releve and ankle strenght

[Ahava_Melantha]

sometimes i have problems keepin releve in dance drillz. but when I dance I don't always have this problem. but I"m not on the very top of the ballz of my feet either.

and sometimes it seems like the more I try to strenghten my ankles, feet etc the more sore and weak they get.

anyone else have this problem?

 

[Jane]

sometimes i have problems keepin releve in dance drillz. but when I dance I don't always have this problem. but I"m not on the very top of the ballz of my feet either.

and sometimes it seems like the more I try to strenghten my ankles, feet etc the more sore and weak they get.

anyone else have this problem?

I hear you. All my joints are loose to the point of hyper-flexibility. Be extra careful about joint alignment, weight distribution, weight placement in different parts of the foot, and using other muscles to help stabilize the active ones. Pilates, strength training, and ballet might be helpful. Are your ankles rolling in/out or are they just weak?

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

I used to do an exercise that required your weight distribution to be on the outside of the foot -so learning to be on the front of the ball is hard

it rolls out AND they're weak.

I have ballet for belly dancers, and right now only do the releve exercises.

any others you can think of cus relve is really hard lol, but in the heat of the moment (emotional dancing) I don't even think about it.

go figure.

 

[Yame]

Due to my various foot problems this has always been a huge issue for me, and it is the main reason I take ballet to correct my form. It is also something I focus on in class when I teach, because I was never corrected in class and it took me a long time to figure out this would come back to bite me in the ass later on, now I'm working my butt off to fix it.

It's actually very hard to maintain a proper relevé, unless you've had prior dance experience. This is one of those things that can give away an untrained dancer versus a trained and polished one. A bad relevé can make things more difficult, it can break the lines, but most importantly, it can cause injury. So good on you for working on it!

So anyone with dance experience from childhood takes it for granted. But for us who don't have it, we appreciate how difficult it can be. You need core strength in order to be able to hold the balance, you need ankle and calf strength/endurance in order to be able to pull your body up and keep it up, and you need foot flexibility in order to get yourself up high enough. A high relevé is much better than a low relevé, it is less tiring on the calves and feet and is aesthetically preferable. However a high relevé requires more ankle strength and more foot flexibility.

Ballet cross training is very helpful for this, and the next best thing is just to practice it. I would practice going up on relevé and just staying there for 30 seconds. Do this exercise a few times a day with the feet in different positions (close together, hip-width apart, one in front of the other, etc), making sure everything is in the right place. Ideally the body is going to be one line, the head aligned with the pelvis (ie, make sure your pelvis is neutral and not released), and with the ankle and the balls of the feet, all as one straight line. The ankle and the balls of the feet won't be one line until you can do it very well, though. Also, make sure that the weight is on the balls of the feet towards the middle toe and not towards the pinkie. The latter is called "sickling" and is considered bad form, and dangerous. You should aim to place your weight on the little line between the ball of the foot and the toes (the first and second toes). I find it easier to do if I turn out my feet just slightly as opposed to keeping them completely parallel. Don't force the turnout, though, this isn't ballet.

If this exercise is too difficult you might need to also work on some of the elements separately, like work on foot stretches if the problem is lack of flexibility of the foot, do some resistance or weight training for the ankles and calves if the problem lays there.

Hope this helps.

 

[Farasha Hanem]

The ballet teachers in my area only take children,and not adults with no previous dance background. How can a person learn how to be up on releve correctly in such a situation?

 

[Shanazel]

Ankle exercise for the releve challenged:

Sit upright on a hard straighbacked chair. Extend one leg straight in front of you; do not lock your knee. Rotate your foot in circles at the ankle, first one way, then the other, slowly and carefully. Change legs repeat. Return to original leg: flex and extend foot, again slowly and deliberately. Change legs repeat.

If your balance is good, you can do these exercises standing as well.

I practiced releve by walking around the house on the balls of my feet until walking on half pointe was as comfortable and natural as walking flat footed. When I learned to dance, AmCab dancers were expected to dance on the balls of the feet- none of this flat-footed stuff for us.

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

thanx that helps a lot. i do try to practise walking on the ballz of my feet but need smaller steps lol. and it also helps when none of the kidz toys are laying around hehe. thanx so much. I will have to try some ballet cross training.

 

[bomu samba]

sometimes i have problems keepin releve in dance drillz. but when I dance I don't always have this problem. but I"m not on the very top of the ballz of my feet either.

and sometimes it seems like the more I try to strenghten my ankles, feet etc the more sore and weak they get.

anyone else have this problem?

Yes, I have this problem! I damaged my ankles when I was younger (too much running around / falling over in 5" heels ) and now they are very weak. I do the relevé practice holds Yame mentioned and it's finally starting to make a difference. I'll try the exercises Shanazel suggests too.

It sounds like ballet conditioning is good for foot and ankle strength - can anyone recommend good DVDs?

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

I have "ballet for belly dancers" and its pretty good

 

[bomu samba]

Thanks for the recommendation! I'll see if I can get a copy.

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

I got it from amazon and then theres this dvd I wanna get its from the uk titled "Jazz for belly dancers" or something like this.

can't wait.

 

[Kashmir]

I got it from amazon and then theres this dvd I wanna get its from the uk titled "Jazz for belly dancers" or something like this.

Ha! Many belly dancer dance jazz anyway

 

[Greek Bonfire]

There is a yoga exercise that also helps with balance, which is more of my problem. It's the yoga tree, where you balance on one foot while bringing your other foot on the side of your knee, keeping your hands in the prayer position while doing so.

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

well I have been practising heel lifts and walking in releve around the house. well now the back of my heel is sore/hurt and I woke up pain in my calves like during pregnancy.

any advice on strenghtening these muscles w/o pain?

 

[Darshiva]

Stretching after doing the exercises and not doing them all day.

 

[Kashmir]

Here's a way to stretch: Calf - ROM & Stretching

 

[Ahava_Melantha]

thanx that helps a lot