"Ballet's image of perfection is fashioned amid a milieu of wracked bodies, fevered imaginations, Balkan intrigue and sulfurous hatreds where anything is likely, and dancers know it." Shana Alexander
Frappe is a French word for ballet meaning "struck". The inclusion in daily routines of a striking movement of the foot along the floor, to a sharp point, is one of the best ballet exercises to build strength towards jumps and pointe work. The optimum result is muscle memory that contributes to a precise and sharp push into a finely detailed jump, such as battus in all their forms. Battement frappes is always included in the daily routines of barre work. It is a simple looking but finely detailed movement benefiting both working and supporting leg. Battement frappe imitates the movement o... (1644 more chars)
"Often ballet teachers find the specifics of training the foot strength needed for pointe work difficult as it came naturally to them. However for many people, the isolated strength needed in the feet must be specifically trained, especially nowadays, as many children who grow up in cities spend little time bare foot on different surfaces, which naturally trains the tiny intrinsic muscles of the feet. Understanding how these muscles should work when dancing is imperative in a long, injury free, career in dance." - Lisa Howell In addition to intrinsic muscle weakness, the foot and ankle can s... (1919 more chars)
Be in pointe shoes as much as you can. Once you've gone beyond beginning pointe work, wearing the shoes for barre work is a good habit. The sole of the foot, and ankle, have to work so much more with every tendu, degage, and rise onto demi-pointe. The shoe resists, and the muscles get a better workout. If the thickness of the sole makes your foot wobble because it does lie flat on the floor, use a wood file, and shave the sole down lightly. You can get the sole close to flush with the satin, so that your foot will be flatter on the floor. Straining the ankles from wobbling is distracting... (1379 more chars)
Students often used to ask me "should I pursue dance as a career?" My first thought was always - "if you can live without dance, do something else. If you can't, then pursue it". Sometimes Dance just doesn't let go! It may not be the practical choice for you. Yet it just doesn't go away. If you're young, I would say dance now, because it is a physical training that needs to be done while you're young. Especially ballet. That doesn't mean flunk high school or anything, but I know that grades can be re-created at a community college, and an academic career can ensue fro... (1390 more chars)
Nicky Category: Question: QUESTION: Hi My daughter is 11yrs old and has been doing pointe for a few months. Other dancing schools do not let students go on pointe until they are atleast 12 or 13. Could she be damaging her feet? Her dance teacher said she is strong enough, but she put a couple of other students on pointe who are the same age and they did not look strong enough to me. I have also been trying to get my daughter to change dancing schools as I feel she can learn a lot more, but she does not want to as she is happy. Should I just let her d... (2127 more chars)
Who is the most important person in a ballet store? It is the one who can help you get exactly the right fit in pointe shoes. You already knew that. If you have just started pointe work, or are hoping to, here is one thing you can do to strengthen your feet. You use the floor as resistance in every tendu and degage you do. You PRESS into the floor with the sole of your foot, every time you leave fifth or first position and stretch your foot into a tendu, degage, grande battement, or go through first in your ronde de jambe a terre. You also PRESS through the metatarsals on to full pointe t... (2327 more chars)
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