| Many years ago a friend, a non-dancer, Vone | | | | to the ankle area, using a Pinky ball. This is a |
| Deporter and I would do yoga together a couple of | | | | small,dense, high bounce sports ball. If you sit down on |
| times a week in the National Ballet School, in the | | | | your feet, you can roll the ball under the top of your |
| evenings. We would play some relaxing music and do | | | | calf muscle, below the knee joint. You will feel some |
| our own routines. | | | | very tender spots where the muscle is especially |
| Over the weeks, I felt more flexible, slightly, and got | | | | tense. If you lean into the ball on those spots, you will |
| good results, experiencing less aches and pains, and | | | | feel some release there. Do not push too hard, |
| overall tension. | | | | because you can do this every day, and gradually |
| I used yoga to stretch the ballet way - forcing every | | | | condition the muscle. |
| position and deep breathing to distract myself from the | | | | Working your way down the leg, you can knead and |
| pain. I thought I was getting into much better positions. | | | | massage tension out of the muscles. |
| Vone, however, did yoga the gentle yoga way. She | | | | Now, you can do a stretch recommended by Lisa |
| picked a few yoga positions and stretched | | | | Howell, another dancer/dance medicine specialist who |
| comfortably with a stretchy feeling, but no pain. A few | | | | has written much about care of the feet for ballet |
| weeks later her positions were drastically more flexible | | | | dancers. Staying in this position (or stretching out for a |
| than mine. She had no workout routines, no warm up | | | | few minutes if your feet are going to sleep) you can |
| routines, she'd just show up and do it. | | | | now slide your hand under one knee, and gently raise |
| That does not seem fair. I thought I was working much | | | | the lower leg up. Make sure your ankle is in a straight |
| harder. But that was the way I was trained. Take it to | | | | line, not sickled in or out. You will feel a stretch along |
| the limit. | | | | the arch curve. Hold the stretch, relax and repeat 10 |
| In recent years I've read much that has been written | | | | times, each side, every day. |
| by dancer/dance medicine specialists who have a | | | | This is a gentle stretch that produces results. You can |
| very different view on how dancers should treat their | | | | also put the Pinky ball just higher than the tops of the |
| bodies. How to stretch the foot and ankle joints to | | | | metatarsal joints, and gently lean into it for an extra |
| improve the curve that is part of ballet fashion, is | | | | stretch. |
| important. | | | | None of this should produce pain. Look at an x-ray of |
| Another moment I remember is watching Swan lake | | | | the human foot and the many tiny foot bones. These |
| with Vone and her husband. Karen Kain was | | | | bones and the soft tissues supporting them need to be |
| performing. Vone, an artist and student of human | | | | treated gently in between your ballet classes. They |
| anatomy, leaned over and whispered "What's wrong | | | | are tough, but as you push them as far as they can |
| with her feet?" Huh? What ballet student would not like | | | | go every day in the ballet studio, they deserve rest |
| to have feet like that? | | | | and care. |
| It's a matter of perspective. So what is safe stretching | | | | With these two exercises you can increase flexibility, |
| for the top of the arch curve? | | | | avoid muscle sprain and foot injuries, and improve your |
| Author Deborah Vogel describes how to relax and | | | | look in pointe shoes. |
| knead out muscle tension down the front of the calves | | | | |