Can People With Flat Feet Do Ballet?

Series Summary

Originating in Italy in the late 1400s, ballet is a beautiful dance that takes years of training to perfect. Ballet dancers train their bodies, investing years in dance schools, perfecting their jeté, their rand de jambre and their relevé. When everything comes together, the ballet is a spectacle of wonder, telling us the timeless stories of history and the human heart through measured expressions of fluid and beautiful motion. In this free video series on ballet dancing, an experienced dance instructor explains some of the basics of ballet dancing. Get information on doing a plie, a pirouette and a fouette. Find out how to structure a ballet class and how to become a ballet teacher. Improve turnout ballet moves and stretch to warm up for the splits in ballet, all with help from a professional ballet instructor in this free video series.

Video Transcript

"Can a person with flat feet really do ballet? The answer to that question is absolutely. It doesn't so much have to do with the arch of the foot as the strength of the feet. There are several exercises that a dancer can work on to increase the strength in their feet and help promote a healthier arch. I will demonstrate a few right now. Rolling on to the ball of the foot, stretch up to the point of the toe, rolling back through the ball of the foot and dropping the heel down. Demi point, full point, demi point, heels down. Reversing with th eother foot. Demi point, full point, demi point, heels down, demi point, full point, demi point, heels down. We can also incorporate this into both feet working at the same time. With a demi plie, rising up to the ball of the foot, back down to the demi plie and straightening the leg. Demi plie, rising to demi point, demi plie and straightening. All of these foot exercises will increase the strength of the feet and make the dancer with a flat foot have a much easier time."