Terrific Tuesday Toenails
Dancers are always admonished to “point your feet”. I usually prefer to say “stretch your feet”
to encourage a longer, less tense, movement.
Sometimes dancers stretch their ankles well, but the energy
stops about mid-foot, leaving the toes dangling. This is not only unattractive, it is
ineffective. To prevent this, I tell my
students to imagine stretching all the way through their toenails. I also tell them
that if they do this effectively, their toenails will suddenly grow to such
lengths that they will trip over them on their way out of the studio.
Adding humor to the classroom helps make the instructions
more memorable. So “stretch your
toenails!”
From the Big Blue Book of Ballet Secrets:
Secret #19a:
“To prevent a half-pointed foot, imagine stretching your
toenails.”
Link of the Day:
Quote
of the Day:
“Glory lies in the attempt to reach one’s goal and not in reaching
it.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
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