In many ballet classes, dancers are assigned "problems" to work on. Once you work on fixing those for a while, and eventually lose the bad habit, you are assigned another. A few of my previous problems were turning out too much, arching the back, and holding improper alignment.
The day has come. My problem is pronation. Perfect. I have tried and tried, but no matter how hard i work on it, I still pronate. It is impossible for me too demi plie without rolling.
I think I have the solution.
I have some small shoe inserts that I dug out of my closet, and figured they would be good for my back. So, I slipped them in my favorite shoes and started wearing them around. They took a while to get used to, but I wore them from the time that I got up, to the time I went to bed. I didn't take them off at all. I did the same for the next couple days.
Tonight, I took them of and stared doing some demi plies, mindlessly. I realized something was different about them - I wasn't rolling.
I am not saying that this will cure every case of the pronation pox, but it's worth a shot. My arches were so used to being lifted up in the shoes, they just stayed the same when I took them off.
The inserts that I am using are these:
I highly recommend getting a pair of these. Not only can they help solve pronation, but they are very good for your back. I like the 3/4 length, because you can put them in almost any shoe. I love wearing them in my brown and gold AE ballet flats.
Click the link below, and select "Find Powerstep Retailers" under "ProTech 3/4". Fill in your postal code, and distance you are willing to travel to retrieve these life-savers. Then you will see a long list of retailers near you.
The day has come. My problem is pronation. Perfect. I have tried and tried, but no matter how hard i work on it, I still pronate. It is impossible for me too demi plie without rolling.
I think I have the solution.
I have some small shoe inserts that I dug out of my closet, and figured they would be good for my back. So, I slipped them in my favorite shoes and started wearing them around. They took a while to get used to, but I wore them from the time that I got up, to the time I went to bed. I didn't take them off at all. I did the same for the next couple days.
Tonight, I took them of and stared doing some demi plies, mindlessly. I realized something was different about them - I wasn't rolling.
I am not saying that this will cure every case of the pronation pox, but it's worth a shot. My arches were so used to being lifted up in the shoes, they just stayed the same when I took them off.
The inserts that I am using are these:
I highly recommend getting a pair of these. Not only can they help solve pronation, but they are very good for your back. I like the 3/4 length, because you can put them in almost any shoe. I love wearing them in my brown and gold AE ballet flats.
Click the link below, and select "Find Powerstep Retailers" under "ProTech 3/4". Fill in your postal code, and distance you are willing to travel to retrieve these life-savers. Then you will see a long list of retailers near you.
Yep, doctors have long been ordering arch support for those with the pronation problem. It will help to sort of 'train' your feet in the off-dance hours. This is another reason (though not the only one) why it drives dance teachers crazy when their students run around in flip-flops all the time.
ReplyDeleteThere are some other strengthening things you can do too but winning the battle is really about knowing what pronation feels like, recognizing when you're doing it (in class or otherwise), and then fixing it. But that's pretty much the solution for most problems in dance.
Hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteSorry I haven't been commenting or reading your blog lately. I have been overseese, then when we got back, had to go straigh to school. Thanks for the post, it's cool.
Izi xoxo
Rebecca-
ReplyDeleteI've been reading your blog for quite a while, but haven't gotten around to commenting. Sorry! Anyway, I've found it very inspirational. I'm 16, and started dance when I was 14, so all of your tips have been a great help to me!