If the foundation in a building is faulty, no amount of strengthening of the upper stories can correct the essential instability. Many misalignments of the knee, hip, spine, and even shoulders can be traced to a chain reaction of compensations that began with a faulty foundation.
Do we spend so much of our time as dancers concentrating on the aesthetics, particularly in ballet, of where our arms are in space, the lines we are making with our bodies, that we forget to look after and strengthen our base of support? It seems obvious that the more we strengthen our base of support the more freely our bodies can move in space under the safe knowledge that we have reduced our risk of injury by ensuring our foundations are strong.
This is also very significant when it comes to young girls going onto their first pointe shoes. It is a very exciting time and many girls are so eager to get onto pointe that the importance of first strengthening their feet and ankles is overlooked.
If we took the time to build up the strength in the lower body, and ensure correct alignment and weight distribution through the feet, then we would allow for more freedom of expression, as not only would the dancer be safer, but a strong base also allows the dancer to push their body further, create more amazing images.
