CDB Dance is created by dancer, choreographer and teacher, Candice Danielz
At CDB Dance is a home for where we share our love, passion and knowledge of dance with others. Dance is such an amazing art form with so many benefits and we believe it can help and transform us in so many ways.
Useful video. However, people should be aware that 'vertibra' is the *singular*, and the plural is 'vertibrae' and usually pronounced 'vertibray'. The plural should never be pronounced with an 'a' on the end.
Thanks a lot. Yeah, work with what you have. My first teacher wouldn't allow me to do pointe because of her own severe injuries. My second got me in my 40s and told me just do it. I was so surprised I could dance a little on pointe! My feet aren't arched perfectly. I still have to work hard. But I learned I have good toes, almost equal length. Never knew that is a plus:-)
That is fantastic. I am so glad this video helped. I find if there is a will there is a way, our determination as dancers gets us through a lot. It is exciting news to hear you are up on your pointes. Feeling that accomplishment as a dancer, no matter what age, is so special. Yes, having toes with almost equal length is a huge help, it gives you a lovely base to dance on, in pointe shoes. Keep working hard, and enjoy the dance journey.
I am a (very mature) pointe beginner. I have a lifetime of exercising barefoot (gymnastics, martial arts). I *think* I have fairly strong feet, but lack a lot of mobility because of age and old injuries. I am fairly stable on my R foot and ankle, but have a bone spur on the L that restricts absolute full range of motion, and midfoot arthritis from an old gymnastics injury involving the metal side piece of a mini tramp. I like really soft shanks and a firm box. I guess I am lucky to have wide, compact feet with the first 3 toes pretty close in length. My toes hardly ever hurt, my ankles and calves are the sore bits after class!
It is very good how aware you are of what type of feet you have and understand where your strengths and weaknesses are. I think that is always so important understanding your body and helping you to move forward in your dancing. I would try to add a series of rises daily to try and strengthen the ankles and calf muscles, focusing on alignment and resistance on the lowering. Hopefully that will help to eventually eliminate the pain in those areas.
@@cdbdance411 I am working on it! I have always struggled with rises, even as a much younger (uninjured) woman doing gymnastics. We do a lot in each class as well - I am doing 5 classes a week, to try and gain some steadiness and proficiency before I am “too old”.
That is good. You sound very self aware and that is half the battle. Remember it also the way you do the rises, it doesn't have to be millions, just done slowly and correctly, to the best of your ability. But it sounds like you are doing well. Keep going, your hard work and consistency will definitely pay off.
I’ve got the “ideal” ballet feet apparently. Very high arches and insteps. But with that they don’t tell you ….you have to work twice as hard to gain strength and go on pointe. Stronger feet are sometimes more important than very very flexible feet.
Yes, exactly. I had the same problem. It is taken for granted that these feet can just 'go up' and look good in pointes, and time is not always spent to work to them correctly. But unless you keep them strong, you don't have the strength to control them, and can easily go too far over, or allow the foot to sit in the shoe incorrectly. I, unfortunately, had a number of ankle injuries and rolling over, because I did not fully understand the importance of strengthening my feet and ankles during my training years. Thank you for your comment and I hope this video can help dancers better understand their feet in relation to dance.
This adds a touch of common sense to a practice of trying to force a dancer' s feet way beyond what they are capable of. Many dancers suffer tremendously later on in life.
Exactly, young dancers need guidance, as they see these images all posted on social media and don't understand the damage they do forcing and prodding their feet to the limits, causing so many problems down the track. Thanks for the response
I'm a teaching assistant. Back in the summer, under the guidelines I was given, I was instructing a student on pointing her feet safely. I got into trouble and nearly lost my work. Now I'm not allowed to deal with this issue which I see in a majority of our students. The teachers won't sort it out. I am waiting for the day I hear of a pointe work-related injury resulting from this problem I can't do anything about. At least I won't be responsible, but it may disfigure a child for a long time.
I am sorry to hear that. I understand that some teachers have different methods and take on different approaches to get to the end result. But I feel as teachers, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are teaching the correct mechanics of each step, ensuring that it is done correctly, so that the student is gaining good muscle memory and strengthening the right muscles. Exactly as you said, we do not want to see it result in a future weakness or injury because of bad habits and bad teaching. I just hope that the students don't suffer. Thanks for sharing, and I hope that things improve.
