The line of my leg isn't ideal for my pointe work. How do I improve the flex

Question:heres an exercise i was taught that helps improve flexibility in the ankle.
start by standing in parallel first at the barre, preferably facing the mirror. lift the right foot and cross it in front of the other so your leg it turned out, and your toes are pointed and resting on the floor on the other side of your left foot. bend your left knee so you are forcing your right knee to bend more; and stretching your ankle to the maximum.
this stretches out the ankle, but does not necessarily build strength. an exercise to build strength in the ankle is by standing on one foot on the edge of the stairs and slowly rising to full quarter pointe on each foot.
hope these helped! sorry if they're not clear

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: heres an exercise i was taught that helps improve flexibility in the ankle.
start by standing in parallel first at the barre, preferably facing the mirror. lift the right foot and cross it in front of the other so your leg it turned out, and your toes are pointed and resting on the floor on the other side of your left foot. bend your left knee so you are forcing your right knee to bend more; and stretching your ankle to the maximum.
this stretches out the ankle, but does not necessarily build strength. an exercise to build strength in the ankle is by standing on one foot on the edge of the stairs and slowly rising to full quarter pointe on each foot.
hope these helped! sorry if they're not clear

If you can't do it naturally or balance in pointe. Try placing your hands against a wall or barre for support. Gradually lift your toes off of the ground until your comfortable with your balance. Make sure your feet are stiff and practice. Don't force it!

flex a lot and stretch a lot

I believe that I have a similar problem to you. I have strong feet; however, they aren't very flexible. I have always wished for a high arch or a flexible foot that would make my feet look pretty, not just average, in my pointe shoe. This is what my dance instructor (who still has freakishly amazing feet) told me: Your arch is predetermined-- there is no way for you to change it. However, you can strengthen and work on the muscles in your foot/ arch/ ankle that will make your arch and ankle stronger and more flexible, thus optimizing your arch. Purchase a theraband and do stretches with it. I love the bunhead therabands which are available for a great price at www.discount dance.com. There are a variety of different strenghts. I am using heavy right now and will soon work my way up to super strong. I do the exercises that it came with daily and see a huge improvement. I hope this helps!