My icky feet- ballet feet?

Question:I have heard so many different opinions and 'facts' about this question
so im kind of confused

It there any way that I can deepen my actual arch? I have a fairly flexible ankle, but my actual instead still isnt very aestetically pleasing.

I was hoping there was something I can do do raise my arch.
Ive heard that doing loads of Tendu's will raise it

is that true?
Thanks
:D

Bella

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have heard so many different opinions and 'facts' about this question
so im kind of confused

It there any way that I can deepen my actual arch? I have a fairly flexible ankle, but my actual instead still isnt very aestetically pleasing.

I was hoping there was something I can do do raise my arch.
Ive heard that doing loads of Tendu's will raise it

is that true?
Thanks
:D

Bella

Okay i have heard that to. Also that you can get those theraband things. I have always had good arches so I don't really have that problem but here are some links that have some tips,

http://www.dance.net/read.html?postid=33...

this next one is a link to a site with this thing that my friends say helps improve your arch and also strengthen your feet, i have gotten nothing but good reviews from everyone about it so I am pretty sure it works. Although it does seem pretty expensive, but i don't know it depends on how bad you want that arch i guess.

http://www.discountdance.com/frame_set.p...

These ones are other people's questions but they looked like they had some good tips.

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/ind...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

I hope that these help and that you can get your arches the way you want them.

your arch depth is based on the shaped of your foot. . .sorry nothing you can do.

You can however work on the strength and flexibility of your feet which will improve the look of your pointed foot.

there are various contraptions that can help with the flexibility of your foot. My favorite is the board style http://www.dancedistributors.com/index.c... but http://www.footstretch.com/ is good as well.

Millions of tendus will help with foot strength but only if done correctly. Working carefully and slowly through the positions of the foot, from demipointe to a fully extended pointed leg.

Thera-Bands are the most effective way to get strength in your arch. start with an light one and move through the levels to extra heavy. Flexing and pointing your foot against the tension of the elastic band is a great workout for your foot.

Another good exercise is to sit in a chair with your bare foot flat on the ground. slowly squeeze the ball of your foot toward your heel, never lifting your foot from the ground. You foot will probably not move very much, but it is about finding the "feeling". You need to imagine that your toes are sliding accross the floor toward your heel, lifting your arch.

good luck

Well you could try wearing high heels and do ballet in pointe shoes more often to help raise the arch. I've been doing ballet for 13 yrs now(started when i was 5) and i think it may help if you do a lot of Tendu's but i'm not that so sure myself! :)

You're pretty much stuck with the arch you're born with, but you can still improve it slightly. Releves and eleves as well as the use of a Theraband will help it more than just tendus because then you're forced to use your arch muscles. You can also have someone stretch your feet for you or you can sit on them. Once you get en pointe, your arches usually improve because you're pushing over the box and stretching your arches a lot.