Building Strength for Good Dance Technique

Author: Dianne M. Buxton

Article:
How does a teacher decide when a dancer can go onto pointe?

I have mentioned a few times in my articles about ballet shoes
and pointe shoes, that it is a good strategy to start doing
strengthening exercises for the feet before starting pointe
classes.

One or two classes a week will not prepare the feet, or whole
body for pointe work. Three classes a week for at least a year
will enhance the preparation, but even then, to achieve the
optimum strength for pointe work, there are exercises a student
can do every day.

The dancers I talk to seem very motivated to get into a pointe
class, so I am assuming that adding an exercise regimen to their
already busy day would not be a problem.

Lisa Howell, a dance medicine specialist, has written a
wonderful training series for young students who aspire to do
pointe work.

She explains many fine points of anatomy, especially of the foot
structure and muscles. She covers turnout, hip placement, and
more.

Students wonder "do I have the right arches for pointe?" ...."do
I have the right toes, the right ankles, enough
turnout?"...."why does my teacher say I'm not ready?"

I've always advocated holding a student back, if there is the
slightest reservation in my mind about putting her on pointe.
Weak technique in any area can be improved, so why risk an
injury or deviated growth pattern in a child?

Concentration and awareness is extremely important in ballet
class. It is recreational for many children, but there comes a
time when dedication is required to ensure safety.

This dedication has to show up before pointe work begins.

Developing good technique in ballet, means pushing your physique
to the max without sacrificing safety. Preserving the integrity
of the joints and muscles may mean a restraint of advancement.
Fellow students who are a little older, more physically
developed and stronger, may go into pointe class sooner than
others who are not.

I've had students who are "born pros". When I've had to hold
them back in some way, I explain exactly why and they really get
it. They are willing to build strength for good dance technique,
knowing that they will catch up once the strength has been
established.

This attitude reflects a positive outlook and a visionary one.
Children are more than capable of this. Whether or not they have
a great talent, some have an instinct for the more productive
approach to their progress. They are ready to suffer (and they
do!) a short term disappointment.

It's truly difficult for a teacher to work out a long range plan
for every individual student, to get them to build strength for
future pointe work.

If a student can find a prepared series of assessments and
exercises, and can assess her own progress, the ones who want to
advance in this way, will.

The good news is, you can go href="http://www.linkbrander.com/go/54727">right here and
get what you need to strategize your own plan for building
strength to do pointe classes!

About the author:
Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of
Canada. She taught at, and choreographed for The National Ballet
School, York University, and George Brown College, in Canada,
and taught at Harvard University in the U.S. HREF="http://www.balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com">Click
here for more about planning for pointe work.

Keeping Perfect Pointes: Tips for Getting the Most out of Your

Author: Jen Wasilewski

Article:
Getting your first pair of Pointe shoes is a very excited part
of your dancing career. While they may be slightly uncomfortable
at first, your new shoes will eventually wear and become fitted
to your foot and its characteristics. To make sure you get the
most of your Point shoes once you've broken them in, you will
need to take special care of them. Here are some excellent ways
to help extend the life of these ballet necessities.

Get the Right Fit: Wearing the appropriate size
will help you dance better, safer, and ultimately longer. Shoes
that fit improperly will be exposed to wear and tear that is not
necessarily normal for a usual shoe. While most materials will
stretch over extended use, never buy a Pointe shoe with the
belief that it will stretch substantially. Clearly if you're
Pointe shoes are too small they will eventually stretch and tear
quicker and will obviously be painful. It's also a bad idea to
buy shoes on the basis that you will grow into them. Shoes that
are too small hinder your ability to perfect positions and again
will wear improperly.


• Let Them Air Out: Letting your Pointe shoes dry is
  imperative to their long life. Moisture that builds up in your
  shoe will cause a quicker deterioration. Not letting your shoes
  dry out appropriately can also cause them to take on a foul
  odor. In order to make sure your shoes dry out after use, remove
  any lamb wool or other inserts from your shoe and let them rest
  in a warm dry place. Never store your Pointe shoes in a bag for
  an extended period of time after wearing them.



• Take Proactive Steps to Preserve Your Shoes:
  Preparing your Pointe shoes before wearing them is another great
  way to extend their life. Many dancers suggest darning the point
  of your Pointe shoes to help cut down on the fraying that may
  occur from average wear and tear. After darning the shoes with
  thread and needle, you can also apply a thin layer of shellac to
  help reinforce the material around the tip.



• Alternate the Left and Right Shoes: If it's possible,
  you should alternate your Pointe shoes. If your shoes are the
  same size on each foot and there is little difference between
  your right and left, you may want to consider alternating your
  shoes between feet. Label one shoe left and one shoe right and
  alternate on a daily or weekly basis. This will help keep wear
  equal on both sides. If you're particularly rough on your right
  foot, you will be able to prevent wear that results from a
  dominant foot.



• Use Alternating Pairs: If it's at all possible try to
  invest in a second pair of point shoes. A second pair of shoes
  will allow you to alternate pairs. Some people would assume you
  would save one pair for say performances and one for practice
  but that's really not a great idea. If you don't wear your
  performance shoes in you may be in for a painful and less then
  desirable performance.




About the author:
Get everything you need including Pointe shoes and href="http://www.justforkix.com">dance leotards at Just for
Kix. Just for Kix is your one stop shop for all your
cheerleading and dancing needs. You can also find quality href="http://www.justforkix.com">cheerleading shoes and href="http://www.justforkix.com">dance shoes at affordable
prices

Keeping Perfect Pointes: Tips for Getting the Most out of Your

Author: Jen Wasilewski

Article:
Getting your first pair of Pointe shoes is a very excited part
of your dancing career. While they may be slightly uncomfortable
at first, your new shoes will eventually wear and become fitted
to your foot and its characteristics. To make sure you get the
most of your Point shoes once you've broken them in, you will
need to take special care of them. Here are some excellent ways
to help extend the life of these ballet necessities.

Get the Right Fit: Wearing the appropriate size
will help you dance better, safer, and ultimately longer. Shoes
that fit improperly will be exposed to wear and tear that is not
necessarily normal for a usual shoe. While most materials will
stretch over extended use, never buy a Pointe shoe with the
belief that it will stretch substantially. Clearly if you're
Pointe shoes are too small they will eventually stretch and tear
quicker and will obviously be painful. It's also a bad idea to
buy shoes on the basis that you will grow into them. Shoes that
are too small hinder your ability to perfect positions and again
will wear improperly.

Let Them Air Out: Letting your Pointe shoes dry is
imperative to their long life. Moisture that builds up in your
shoe will cause a quicker deterioration. Not letting your shoes
dry out appropriately can also cause them to take on a foul
odor. In order to make sure your shoes dry out after use, remove
any lamb wool or other inserts from your shoe and let them rest
in a warm dry place. Never store your Pointe shoes in a bag for
an extended period of time after wearing them.

Take Proactive Steps to Preserve Your Shoes:
Preparing your Pointe shoes before wearing them is another great
way to extend their life. Many dancers suggest darning the point
of your Pointe shoes to help cut down on the fraying that may
occur from average wear and tear. After darning the shoes with
thread and needle, you can also apply a thin layer of shellac to
help reinforce the material around the tip.

Alternate the Left and Right Shoes: If it's possible,
you should alternate your Pointe shoes. If your shoes are the
same size on each foot and there is little difference between
your right and left, you may want to consider alternating your
shoes between feet. Label one shoe left and one shoe right and
alternate on a daily or weekly basis. This will help keep wear
equal on both sides. If you're particularly rough on your right
foot, you will be able to prevent wear that results from a
dominant foot.

Use Alternating Pairs: If it's at all possible try to
invest in a second pair of point shoes. A second pair of shoes
will allow you to alternate pairs. Some people would assume you
would save one pair for say performances and one for practice
but that's really not a great idea. If you don't wear your
performance shoes in you may be in for a painful and less then
desirable performance.

About the author:
Get everything you need including Pointe shoes and href="http://www.justforkix.com">dance leotards at Just for
Kix. Just for Kix is your one stop shop for all your
cheerleading and dancing needs. You can also find quality href="http://www.justforkix.com">cheerleading shoes and href="http://www.justforkix.com">dance shoes at affordable
prices

The Best Ballet Wear in Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes

Author: Dianne M. Buxton

Article:
Traditional ballet teachers can seem fussy about the dress code
in their studios. There is a reason for this.

When a teacher is looking over a class in motion, visual clutter
needs to be at a minimum. Black leotards and pink tights are a
good uniform landscape for the teacher.

The black of the leotard emphasizes the line of the posture, the
upper back and neck suppleness/tension, the hip/leg break and
alignment correctness, and makes it easiest to respond to what
is seen with ongoing and detailed corrections.

For instance, it is easy to see, even across a large studio, if
the back of the thigh is not pulled up as needed, if the dancer
is wearing pink tights. The line of the muscles is hidden in
dark tights. It is also easy to see bulky tension in thigh
muscles that should be more elongated.

Distractions such as multi-colored clothing, and sloppy leg
warmers prevent the teacher from being at their top efficiency,

Just like office folk get to wear more casual clothes to work on
Fridays, my student-day classes were allowed to wear colored
leotards and black tights on Saturdays. We pushed it, and came
to class with bright leg warmers, print head bands and jewelry
just bigger than the allowed tiny stud pierced earrings. We were
always asked to remove the tiniest of neck chains.

Of course there were always cold winter days when sweaters and
body-length woolies were necessary. And it's not like a teacher
can't see plain bad placement through all that, but finer
details are hidden.

The artistry of ballet depends on the ultra-perfectionistic and
over-idealized form being sought, and then being surrendered to
an allowing energy flow, that releases expression and drama.

I wish I could say that a better, but all I'm really talking
about is that the norm for strict ballet wear that any ballet
store provides, ultimately supports the best results for ballet
exercises, ballet for weight loss, ballet strengthening
regimens, pointe work et al, as it allows the teacher to see
what's going on in a large class full of diverse talent.

Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of
Canada. She taught at, and choreographed for The National Ballet
School, York University, and George Brown College, in Canada,
and taught at Harvard University in the U.S. HREF="http://www.theballetstore.com">Click here for ballet
shoes, pointe shoes, strengthening exercises, dance news, dance
books, ballet forum,diet and health for dancers,DVD's and
more.

About the author:
Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of
Canada. She taught at, and choreographed for The National Ballet
School, York University, and George Brown College, in Canada,
and taught at Harvard University in the U.S. HREF="http://www.theballetstore.com">Click here for ballet
shoes, pointe shoes, strengthening exercises, dance news, dance
books, ballet forum,diet and health for dancers,DVD's and
more.

Ballet for Weight Loss

Author: Dianne M. Buxton

Article:
There are people who choose ballet for weight loss. I think
swimming still comes in first for calories-burnt-per-minute.

Ballet is a lot harder to do for many reasons. Some of those
translate into calorie burning, and some don't.

Ballet is an art. It engages the spirit, mind and body. I'm not
expecting that many swimmers don't experience the same thing,
but I'm speaking about it as a performing art, and an art that
requires soulfulness for an audience to want to watch. No
offence to swimmers.

Ballet is resistance training. You are using your body weight,
bench pressing with every plie, every fondu, every releve and
every jump. The ramifications for bone density and growth (if
you're still growing) are significant.

Resistance creates strength. Pushing into the floor for every
tendu, degage, grande battment and jump using any sliding
motion, is resistance.

Wearing pointe shoes at the barre, is resistance.

Doing a series of changement from a grande plie, as is taught in
some boys' classes, is resistance.

In a Cecchetti adagio, pirouettes are done from a grande plie,
that's using resistance.

A dancer weighing 110 pounds burns 63 calories every 15 minutes
in a ballet class. That's 360+ calories in an hour and a half.

So if you are trying to lose fat, or maintain your current
weight, and you do a ballet class three times a week, you must
eat 360 calories less on the days you don't do a class, unless
there is other exercise that would compensate for that.

Walking 3000 steps burns very few calories - yet takes at least
23-25 minutes. Depending on your weight, you will burn 25-35
calories. Easier not to eat them! And yet, walking has other
fantastic benefits.

Edgar Cayce said "The exercises that work are the ones that you
do".

So whatever your choice of exercise, enjoy it, eat well, get
exactly the right fit in your ballet shoes and pointe shoes at
the ballet store, and feed your soul at the theater when your
favorite ballet company is in town!

About the author:
Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of
Canada. She taught at, and choreographed for The National Ballet
School, York University, and George Brown College, in Canada,
and taught at Harvard University in the U.S. HREF="http://www.theballetstore.com">Click here for ballet
shoes, pointe shoes, strengthening exercises, dance news, dance
books, ballet forum,diet and health for dancers,DVD's and
more.

Recovering From Injuries in Ballet Shoes and Pointe Shoes

Author: Dianne M. Buxton

Article:
"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
suffer other injuries. Floors built on concrete are a source of
injury, even for dancers who are taught to "come down through
the foot". This technique helps, but does not fully compensate
for hard flooring.

Any repetitive motion can lead to injury.

Some ankles and achilles tendons will build up soft tissue mass
or calcified masses from pointe shoe ribbons being tied tight. I
won't say "too tight" because dancers tie them tight as needed.

Some ankles won't like the repetitive releves and jumps required
by dancing and will build up some type of tissue resistance at
the front of the ankles. This extra tissue will cause disruption
to the movements, or pain, or both.

ANY incorrect technique such as rolling ankles, turning out the
foot more than the leg (a requirement in ballet), too short
pointe shoes, too narrow pointe shoes, insecure
demi-plies,(heels not on the floor, leading to sliding heels too
far forward, usually, resulting in tense ankles, tibial muscles
[ shin splints]), - and you go up the body from there, straining
knees, hips, low back, raising shoulders, straining neck,
clenching jaw, locking cranial bones, headaches - need I say
more?

However, the human body can repair its tissues, especially with
the help of good nutrition. Whole food supplements for collagen,
ligaments, and muscle can be added to the diet. After a
fracture, raw veal bone meal and correct calcium supplements can
speed healing greatly.

An excellent topical ointment called Traumeel can help soft
tissues heal.

Icing and diet can assuage inflammation. No one is "stuck with"
an injury. All athletes have the internet to refer to, to add to
what their own doctors, chiropractors and physiotherapists tell
them about injuries.

Ballet is very competitive. If you get an injury, don't become
panic stricken. The next exam or performance does not matter as
much as all the years that come after that.

About the author:
Dianne M. Buxton is a graduate of the National Ballet School of
Canada. She taught at, and choreographed for The National Ballet
School, York University, and George Brown College, in Canada,
and taught at Harvard University in the U.S. HREF="http://www.theballetstore.com">Click here for ballet
shoes, pointe shoes, strengthening exercises, dance news, dance
books, ballet forum, diet and health for dancers,DVD's and
more.