Your Best Body: Bad Feet?

Your Best Body: Bad Feet?

It’s a ballet dancer’s eternal question: How do I make my feet better? It seems that our ankles and insteps—no matter how supple they are—are never good enough. But while we all might dream of having arches like Polina Semionova or Paloma Herrera, few of...

Ask Amy

I know I need to be supporting my feet and ankles with supportive shoes, but I don’t want to wear running sneakers everywhere I go. What kinds of street shoes should dancers wear to protect their feet? —Katie I spoke with Dr. Alan Woodle, Pacific Northwest Ballet’s...
Your Best Body: Bad Feet?

In Defense of "Bad" Feet

I have an odd confession to make: I enjoy watching dancers who have bad feet. And I don’t just mean that I can appreciate good dancers in spite of their stereotypically “bad” ballet feet. I actually like their lack of instep and/or little arch....