***Experience The Education***
Welcome to your free, MONTHLY, online connection to Ballet Class!
KAT'S Class Updates for the month of December:
Kat's regular teaching schedule is here. Bookmark it so you don't forget. Go here to download a printable Ailey Extension Schedule! In the words of Artistic Director, Judith Jamison, "If you can get yourself in the door, you can take a class!"
The Ailey Studios Location:
at the Joan Weil Center for Dance
405 W. 55th Street (at 9th Avenue)
New York, NY 10019
212-405-9500
ONGOING CLASS UPDATES
*Christmas Eve Wednesday December 24, 10:30, 12 Pointe & 3PM Holiday Open classes!
*New Year's Eve Wednesday December 31, 10:30, 12 Pointe & 3pm Last classes of the year! Plan to be there!
*Private Lessons with Kat are available throughout the Holiday season! Yes I do have Gift Certificates Available. Give the gift of private lessons, starting at $120 PER hour (10 hour discounted). To schedule an appointment email Kat here
Our regular schedule: Check here.
What's New in 2009
*In January look for our New Adult Student Workshop beginning on the 7th, three months of Rehearsals each Wednesday night for an hour, under the watchful eyes of Kat & Royce, culminating in two Showcase Performances March 29th, 2009 in our state of the art Ailey Citigroup Theater. Don't miss any of these rehearsals so we can set and run the big group pieces, pas & solos. Sign up for workshop and pay in advance. Also Pointe class Variations will resume.
*Wednesday January 14 Kat wants to attend the SAB 75th Ann Tribute and alumni reception 7:30. Sub TBA! Also note, January 19th Monday The Ailey Extension will be closed all day, in reverence to Martin Luther King Jr.
*In February Kat will be attending The ABT Alumni Training Intensive for Levels 4-7 February 15-20, 2009 in New York City. Subs TBA next newsletter! (I will try and teach all the evening classes) Also in February We will be OPEN for all classes Monday Presidents Day February 16,2009
*MARCH 29th is our first Student Showcase performances in the theatre, secure your tickets now! Tickets are $12.50 if purchased by 3/15/09, or $15 if purchased after 3/15/09.
4:30pm Performance tickets here. 7:00pm Performance tickets here
Extension Students/Seniors 10% off regular ticket price = $11.25. 4:30pm Performance discounted tickets here. 7:00pm Performance discounted tickets here
*Daylight savings time begins on March 8 and ends on November 1. Pointe class variations also resume this month.
*April 2009 is most likely Kat and Arthur's vacation. Details and Subs TBA! National Dance Week April 24-May 3
*May 25 Memorial Day Monday The Ailey Extention is open! Two classes: 10:30, and as always 3pm Holiday Class. Make your plans to be here in New York City for The Memorial Day Weekend! We will be dancing at The Ailey Extension!
*June 2009 will again bring the MAKE YOUR OWN INTENSIVE. You'll be able to dance all day in a schedule you personally design.
*Also in June: Vladamir and Kat will bring you an additional Saturday class, a lil earlier in the day (approx 11:30 TBA) followed by rehearsals for the next showcase performances. Be there to learn it all this summer 2009 at The Ailey Extension.
*July 4 Saturday, OPEN- last class starts at 3pm!
*September 7 Labor Day 2009 Monday TBA! This September marks 35 years of Kat teaching ballet.
*November Thanksgiving weekend 2009 open as this year!
Watch here for more details coming soon on all these and more exciting class events.
A Word (or novel) from Kat
WOW 2008! Another great year of ballet classes. Starting the week of December 18, 2006, two years ago, our classes began together at our new home in the facilities of the Ailey Extension. This year our four student showcase were a great success. For those who missed out, our first one was Feb 24th and we did excerpts from the Sleeping Beauty Ballet & demi-character variations from the third act wedding scene. For our second showcase June 1st we performed Pas de Slave and the waltz from the ballet Le Corsaire, and our guest David choreographers set a piece to Shaft. Our third presentation explored Swan lake, rehearsing the 4 Little Swans in our sleep, along with the entrance of the swans and the waltz dance from Act 1. Also Aug 24 marked our first time having two shows, and Paula's first attempt at choreography.
At our last and most recent showcase on Nov 23 we performed Peasant pas & variations from Giselle, along with the Willis scene in 2nd Act. The program is here for you to print for a remembrance. The ladies ordered romantic tutus and the gentlemen (i.e. partners) wore wonderful Bournonville outfits, all to be used again in our 2009 upcoming performance March 29th, 2009 in the theatre. Yes, our showcases are so very popular we will now offer them in the theatre.
Mark your calendars now and get tickets. We will be rehearsing Wednesday nights beginning January 7th, 2009. This next production comprises excerpts from the epic ballet Les Sylphides and Act 3 from the ballet Napoli. We started Variations in pointe class in November 2008 and covered four variations from Giselle that month. We will continue with variations every other month throughout 2009, starting again in January. Also this past year brought in several world renowned guest teachers for your technique classes including,
Lisa Lockwood, ABT alumni; Jeanette Hoffman, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo Alumni; Eric Hoisington, San Francisco Ballet Alumni; Paul Sutherland ABT Principal Alumni; Julio Bragado, ABT currently; Flavio Salazar ABT alumni; Theresa Howard, Dance Theatre of Harlem alumni; amongst others throughout the year.
Halloween was a blast, as always. We worked on approx. 44 completely different adagios in class, one for each week of the year, celebrating holidays, food, drink, culture and misc other adagio topics. Each Monday challenged us with the extra long Intermediate pirouette combos, Wednesday fouette practice and of course our upside down "Friday night Adagio" at the barre each week. We hope to build our stamina and explore longer grand allegro combos in the coming new year!
It's been a tremendous year, and I thank each of you for sharing it with me through your dancing. HAVE A SAFE AND HEALTHY HOLIDAY SEASON ALL MY VERY BEST WISHES, KAT
Classroom Confidential: TMI and Honorable Mentions
December is Birthday month for the following dancers/classmates:
Kelly C, Camille B, Darian, Jeremy C, Yuka K, Glen M, Jessica R, Ottavio T, Nina M, Nate L, Amazon W, and Vladimir, our beloved pianist, on the 29th! Let me know when your birthday is so all your ballet classmates can celebrate with you.
Diane B just passed New York & New Jersey Bar Exams. She will be sworn in and admitted to the New Jersey Bar on December 3rd in Trenton, NJ. Congratz Diane!...Yasmine L and Clare T are appearing in the R Rated Nutcracker, very funny show! Gregory O will perform in 28th Annual John Lennon Tribute…On the stage at Radio City Music Hall see many of your classmates every single performance, including our web-mistress Taylor G, Matthew W, the lil one a.k.a. Allie P, James T, Rockettes Karolyn, Jackie, Julie, Kristen, and oh so many more. Also listen to Jackie D's advice about becoming a Rockette… Erin G will be the Sugar Plum Fairy this year in Nutz!...Madison C is also appearing in Nutz, Look in the Performance Corner in this issue for more info!...75 students represented the Ailey organization for the first time ever in this year's Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Hope you watched it on TV!...Richard C is preparing a recital of Schubert's Winterreise song cycle and also writing a play, "News to a Muse," a comedy, for Pan Asian Rep's festival in March... Read about Taylor G, in her hometown newspaper and see articles by her in this month's Dance Teacher and Movmnt Magazines…Marty S is in a Kikkoman commercial (5th taste) that is currently running on the Food Network…Todd H worked on his first national commercial, playing the stunt/dance double for Michael Phelps (see his halloween costume in class pictures) and just finished on Sacha Baron Cohen's new film Bruno... Jason C is working a lot for Disney. He sang the nat'l anthem at the Staples Center before a hockey game (which is here)!...David H & Hart of the Apple was honored to produce the 50th anniversary of the Alvin Ailey School party! Did you know Yvette L. Campbell is our Director of The AILEY Extension? And Gina is her asst #9018… Sylvia W will be the recipient of one of the most prestigious Dance Magazine Awards 2008… Kent Lis on the road with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...Adesina S and wife will have their baby boy any day now!...Noah A is doing the national tour of The Wizard of Oz as the Scarecrow and will be at Madison Square Garden in March. Kat has requested tickets, woo hoo! Carina S and Matt have their wedding date set for May 2009 in Florida, maybe the cause of her ballet class absences…Oops Erik N did it again… Listen to Kat's most recent radio interview with David L on the Total Lifetime Fitness Radio Network
*Quote of the month: "They say that nobody is perfect. Then they tell you that practice makes perfect. I wish they'd make up their minds." - Wilt Chamberlain
*Andros On Sonia Wojcikowska (b. 1919). Mr A is a dear friend, teacher, and mentor to Kat. He has the answers to all those HISTORICAL ballet questions you need tutu know (like Brise' this month…Mr. A gave me a wonderful combo we can work on at the barre this upcoming new year to perfect your brise's)
Taylor's Tales
A column by our webmaster, Taylor.
Inspiration, Education, and Curtain Calls
My lashes lift with the golden curtain. Spotlights a block away and balconies high fade in like the morning sun. My pulse and the drum are one. Applause. A gasp clogs my lungs. I feel my smile stretch. Lightening flashes from cameras in every direction.
So goes my curtain call as part of the ensemble of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. Two, three, four times a day I blind myself with happiness and exhaustion as 6,000 people clap along. And it's no dream.
We've been open nearly a month already, and the experience has been the most gratifying of my life. It's funny – on December 18 I will officially complete my Masters Degree in a field unrelated to dance, but in the past month I have had one humorous education:
Learning how to fit a bun in a bear head, when to cross under the stage to beat the laundry hamper traffic, ways to keep that pesky hat on, where to stand to avoid the crack on the stage from the turntable, how to take off a miniskirt and put on a Christmas sweater simultaneously, tricks to mask laughter when said sweater comes unbuttoned, who to be near to drown out a poor singing voice, how to tap dance in a Santa suit while the floor beneath raises 6 feet higher, when the absolute last moment is before the costume choker must be clasped to constrict breathing, how to fluff hair after 3 hats, techniques for walking down stairs in heels without looking at your feet, why the sheep and camels smell just so bad, where to leave my costumes, how to control my utter joy in the curtain call. And how to come down from the high when it's over.
New York has the holiday spirit running through its veins of tinseled streets, pumping cheer to its heart. It's a time for dreams, and with the monotony of our daily lives – whether its 16 performances a week or 60 hours behind a desk – it's easy to forget what inspires us. For me, it's this moment at the end. The curtain call. The conclusion of all those lessons.
An hour later the next show begins – perhaps our 49th, or 87th, or 120th run– but it's the first for someone out there. Every moment is new now. And when the curtain comes down that last time, there's no place for me to turn but back to the stage. Relive. Rejoice. Re-inspire.
--
In the spirit of sharing I thought I'd give a shout out to some others I know who are living their dreams and inspiring me, if nobody else: my mother, running her dance studio single-handedly; one of my best friends, who gave up dancing for a year to help children in South America; friend and former ABT dancer MM, who revamped his life and landed a photography gig at the NY Times after being diagnosed with EBV; and all of my fellow ballet classmates, whose unique dedication and passion drive me every day!
(For my show schedule, click here. For daily blog updates on the show and more, read here.)
Kat's Monthly Mailbag
(a mere sampling)
*Hi Kat, I'm so looking forward for our workshop! You are wonderful for organizing such a great event! Regarding the next showcase, I am definitely interested in participating and the best day for me would be Wednesdays. Thanks and see you later today! AB.
Thanks for responding so quickly AB, Wednesdays it will be! Kat
*Hi! I love reading your newsletters! By the way, now that I am writing, I always meant to tell you how much I LOVE your classes. Yours is the only one I've stuck with through the years. I know I come in and out and don't say much, but you have my eternal admiration :)G. xoxo Thanx G, Kat
*Hi Kat, I'm working on a paper that is based on how or if positive psychology can affect performance, so I have a few questions for you.
1) What is it that makes a dancer stand out in a class or audition performance wise? (Stemming from an ideal you have all of the time rather than on an individual basis. 2) What qualities in dancers' performance would you define as unsatisfactory? (Still on a general basis.3) How would you define "performance quality?"
Thank you so much! JS, Dear JS, good luck with your paper. Kat.
1. The effortless ease by which they move! The articulation of simultaneously using their arms, hands, legs and feet to arrive at an extended position. Their core strength, upper body support, and carriage throughout combinations. A sense that they enjoy what they are doing.
2. Tension showing in the neck and hands. Undeveloped feet! Over developed thighs, Quads! Flabby core and jiggly arms!
3. The joy of presenting the choreography/role/piece/details with confidence, experience, and personal ease.
*Hi Kat, My doctor said my tests came out normal, so secrets no more! But thanks for being so discrete about it all these weeks. I am on week 15 and should know the gender in another few weeks. Coco#2. Woo Hoo another ballet baby, congratz Coco! Kat
And Finally...
Re've'rence:
*Clive Barnes: longtime theater and dance critic for the New York Post.
*Josh W. We love and miss you, this and every holiday season. R.I.P.
*Arte Plillips: an international dance performer, choreographer and inspirational teacher. "There was no dance that Arte couldn't make better"
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Casting Call: Hot Auditions and Gigs Here
*Einstein on the Beach returns! You might be part of this seminal avant-garde masterpiece by Philip Glass and Robert Wilson, with groundbreaking choreography by Lucinda Childs. It will be staged next year by New York City Opera (engagement Sept. 8-Nov.21). Dancers will also perform in Childs' Dance in selected engagements 2009/2010. Audition Wednesday, December 3 (women, 9-1pm; men 1-5pm), at the New 42nd Street Studios, Studio 3B, 229 W. 42nd St. Callbacks Dec. 4 & 5. Bring photo and resume.
*Zurich Ballet is auditioning female and male dancers on December 8 and January 24 at the Zurich Opera House. Females must be at least 5'5" and males 5'6". Send applications with CV and photo to: Zurich Ballet, Heinz Spoerli, Falkenstrasse 1, CH-8008 Zurich, Switzerland. For more, call +41 44 268 64 63 or email zuercherballett@opernhaus.ch.
*Melbourne Ballet Company is looking for strong, classically trained dancers for their upcoming project Emerge. International dancers may submit a DVD audition (email info@melbourneballetcompany.com.au for exact requirements). Send with resume and photo to 309 Doncaster Road, North Balwyn 3104, Melbourne, Australia. For more.
*Stuttgart Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada will be holding a joint audition for corps de ballet dancers and apprentices at the State Theatre Opera House in Stuttgart on January 24 at 10 am. Women should be between 5'3" and 5'5". Men must be at least 5'9". Send applications with a CV, portrait, full-length dance photo and DVD (if available) by January 1 to Stuttgart Ballet, Nicole Loesaus, Oberer Schlossgarten 6, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany. Specify which company you are auditioning for. For more, email: dance-audition@staatstheater-stuttgart.de.
*Dance and see the world! Holland America's new entertainment jobs website offers a wealth of opportunities. Launched in mid-October, it has up-to-date audition info for dance jobs in the cruise line's productions. (Between now and March, for example, the site lists auditions for dancers in Los Angeles, California; Decatur, Illinois; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Salt Lake City, Utah; and New York City.)
*Playbill On-Line's Casting and Job Listings
*Dance NYC audition listings
*Backstage Casting listingsKat's Klassifieds
This is a section of the newsletter we need to add for your classmates offering/needing services. Please note, these are not reccomendations just announcements:
*Circular Power is offering a Holiday Special for FIRST TIMERS to gyrotonics. Come in and pay $65 EACH for your first 2 Intro sessions. This offer will last ONLY till the end of the year. Call or e-mail to make appointment, 917 849 8569 info@circularpower.com and mention this newsletter! Note: Kat continues to train @ Circular Power several times per week to stay in top form and bring to you and your ballet classes a much broader perspective on physical training, plus she conducts all her private coaching sessions/lessons here.
*Dancers Responding to Aids: When AIDS is stopped we will dance for joy. Until then we will dance for Life! Become a dancer responding with action. Make a difference, a donation of as little as one dollar can make a difference in a dancers life. For more info and to make a secure online donation visit here
*Be ahead of the game, beat the holiday rush, and book your seasonal catering events with Hart of the Apple. David & Danny will help you plan your event from the ground up. Be it a small dinner party at your home or a large corporate holiday event or even your winter wedding. Info@hartoftheapple.com or call 212-262-2725 Web site here. Yes it's true, David is the one that provided those yummy Carrot cupcakes for Kat's b'day and Red Velvet for Royce's! David and his fab crew have catered Ailey events in-house and countless other class related gatherings. You know David: he won The Wishful Thinking Genie prize at Halloween 2008!
*Michael Sands has been in the Residential Real Estate business for more than 10 years. Should you, a friend, or family member be considering a sale, a purchase, or a rental in New York City, now or in the near future, please contact him @Century21 in NY City: msands@c21nyc.com or on his cell phone number which is 917-209-2889.
*Custom gift idea: Ever wonder what to do with all your old dance shoes? Turn them into works of art with Michelline Coonrod Your pointe shoes become her canvas.
*Yumiko Dancewear opened their first store in New York at 451 West 46 between 9th and 10th Avenues. You can go to www.yumiko-online.com and check it out for more information. Many of the top dancers around the world wear her clothes. Look great for your dance classes!
*Pilates with Erin G, eringinn@gmail.com offering private or semi-private mat lessons at very affordable dancer discount prices!
Dancer of the Month: Ethan Brown
Introducing "Danseur /Danseuse" of the Month:
The term "ballerina" first appeared in 1815 (apparently, it took the Italians almost 150 years to come up with a word which referred to them) Finally, in 1828, the French came up with their own terms for ballet dancers: "danseur" and "danseuse," the masculine and feminine forms, respectively. This month I'd like to feature our first "Danseur" in this section: Premier danseur noble Ethan Brown, a contemporary and colleague in the dance world.
During his twenty-three year career with A.B.T., Mr. Brown received critical acclaim dancing a variety of Soloist and Principal roles. He has partnered some of the top ballerinas in the world including Alessandra Ferri, Sylvie Guillem, Amanda Mckerrow, Cynthia Gregory, Martine Van Hamel, Susan Jaffe, Cynthia Harvey, Paloma Hererra, Julie Kent, and Gillian Murphy. Several years before retiring from dancing, Mr. Brown was asked to be an A.B.T. Company Class teacher and continues to do so today. He is also on the faculty of the A.B.T. Summer Intensives in New York City and Bermuda. He also annually travels to Canada to guest teach and coach for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Ethan also works for Youth American Grand Prix judging ballet competitions and teaching master classes. I hope to arrange to have Ethan, come and guest teach some of your classes.
*ABT faculty bio
*Farewell performance 6/21/2004
*Dance Magazine: A Salute
*Retirement
Read all about each month's ballerina here for all archives. Performance Corner: Catch Your Fellow Students and More
*See Gregory O in 28th Annual John Lennon Tribute This is the longest running John Lennon Tribute in the World! Sunday, December 7 @ 7:00pm; Ailey Citigroup Theatre 405 west 55th street. Tickets here
*20th annual Gypsy of the Year competition Raises More Than $2 Million For Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. This year's competition will take place at the New Amsterdam Theatre on 8 & 9 Dec 2008. Nate L will be appearing along with other classmates! visit www.BroadwayCares.org or call (212) 840-0770 ext. 268. Yes Kat & Arthur will be in attendance Dec 9th!
*Dance Magazine Awards Monday Dec. 8th Florence Gould hall 7:pm. See Sylvia W be honored! call 646 459-4814
* Nutcracker: Rated R featuring Yasmine L & Clare T. Dec 10 -January 3, 2009 Theater for the New City Buy tickets here
*Madison C appearing in
The Company of Dance Arts "Nutcracker" Saturday & Sunday Dec 13 & 14 at 3:00 PM
*Erin G appearing as SPF Dec 11-14 with Fokine Ballet
*Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 50th Anniversary Season. New York City Center Dec 3, 2008 - Jan 4, 2009 Tickets here
*A dance photo exhibition at the New York State Theater from November 25 to June 28 honoring SAB
*Matthew Bourne's 'Edward Scissorhands' Dec 2, 2008 - Jan 9, 2009 Sadler's Wells, London. Matthew Bourne's delightful adaptation of the classic Tim Burton motion picture is a treat for all the family.
*Pina Bausch's 'Bamboo Blues'
Dec 11-14, 2008 BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Brooklyn, NY India is Bausch's latest port of call, and in Bamboo Blues, she transforms the stage into an amalgam of sensations.
*Frankie DLP, and Royce are performing in the Staten Island Ballet Nutcracker @ College of Staten Island Center for the Arts December 12-14 box office 718 980-0500
*If you have performance info you wanna share with your fellow classmates, please send it to kat_wildish@yahoo.com.
Fun Stuff: Take a Break and Enjoy
*CLASS PICTURES: FUN PICTURES MANY HAVE BEEN ASKING ABOUT. Be sure to scroll down.
*Danny's Warehouse has beaded Halter tops on sale for $1.00.
*Gaynor Minden has silks on sale
*Through December 9 see AILEY PHOTO EXHIBITION on display at The June Kelly Gallery
*Muscles Socks: white knee length socks show either the various muscles of your lower leg and the top of your foot. $14.95
*Something to make you feel good: Stand By Me, submitted by Nate L. More evidence that the world is indeed becoming a better place.
*What Dancers Know: part 1 and part 2 as shown on total-lifetime-fitness.com. Posted by Dr. David Lemberg
*Latissimus dorsi muscle
*Check out TenduTV for great dance video clips
*Please save your newsletters so you can refer back to them throughout the month for performance dates of your classmates, services, and the like or check archives for this month's and prior copies.
*Drink lotza water and rest when you can. Seems like hordes of tourists are here visiting. Try and be nice - they really don't know how hard it is to survive here.
*How to make fairy wings (we will need lil ones for Les Sylphides, maybe we should have a workshop class?)
THIS MONTH IN DANCE HISTORY
Read all about December's ballet history here and here.
Read all about each month's ballet history here for all archives.
BALLET TERMS
Brise' (to break, shatter, burst; broken; in classical ballet, a small, battu, a beaten jump) A small beating step in which the movement is broken. Fundamentally, the basic brisé is a traveled assemblé that is done with a beat. The quality of a brisé should be sharp and brisk. A basic brisé can be varied through differences of timing, traveling across the floor, and the position of the beat of the legs.
*Vladislav Kalinin demonstrating brisé.
These excerpts are provided here for you from the "Technical Manual and Dictionary of Classical Ballet" by G. Grant. A reference book you should have in your library!
Monthly Tips: Stretching, Pointe, Health, & More
*Stretch-o-da-Month: December 2008: Happy Baby Pose Yes it's on the floor as you like, on your back with the knees into your belly, holding the outsides of your feet. Focuses on the hips, gently stretches the inner groins and the back spine, calms the brain, and helps relieve stress and fatigue. We are going to rock it to get additional ab connections! Caution: if you are pregnant, please let me know!
*Stinky feet: There are about one trillion bacteria on each of your feet. That's why your ballet shoes stink! Get canvas ones and wash um occasionally! Canvas works better on the Ailey floors anyway, except of course the fast floors in the basement, then leather is a better choice.
*Eat, drink, and be healthy: Too much stimulation can easily lead to overeating. Remembering to be mindful will help you get more enjoyment out of each bite and notice when you've had enough. A little indulgence is natural at holiday parties. But get carried away and you'll end up bloated, tired, and bummed out. When you eat in moderation, your body and mind are happy. But when you eat too much, you overwhelm your digestive system, creating chaos in your belly and inviting unpleasant imbalances such as gas, weight gain, and depression. Take it slow and easy.
*Heat or cold: How should ballet dancer treat a sore knee?
*The Ailey Studio Rules: Food is not permitted in the studios, Beverages other than water are not permitted, No glass bottles or cans are permitted, No chewing gum is permitted (oops), Street shoes are not permitted in the studios, Non-dance shoes and slippers must be worn at all times outside of the studios, No bare-feet outside the studios, Smoking is not permitted anywhere in or around the building, Photography and videography are not permitted anywhere in the building without prior written permission. Okay got that?
*Pointe Shoe Tip 'o the Month:
*Check out Capezio's seven steps to a good pointe shoe fit. A pointe shoe must fit properly in order to provide the support required to dance en pointe.
*Ribbons must be worn with your pointe shoes during class with Kat, to support your ankle and assist in proper training. To do it correctly, hold a pencil vertically, just in front of the anklebone, and make a small pencil mark. This is where the back of the ribbon will go. They should be sewn deep into the shoe, almost at the shank. An elastic strap sewn to the sides of the back of the shoe, about one-and-a-half inches apart, will help to keep the heel of the shoe snug against the heel of the foot. No Ribbons? Although this may be a lovely line for certain performances, in daily classes & rehearsals you should always wear ribbons on your pointe shoes to stablize, support and maintain ankle strength. The ankle joint is made up of three bones: the tibia, fibula and talus & are connected to each other by ligaments. Think of ligaments as thick rubber bands that hold bones together so that joints are stable and function properly.
The stability of your ankle joint is dependent upon the ability of these bones to keep the central bone in place while the ankle moves back and forth and ribbons help assist in that stability. Ankle sprains are common injuries that occur when ligaments are stretched or torn. Nearly 85% of ankle sprains occur laterally, or on the outside of ankle joints.
Be safe-Wear your ribbons! And if you feel you have a foot injury, go see Dr. Novella D.P.M., he has the scoop on dancers and their feet. He'll check the angle of your bones, shapes of your bones, motion in your joints, length of your legs, status of other problems or tissues, whatever is necessary to complete the picture. Kat has been visiting Dr T. for 25 yrs now, First referred to him by none other then Prima ballerina Melissa Hayden (R.I.P.).
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