with my next door neighbors. We became friends and she became my doctor when foot problems developed. I now currently work for her, advertising, marketing, and writing. Our relationship, personal and professional, has taught us that there are a lot of dancers out there who have foot ailments, both big and small. This blog will serve as a record not only of my classes and subsequent foot problems, but to educate dancers on proper foot and ankle care and prevention.

Dancingly,

Jenn

jenn@centralctfootcare.com

http://www.centralctfootcare.com/