As a dancer my feet have always been my nemesis. I used to see them greatest thing holding me back from from the elegant lines and footwork I'd dream about. I wasn't blessed with the over-the-top-arch-on-the-floor foot shape that the ballet community has become more and more obsessed with over time, and I always saw that as a negative.
Of course, there were many things that my less flexible foot structure allowed me to do, for instance, hop on pointe all day long with ease! It also drove me to really work on my presentation and upper body, so as not to draw attention downward. This became so important to me as I developed as a dancer. I realised that all the high arches in the world could not move me in the way an expressive face, or heart felt port de bras could.
Still, if you feel like your feet could be better, there's nothing wrong with wanting to improve what you have, just like you would any other part of your dance technique. Feet can be strengthened and stretched to a certain degree, and you can see some of our best exercises for that here.
There's also a lot you can do to improve the aesthetic of your foot by customising your pointe shoes. Cutting your shoes, in particular, can make a huge different to the way your feet look.
Let's take a look at my No.1 pointe shoe hack that I've been using since I was 13, and how to do it.
WHY CUT YOUR POINTE SHOES?
The best trick that I learned early on was to cut the inner sole (or shank) of my shoe. This will help you a lot if you struggle to 'get over' on your shoe. It also makes the shoe hug your foot, rather than staying stiff like a suff board. The difference is amazing!
Cutting your shoe gives a flexibility to the shoe that can't be achieved by just bending them. Personally, I found that the top part of the insole was completely superfluous. It really wasn't giving me any support at all, but rather holding me back.
Of course, everybody and every foot is different. If you do have very bendy feet and ankle, you might not find this to be true, so please proceed with that in mind.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED
All you'll need is a pair of gardening secateurs. These really are the magic tool that will make this process a breeze. You could also use a box cutter in a pinch, but it's more precarious and takes more effort.
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BEFORE YOU START
Pointe shoes are not cheap, so I'd hate for you to ruin a new pair.
My suggestion would be to try this first on an old pair of shoes, so that you can establish the best place to cut the sole. Where you cut the shoe will vary from person to person, depending on where your arch sits.
Start by cutting just a quarter of the way down, then gradually cut more until you find your sweet spot. Eventually you'll know exactly how much to cut off on the first go.
Image via https://www.dancewearcentre.com/
HOW TO CUT YOUR POINTE SHOES
1. Take your shoe and pull back the sock (the bit that covers the inner sole). You can remove it completely or leave it partially attached so that you can replace it after.
2. Now pull the inner sole away from the shoe. I like to pull mine until the nail pops out with the inner sole, as it allows me to get in more easily with my secateurs.
3. Measure where the middle of your arch sits on the insole and aim for this as where you cut.
4. Use your secateurs to cut in a straight line all the way across the insole.
5. Replace the sock back over the insole and you're good to go!