The truth about the legs of ballerinas. Myths, reality and photographs. What the legs of a professional ballerina look like without pointe shoes How to stand on them

For a long time ballet never ceases to delight people all over the world. And ballerinas seem like air fairies, for whom there are no laws of gravity. In fact, this ease is due to years of hard work, and occupational diseases are commonplace in the field of ballet. The ballerina's feet are the most vulnerability... They are extraordinarily sturdy, strong and hardy. It cannot be otherwise, because they must withstand the mass female body on a tiny patch of the floor as she tiptoes in pointe shoes.

This is the side of the medal that is inaccessible to the average viewer and appears only behind the scenes. The most common injuries among ballerinas are sprains, leg fractures, sprains and dislocations. Injuries to the hip joint are not uncommon and can lead to a number of inflammations in the pelvic area.

Professional and a prerequisite is the breaking of the instep of the upper part of the foot, which consists in forced stretching of the ligaments. In order to perform this unnatural bend, any objects are used. Due to constant overloads, the ligaments often do not stand up, and the entire ligamentous apparatus weakens and loosens. Ballerina's feet without pointe shoes do not get better over the years. It is not uncommon for the leg to be easily tucked when running or jumping. The result of such beauty will be arthrosis, arthritis and thrombophlebitis.

The first signs of leg disease among ballet dancers are associated with impaired blood circulation. Toenails change their color and thickness, that is, they either thicken or become brittle. Veins gradually appear, which more and more noticeably shine through the skin on the legs of the ballerina after the performance. Do not flatter yourself with hopes that this is only a cosmetic defect. Over time, the veins thicken and become more tortuous. They are already easy to feel after physical activity... With the progression of the disease, the legs fill up, there is a feeling of heaviness in them. This is partly due to the oxygen deprivation of the muscles. The processes of blood stagnation begin in the veins.

After a certain period of time, convulsions may begin. calf muscles... Oxygen deficiency is also a characteristic feature of leg disease in ballerinas. Swelling appears on the legs, there may be traces of skin dermatitis - rashes and itching on the skin. The final stage of the development of the disease in the absence of timely treatment will be leg ulcers, blockages of blood vessels, thrombophlebitis, varicose veins and ruptured veins with subsequent bleeding.

Features of the structure and appearance of the legs

The legs of a professional ballerina without pointe shoes do not always look attractive. Another characteristic feature will be the so-called hallux valgus and the formation of bumps on the toes. These phenomena are directly related to the significant overload that one has to experience during training and performances. They are expressed in the appearance of visible thickenings, which not only interfere with wearing shoes, but can also become inflamed and bleed. Deformation of the toes looks like a curvature of them inward of the foot, which begins with the big toe and can gradually affect the rest.

During the dance, the artist's foot experiences a tension that goes beyond the natural data. Over time, the forefoot becomes flattened. As a result of movements on the toes, transverse flat feet are formed, and the extreme metatarsal bones diverge to the sides and the forefoot expands. Development hallux valgus due to the fact that the ballerina's shoes tighten the leg in diameter, and because of the movement at the tips of the toes, the load on the big toe is colossal. Another feature of leg development is the thickening of the metatarsal bones and changes in the length of the toes. Movements during the dance are directed around the axis of the foot. The foot is twisted and unwound in opposite directions relative to the anterior and posterior regions.

Ballerina's feet without professional shoes - pointe shoes require the highest care and maintenance in order not to hide them from prying eyes. For preventive purposes, the artists take contrast baths, make compresses that help soften the feet and relax the leg muscles. In their free time, ballerinas try to put their feet on any available elevation in order to improve blood circulation in the lower extremities.

Ballet is a rather austere dance style that places a lot of demands on your body. The pointe dance is a big step and a turning point for a young ballerina's career. Dancing on pointe can be very dangerous if the dancer is not strong enough or trained for it, so do not try to dance on pointe until your instructor tells you that you are ready. However, this article will give you a sense of how close you are to getting started dancing on pointe.

Steps

Part 1

Make sure you are old enough. Experts say it is not safe to dance on pointe before the age of 11-12, as the bones of the foot are still hardened at this age. Dancing pointe at a young age, before your bones are strong enough to support your body weight, can cause permanent leg injury.

Before you start dancing on pointe, you must have been practicing ballet for at least 2 years. While some students may be asked to wait longer, especially if they are not old enough - no one should step on pointe shoes until they have completed at least two years of basic ballet training.

• This does not mean that you can go to one ballet class a month for two years, and then step on pointe shoes. In order to prepare yourself for pointe shoes, you will need regular and rigorous training.
• You must have completed preliminary training of 3-5 hours of training hours per week for two years.

1. Check the bone structure of the leg. Unfortunately, no matter how hard they try, some people will never be able to dance on pointe, simply because due to the structure of the bones of the legs, trying to stand on pointe shoes will result in injury. Ideal feet for pointe dancing should have the following characteristics:

   • The toes should be the same length so that they form a “square” support to maintain balance. The most problematic foot is where the second toe is the longest.
   • Flexible knee joint
   • High arch on the instep

2. Healthy body weight. Due to the fact that all your body weight is transferred to your toes when dancing on pointe, the instructor may have doubts about the recommendations for working on pointe if he begins to worry that your toes will not support the body weight acting on them. Before jumping into pointe shoes, calculate your body mass index (BMI) to make sure you fall into the healthy weight class you need.

   Make sure you maintain a straight posture while dancing and that your core muscles are strong enough. Ask your teacher or parent to rate you, or film a video of you dancing. It will be quite difficult for you to assess yourself by looking in the mirror, as you will have to stretch your neck to see your reflection, and this can negatively affect your posture.

   • Back muscles and lower muscles the press should keep your torso straight.
   • By transferring your weight to one of your legs, you should not sink into your pelvis or pelvic bone.

3. See if you can releve 16 times in a row on your half fingers. When squatting on half-toes, you need to lower yourself on the balls of your feet, not on your toes. If you can't do relevé 16 times in a row on the half-toes, then your muscles are not yet strong enough for pointe shoes.

   Try to maintain the correct eversion when dancing on a flat foot or half toes. If you cannot maintain the correct eversion, be aware that it will be much more difficult to do this on pointe. Your foot should be in line with the patella and hip joint, while the ball of the thumb should support the entire body weight. Keep your knees straight and your heels pointed straight out so that your foot doesn't curl up.

   Ask the teacher to rate the strength of your foot and ankle. Although there is no general rule Ballet teachers increasingly rely on an individualized assessment of the foot and ankle to decide if a student is ready for pointe work. The instructor or physiotherapist you have been advised knows what to look for when assessing your body. If you think you meet the criteria and are ready to work on pointe, ask your instructor to rate you.

   Part 2

   Accumulation of strength and experience

   1. Build ankle strength. Remember that in addition to ballet movements, there are many other ankle strength exercises that will lead to the safe execution of all technical movements.

      • Balancing and catching the ball: Find a partner, stand on one leg and throw the ball to each other. The heavier the ball, the more stress will be placed on the ankle. Have your partner throw the ball in different places - above you, to the right and to the left - to force your center of gravity to shift.
      • Squat on one leg: Straighten one leg in front of you, and then do ten squats on the other leg. Place your leg to the side and do 10 more squats. Bring your leg back and do 10 more squats. (Increase or decrease the number of repetitions, depending on how difficult the squat is.)

   2. Exercises with Theraband Expander Tape. Theraband is an expander tape that can be used in both strength exercises and in flexibility exercises. Make next exercise 10-20 repetitions or as much as you can.

      • Sit on the floor, keep your back straight and stretch your legs in front of you.
      • Place the tape behind your feet and pull it towards you to create tension.
      • Bend and unbend your toes with slow, controlled movements, without bending your legs.

   3. Exercise to develop the foot. Foot development exercises strengthen small internal muscles feet, which we often forget, but which are very important for correct execution movements.

      • Stand up straight and flex your toes to get a stable foot position.
      • Pull your foot up to make the arch as large as possible.
      • Hold this position for six seconds, and then relax your leg for 10 seconds.
      • Do ten reps for each foot.

   4. Practice half-toe squats. Although it is safer than dancing on pointe, it is much more difficult to do these exercises with half fingers. Do half-toe exercises to strengthen the muscle groups you need for pointe dancing and to improve your balance.

   5. Do exercises and other movements that will prepare you for pointe dancing. When your instructors decide that you are ready to step on the pointe shoes, they will ask you to perform a series of specific movements. While you should ask your instructor specifically what to expect, usually ballet instructors look at the following:

      • Maintain pass balance. You should lift one leg up and place your toe on the knee of the other leg. All this is done while standing on pointe, when you need to stand for as long as possible.
      • Save perfect shape during plie. You should bend your knees and maintain an inversion so that your legs are facing outward.
      • Keep your toe straight as you dance. Dancing on the half-toes will strengthen the muscles that you need to work on pointe shoes.
      • Perform a pique pass with a straight leg. Put one foot on the half-toes, and bring the other into pass-balance, then lower it down and touch the floor, and then return it to the pass-balance position.
      • Perform 16 relevé (half-toe lift) in a row.
   • The key point in mastering pointe shoes is the presence strong muscles backs, but they are difficult to train, since we hardly use them. Performing arabesque every day will strengthen them so much that you can gradually lift your leg higher and higher. But first of all, you must make sure that your technique is correct. Your instructors don't care if you raise your leg just 5 centimeters, the main thing is that your technique is correct. Remember that once you can abduct your leg 90 degrees, you can begin abducting your pelvis, but your back must remain straight!
   • See a ballet physiotherapist to find the right pointe shoes for you.
   • Do not bend over with inversion, as you can injure your knees, which negatively affects your chances of getting into pointe shoes.
   • Make sure you can see yourself well in the mirror. This will help you to better correct your shortcomings.
   • Use your eversion muscles (rotator muscle) and do not bend your toes, keep your toe straight.
   • Even normal leg flexion and extension will have its benefits. At first, do everything slowly and on half-toes, after which you can train on an extended foot.
   • Don't be discouraged if you have to wait a long time before getting into pointe shoes. In the end, this will make the end result even more desirable. You will also have extra time to practice on demi pointe shoes.
   • Never tilt your pelvis and always hold your hands correctly.
   • Do plie and releve daily. Make sure you get the correct inversion when doing plie, arabesque, relevé and pirouettes. Having a good inversion is very important if you want to do your pointe movements correctly. You should also pay a lot of attention to the fifth position, as the third position is not used very often on pointe shoes.

   Warnings

   • At a young age, pointe shoes can cause serious damage to your feet. Make sure you are strong enough and that your muscles are strong enough. Don't force your kids to stand on pointe shoes, or it will cost you a lot in medical bills.
   • Do not step on pointe shoes without the permission of a professional ballet instructor. Beginners can only dance on pointe under the supervision of a ballet instructor.

And the comments to it prompted me to an interesting idea.
Let's try to figure out what ballet shoes are made of - pointe shoes, or as the ballerinas themselves call them "fingers".

Today there are enough companies producing ballet shoes. And the ballerinas of the Bolshoi Theater have a choice. I will tell you how it was before. Later.

So, in front of you are 4 pairs of "fingers". These are Chinese SanSha, Japanese Chacott, shoes made in the workshops of the Bolshoi Theater and American Geynor Minden.

It is about the latter that the conversation will go on today.

I will allow myself lyrical digression... Unlike many others, for almost 30 years now I have been dancing exclusively in the Bolshoi Theater pointe shoes, tailored to my measurements. I tried different ones. Out of all the variety, except for the native "fingers" I feel great in Capezio. In Geynor not only dance, I just can't walk. Although they are loved by many leading ballerinas. But as they say - the taste and color.

Let's continue.
The shoes are initially curved. Some may find it convenient. I don’t.

The shoe patch is a very important part, if not the main one. After all, it is on it that the ballerina is standing. I remember being surprised when I came to the Bolshoi and saw pointe shoes with a heel of no more than a five-ruble coin.
Now pennies are twice, or even three times more. It is considered more comfortable to stand on a large, wide heel. Maybe.

Shoes without ribbons. Each ballerina sews in the way that suits her. Since I was not going to use the shoes, I didn’t sew on the ribbons either.

In profile, the leg in the shoes looks pretty nice, but in the front view - folds become visible. Knowing how the Bolshoi's shoes are arranged, and what they are made of, I wanted to know what ballet shoes are made of in America. By the way, in my opinion, Geynor has two drawbacks. It is difficult to stand on half-toes in them (it was always interesting why) and an elastic band must be sewn to the heel of the shoes so that the heel does not come off.

First, we strip off a penny. On Geynor it is sewn separately, unlike the rest of the shoes. Under the cloth ... plastic and a piece of thin foam rubber !!!

Now I think I understand why in many ballet photographs the nails are affected by fungus. Legs, fingers in plastic DO NOT BREATHE !!!

We take out the insole, which, by the way, is also made of synthetic material.

Thin foam rubber is glued on the reverse side.

We look into the shoes and there ... Also plastic. This is why it is difficult to stand on half-toes. The plastic is hard enough to bend hard.

There is a thin film under the heel of foam rubber between the fabric and the plastic insert in the shoes.

So the shoes from Geynor look without plastic filling. The inner fabric is also synthetic!

Such is the "beauty" left from my right or left shoe. Disassembled almost for parts.

The sole is the only natural material. This is suede.

Ballet is a special form of classical dance. Dancers who practice ballet look slim, and sometimes it may seem that if a strong wind blows, they might just be blown away. In fact, behind the harmony are the codes of persistent training, work and great strength of the back, legs, arms. Dancers often have stronger legs than athletes because they work for endurance rather than weight gain. But ballerinas cannot stand on pointe straight away. First, there will be hard training. They get used to pain and calluses on their feet. If you constantly practice on pointe, then soon there will be a deformation of the toes and feet. This is a professional disease of ballet dancers.

If you can't stand on your heels, then there are 2 explanations: either your feet or ankles are poorly developed, or the pointe shoes are too soft, improperly broken, or poorly designed. Here are some tips to help you solve these problems.

1. 1. So, if you have a problem with your legs, then before getting on the patch you need to do a good job. It is better to talk about this with professionals so as not to harm yourself.
2. 2. If the problem is in pointe shoes, for example, a stiff sole and it does not bend in the foot, then it must be processed. If the pointe shoes are soft or the sole is broken, then it is better to replace them.
3. 3. How to break up pointe shoes: Turn the heel of the shoe inside out so the sole is visible. Then put it on (if using earbuds, go with them). Place your foot on your toes (apply a little pressure, but do not carry all the weight). On your foot, you should find the point where the instep ends and the heel begins. Find the same point on pointe shoes. After that, you need to remove the shoe, rest it on the floor, and gently bend it at this point. The rest of the sole should remain straight. If you knead in this way, the pointe shoes will better support the foot and last longer.

A year ago, an acquaintance sent me a photograph showing ballet legs. The picture was accompanied by the question: "Is this really so?"

Here is this photo.

Its author is Daryan Volkova, photographer and ballerina of the Theater of Classical Ballet of St. Petersburg. Seeing the photo, only one question arose in my head: "How is it necessary not to respect yourself and not love your legs (which by the way feed) to bring them to such a state?"

After some time, I was sent another photo with about the same question. This one. This is some kind of horror. I have never seen such legs in my own theater. And looking at how the pointe shoes are sitting on the left foot, one gets the feeling that the shoe is from someone else's foot.

And just the other day, giving an interview to a music publication, I was read a question from the Internet: "Is it true that ballerinas always have bruises and bruises on their legs?" Kind of like footballers and someone else.

So ... No that's not true!

Two days ago, I showed these and other similar photographs to my colleagues in the theater. Everyone was shocked by what they saw. And the reaction was practically the same. "It's like not loving your feet." "These are sick legs" (in the sense of having any diseases, for example, a fungus).
I don't know where photographers who post such photos find these very ballet legs. I'd like to see these ballerinas. I saw something similar, but people had nothing to do with ballet.

And now I want to show you the legs of the ballerinas of the Bolshoi Theater. Many thanks to those who agreed to take part in the "photo session".

No bruises, bruises or other horror stories.
Calluses ... And not the ballerinas have them.

Legs are rubbed not only with ballet shoes. They are also washed with simple shoes. By the way, the last time I washed my toes with ballet shoes was 15 years ago. But the usual, everyday shoes, last summer.

Before going on stage, performers - be they soloists or performers of the corps de ballet -, if necessary, tape their legs so as not to wash them. Although sometimes these measures do not help. But this rarely happens, especially if you take care of your legs.

And the bone on thumb not at all. And it has nothing to do with ballet in any way.
And dark spots on the nails too. Once, pushing off the side in the pool, I did it extremely unsuccessfully, and then I walked with a blue nail for a whole week.

So don't believe those who say that ballerinas' feet are a bloody mess. And I heard that too. As you can see, no bruises, no bruising.
You just need to love your legs, you need to take care of them.

P.S. And one more thing ... Do not forget one simple thing: any ballerina, regardless of status, regalia, position (leading ballerina or corps de ballet artist) is first and foremost a woman. And like any woman, how her legs look depends solely on her attitude towards herself - beloved or unloved.