As you confidently walk on to the stage you peer into the audience, thousands of excited eyes look right back at you. The stage lights glare into your nervously ambitious eyes, and just like that you strike your starting pose as your music turns on. As you elegantly follow the music through your dance, you slowly fill up with confidence that makes your dance even better! That's what it feels to dance.

       When you think of pointed feet what do you think of? Pointed feet are very important in jazz, contemporary, and many other styles of dance. It is very complicated, but there are some ways to improve and succeed with a pointed foot. First, sit on the floor with your legs completely straight, and then lean over your legs and push on or stretch through your ankles and the top of your foot. Notice that you won't immediately see a difference or what looks like a round foot or an arch. Or if you want to try a challenge you can first go into a table top position where your hands and knees are on the ground, then go into a plank position, but the tops of your feet are on the ground. Start with one knee bent and on the ground, and the other leg is straight with the tops of your foot on the floor, and then switch and do the other leg. After this, if you are comfortable, try this same exercise with both legs straight and the tops of your feet on the floor. There are so many different styles of dance, and pointed feet are applied to most of the styles, so it is important to practice pointed feet anytime you decide to try a new style of dance. 

       Did you know that relevé means to rise? In relevé all you do is rise to the balls of your feet. If that is difficult for you to do, there are some exercises to help you control your relevé. First, grab a small ball, preferably a tennis ball, and then also get a chair to hold on to and sit on. After you have the materials you need, and after you sit in the chair, put the ball under your heel and notice what that feels like. Don’t put any weight or pressure onto your heel because once you stand it can make it more likely for you to roll your ankle. Then do the other side. Once you have done the other side, stand up and turn the chair around as if someone else was going to sit there.  Try the exercise again; put your hands on the back of the chair and put the tennis ball under one of your feet. Then, once you feel comfortable, switch and do the other side.

       Another way to help you with your relevé is to go into a plank. If you don’t know what a plank is, it’s where you balance on just your hands, the balls of your feet and toes. Planks are very beneficial to dancers since they exercise your abdominal muscles, your biceps, and your quads. This time focus on your feet; when you look in between your arms you can see your feet. That’s what relevé looks like; while you stay in that position, recognize how this feels. Once you practice this as much as possible it will help increase your relevé perfection.

       Turn preps use both relevé and pointed feet?  Since you now know how to do both of those techniques, it is time for a turn prep. First, make sure both of your feet are under your shoulders, and then rise into the relevé you've been practicing. Once you're ready, pull your foot to touch your knee. Your leg should look like a triangle, starting at your hip and ending at your knee. Then with your arms put them in a circle shape as if you are holding a beach ball. Put all of these steps together and that is how you do a turn prep.

       Now that you have learned how to point your foot, do an amazing relevé and do a really good turn prep, just keep practicing and you will master your techniques. Just know that confidence and repetition is key, and you can only ever get better!

-Aria W.