Do all good ballerina's get those deformed feet?

Question:http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/i...

http://vonhof.typepad.com/photos/the_bes...

I was thinking of training to become a ballerina but I don't think I would want to sacrafice my feet you know?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: http://www.pixelsurgeon.com/interviews/i...

http://vonhof.typepad.com/photos/the_bes...

I was thinking of training to become a ballerina but I don't think I would want to sacrafice my feet you know?

That kind of deformation and injury comes from hours and hours every day en pointe. As a beginner, you will not start in pointe shoes, and unless you turn out to be a dancing prodigy, you probably won't go pro and do pointe for enough hours to make your feet like that. I've been en pointe for almost 4 years now, and I take very good care of my feet. I hardly get blisters, and I don't have bunions. I even wear flip flops regularly. If I was dancing on a professional's schedule, my feet would probably be a lot worse.

well it messed mine up. some people get thru it ok i suppose. and the first pic is an extreme version. i wouldn't worry about. these gals have probably been training for years and i'm thinking you're a little late in the game to progress to their level.

No some ballerina's feet just fall off altogether.

I've NEVER seen a dancer of any kind with "pretty" feet. It does take a toll. Women who go on pointe especially.
I am in my fifties and the only place I have arthritis is in my big toes. Knees and spine are OK.
Bear in mind before starting ballet that you will not "sacrifice" your feet. You will however have to take very good care of them and pay attention to technique as taught by your teachers. You might also ask teachers at local dance schools about their experiences.

i have a friend who is a ballerina who has such feet (the shown in the picture) as well as she has some achilles tendon problem.

no pain no game. lol. me feet hurt all the time but i love dancing more than feet.

This is the foot not being used to going en pointe... If you want to be a ballerina, then this is one of the things you'll probably go through...
I know what you mean, I am not going to progress to point!
have fun!

wow! mine really dont look that bad. I've got some calluses on the bottom of my feet, but they still look fine. You've gotta go through some pretty extreme stuff to get to that! So I wouldn't worry about it. Just shoot for your dream! And if you get where you wanna be, isn't it worth it?

not if you take care of them. but keep in mind dancers can't afford to have pretty feet. no shaving off those callusses, missy. you need them.

I think that these are extreme cases and will not happen to everyone. Some peoples will get like that but if you take good care of your feet you wont have to sacrifice your feet...

yes. but not all are like in the first picture. ur feet get pretty harsh looking though. but it takes a loooong. time. pointe is the thing that makes ur feet do that. and those toenails on the first dancer look long and u want them to be short so the pressure of being on pointe will be on ur toe and not ur toenail. if ur that worried about ur feet than dont do it. dont be selfconsious about it. u can always get them removed. (te caluses and bunions) plus sandals and heels and open toe shoes arent good for ur feet so im sure it wouldnt matter anyways

GROSS! Those pictures were disgusting. :)
I've been dancing pointe for 13+ years, and my feet have NEVER looked like that. The worst thing that happened to my feet were a few blisters here and there, and I bruised my toenail on my big toe once during a Nutcracker performance run, so the toenail fell off. That was pretty gross, I won't lie.
So to answer your questions, NO, not all good ballerinas get those deformed feet! I'm not a snob, but I do know that I'm good. I wear my pointe shoes every day in ballet class, and my feet haven't turned out that bad.
Give yourself foot baths if you do start on pointe. That's how I "took care of my feet", foot baths once a month, or once every two weeks, or even sometimes once or twice a week, depending on rehearsal loads.
Don't be scared, you won't "sacrifice your feet"! Obviously there's a chance of that happening, but I'm here to tell you that it didn't happen to me, and I wear flip-flops every day in the summer and have nice enough feet to do so! :)

Only if they work a heavy professional schedule en pointe with no physical therapy.
Physical therapy is one aspect of my theatre's healthcare plan I actually utilize. My feet have kept okay(as in, no-need-to-throw-out-the-flats, but still self-concious) only because my physical therapy and skin treatment is just as intense as the professional pointe schedule I keep.
Ballet is not a "sacrifice" of the feet, but one side-effect. If you truly cared about dance the feet would be nothing but, "Oh, yeah, and my feet have callouses and bunions, and my toes are bowed and deformed, anyway, nice weather today."
I hope I didn't totally turn you off to dancing, but everyone should be aware of the risks.
-India