Q: I’ve made the transition from ballet to modern and have noticed an alarming decrease in ankle stability when on relevé. I assume this is due to a loss of ankle strength. What kinds of exercises are best for strengthening my ankles to alleviate this problem? A: Modern dance often asks you to control your […]
Q: My 13-year-old daughter has always been flexible, but last year she suffered an acute injury to her hip flexor from an overstretch position. Since then I have told her not to participate in over-splits or other extreme positions. Is that the right thing to do? A: You are right to caution her. There is […]
Throughout Susan Jaffe’s performance career at American Ballet Theatre, there was something special, even magical, about her dancing. Lauded as “America’s quintessential American ballerina” by The New York Times, Jaffe has continued to shine in her postperformance career, most recently as the dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. […]
Q: My 5-year-old daughter is pigeon-toed. Do you have any suggestions to help her correct this? A: Great question! Many young children are pigeon-toed, and it’s often caused by how they were positioned in utero. It generally starts to self-correct after the child becomes more mobile. If this isn’t the issue, pigeon toe can be […]
Q: I’ve just seen the most extreme case of hyperextension I’ve encountered in 30 years of teaching. When the dancer stands in second position, her knees are only a few inches apart. How can I help her have a beautiful line without hurting herself? A: Hyperextended lines are revered and desired, yet research shows that […]
Q: Two years ago, one of my dancers fractured her ankle and was out for six months. Upon her return, I cautiously allowed her to take pointe class, but treated her as if she was a beginner, because she was rolling out into supination, and I was fearful she would reinjure her ankle. Her mother […]
It’s the middle of the semester and two dancers are sitting out of class, you’re worried about one student’s mental health and another has developed an eating disorder. Sound familiar? College can be a tumultuous time. To help address the additional demands of being a dance major, some schools have found strategies for enhancing wellness […]
It can happen so quickly. One moment a promising student is strong and pushing their way forward to success, and then suddenly they begin to evaporate before your eyes. Research has consistently shown that dancers are at least three times as likely to experience an eating disorder compared to the general population. So even if […]
For all the time we spend talking about feet, we think it’s time we did a deep dive into toes. Those little piggies bear a lot of weight, endure painful blisters and help your students soar across the classroom day after day. So, to show our toes the love they deserve, here are five exercises […]
Q: I can’t straighten both legs and maintain a closed fifth position. I believe it’s mostly because one leg is longer than the other one. What can I do? A: It sounds like you have a true leg-length difference rather than a functional discrepancy. A true leg-length difference is when the length of the bones […]