Grace in pole dance is expressed through every movement, including the feet. Learn how to develop perfect foot lines, prevent injuries, and enhance your dance with targeted exercises.
As we know, the grace of dance is expressed in every movement of the dancer: the position of the legs, arms, head, and other body parts.
Every body part must execute movements exactly as the dancer intends.
Pole dance is no exception.
Although the main focus in training is on the legs and arms, don't forget about your feet.
In pole dance, they should create a clean, straight line — with toes pointed.
This creates the illusion of longer legs.
Remember that undeveloped feet are more prone to injuries (sprains, bruises, etc.) which often happen unexpectedly.
Beginner dancers often struggle with underdeveloped feet that are hard to control.
With such feet, dance elements appear unfinished and undefined.
Today, we'll cover the rules and exercises for developing your feet for pole dance.
Exercises and rules for foot development.
An excellent remedy for flat feet and foot development is a system of warm-up exercises for the feet.
Developed feet make it easier to do the splits and tone the leg muscles overall.
Systematically performing foot stretching exercises improves blood circulation, tones muscles, enhances balance, relaxes the ankle joint, and relieves foot pain.
Foot warm-up rules:
1. Foot massage. Sit down and roll a tennis ball under your foot.
Make sure each foot feels the pressure and the foot is firmly in contact with the ball.
2. Walking on tiptoes. This involves walking on a bare floor, shifting all your weight to the part of the foot near the toes.
3. Walking on the outer and inner sides of the feet.
This rule makes the feet more flexible by stretching previously unused muscles.
How to care for your feet?
As we know, ligaments in the feet are more prone to injury, so we advise not to overdo foot stretching exercises.
Remember that rehabilitation after a foot injury takes a long time, causing any progress to fade away.
Proper foot care helps dancers lock in their results.
First tip — buy orthopedic shoes that fit correctly.
This tip is especially useful for dancers who are on their feet all day.
Most foot problems are linked to poorly fitting dance or everyday shoes.
Second tip — take every opportunity to walk barefoot.
We recommend doing this on your own, at home, with a prepared stone mat.
Choose stones that are flat and free of sharp edges.
Warm-up before class.
Every session should start with warm-up exercises to prepare the muscles for the upcoming workload.
When warming up, don't forget about your feet.
All exercises should be done in comfortable clothing that doesn't restrict movement.
Foot warm-up exercises:
1. Get on all fours.
Press the tops of your feet flat to the floor. Sit back on your heels.
Rock from your heels to your toes.
Repeat slowly so you can feel the muscles in your legs.
2. Press your feet into the floor, then lift all your toes off the ground without moving your heels or the balls of your feet.
3. Stand on straight legs.
Place your feet on your toes so they curl under the foot. Squat down.
In this position, you'll feel your feet start to stretch.
We hope this article was helpful!
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The GoDance team crafts articles about dance, technique and inspiring stories from dancers.
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