| Holding back a young dance student from pointe work, | | | | And the strength follows. |
| who has the near-perfect physique, allowing for | | | | I've often recommended stretching while you are |
| accurate placement and tidy looking exercises, is | | | | watching a movie, or studying. Sprawled on the floor |
| sometimes advisable. | | | | with a book, in second position, and slowly stretching |
| The extent of muscular strength may not be present | | | | and backing off when pain occurs, does not take the |
| yet. Just as important, the maturity and ability to | | | | same kind of focus. |
| concentrate may not be developed. | | | | What you cannot get on the shelf at the ballet store, |
| The advantage of practising pre-pointe foot exercises | | | | you can get with practise. Your brain will build neural |
| is that a student has focused on some finer details of | | | | pathways any way you want. If the technique is |
| muscle work in the tiny intrinsic foot muscles. These | | | | accurate, hurrah. If not, you will at some point have to |
| muscles do not get developed well in our footwear, | | | | unlearn, and learn again. That is more difficult. |
| generally. | | | | If your power of concentration is not developed, no |
| Specific exercises using the toes like you are playing a | | | | problem. You just repeat a correctly learned exercise. |
| piano, or switching off lifting the big toe from the floor, | | | | Your fantastic brain takes over. You feel your muscles |
| then the other four toes, develop the foot muscles. | | | | and every single part of a movement. THEN you start |
| But first, the neural pathways are developed. The | | | | to build strength. |
| ability to concentrate on these tiny movements trains | | | | And when you get into pointe shoes, you already have |
| the brain to recognize what you want. | | | | a better ability to concentrate, a good muscle memory |
| Then, after repetitions of the correct movements, the | | | | from well built neural pathways, and a measure of |
| brain connects immediately with the right muscles and | | | | control. |
| the correct movement results. That's muscle memory. | | | | |