Christina M.
Austin, TX

A: Dear Christina,
I am sure it is not due to the size of your foot, maybe the strengh, but not the size. A small foot gives you an advantage in terms of stability. You probably have studied levers by now, and can see that a long limb would put more stress on a foot and ankle joints than a short one. A good example of this would be to hold a broomstick at one end and then have a friend try to twist it out of your hand first at the base by your hand, and then further out. Of course it will be harder to hold onto the stick the further your friend travels out on the stick. A small foot is also great for quick, small jumps such as ballerinas must do. Think of how fast you can flick your wrist compared to your elbow. Large feet may have a slight advantage in jumping high, adding power to the power of the legs, but will have more shock potentially translated to the achilles tendon on landing than a small foot.

If you are having trouble balancing, you can figure out where the problem is by taking a releve in coupe or passe at the barre and wait until you wobble. If your foot sickles and wobbles, strengthen it. If your waist does, strengthen your abdominals and psoas muscles. If you just can't seem to find your balance in the general sense, perhaps it is your spine that needs adjusting, and you should visit a chiropractor.