In the world of dance on social media, oversplits and extreme range‑of‑motion trends have exploded in popularity. You’ve likely seen videos of dancers weighing down their limbs, suspending their legs between chairs, or aggressively pushing for deeper splits. At first glance, these positions can look  impressive—but they’re not what our bodies were built for, especially as adult or senior ballet dancers. Why Extreme Flexibility Isn’t the Goal in Adult Ballet Ballet technique v

After having foot surgery, the way I approach pointe work, breaking in pointe shoes, and pointe shoe preparation has changed drastically. As an adult ballet dancer returning to pointe, I’m far more intentional — and conservative — about how I modify my shoes. I’m writing this article to share my personal experience, my informed professional opinion, and to give you practical insight into safe pointe shoe modifications, specifically around the question: "Should I cut my shank

When adult ballet dancers want to improve turnout, most of the messages they encounter online sound the same: Stretch more Train harder Add more resistance However, chasing fatigue is not the same thing as training turnout correctly. You can complete a workout that leaves you exhausted and sore for days and still not activate true turnout from the hip. In many cases, dancers end up training the wrong muscles, overstretching already stressed tissues, and reinforcing compensati