| Thinking that you are simply stuck with the feet you | | | | and their potential to work better - or not. |
| were born with is quite discouraging. Every student is | | | | I and my fellow dancers often suffered from shin |
| eager to know if her foot can be more flexible, to | | | | splints, agonizing. We had no idea how to release the |
| make pointe work easier, or if she is truly ever going | | | | tibial muscles and work our feet muscles more. Yet |
| to be able to control her hyper-mobile foot joints and | | | | we had fantastic world class teachers. But, then, |
| progress without injury. | | | | "dance is suffering". No one ever said that, but |
| Having the tools you need to do more homework, | | | | teachers acted like it. |
| safely, and more homework that you love and get | | | | Even the most physically able can get into trouble. I |
| results from, is being empowered to progress. | | | | remember watching a rehearsal of a fellow student |
| I think it takes a lot of the mystique out of the | | | | who later became a world class ballerina. She had |
| undefined "talent" idea. | | | | highly domed arches and was rehearsing in pointe |
| When I first studied dance, I thought that talent meant | | | | shoes that were mushy. I watched her bending way |
| you had the long legs, high arches, long neck, etc, etc, | | | | over her shoes, and sickling out too. I think back on that |
| and I thought that because those dancers got all the | | | | and wonder "why didn't anyone stop her?" She could |
| attention in class. And yet, as a child, I thought that | | | | have done one rehearsal on demi pointe, or been |
| those girls didn't need the teacher's help much - she | | | | allowed to get different shoes. But protocol was rarely |
| showed something and they just did it. And it looked | | | | broken. At the risk of injury.....right before a show.....how |
| right. So why weren't the less physically able helped | | | | tradition and the concept of discipline blinds us |
| more? That was logical. I had so many questions, but | | | | sometimes. |
| didn't expect that the teachers would want to illuminate | | | | Luckily the present is much different. Education is |
| my curious mind. I always felt I could do more. And I did | | | | available, those with the passion to do more |
| more and more homework - getting up early to | | | | homework and build strength and a good dance |
| stretch, getting to school early to practise. I made | | | | technique independent of class schedules, can do so! |
| some progress, but I could have used my time much | | | | Safely, methodically and with results. |
| better with guidance. | | | | You can fulfill your love of dance, and progress at |
| Talent is a mixture of abilities and charisma. And soul. | | | | your own real pace. |
| I never knew anything about foot bones, their shapes, | | | | All the best. |