In the world of ballet, we expect our feet, ankles, and toes to perform miracles. As dancers, conditions such as tendonitis tend to appear rather often, especially in the foot and ankle joint. We are often aware of the larger areas such as the Achilles tendon but forget that tendonitis can painfully appear in other tendons such as the flexor hallucis longus. These things do not just appear after one or two times of improper technique or daily habits. They result from a cumula

Veronica K — Certified Personal Trainer, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Ballet Injury Prevention Specialist Why Breathing Matters More Than Dancers Realize Most dancers spend years hearing, “Pull up! Tighten your core! Lengthen!” But almost no one is ever taught how to breathe  while doing it. After working with thousands of dancers as a PTA, CPT, and corrective ballet coach, I can say confidently: Poor breathing is one of the biggest hidden causes of posture issues, weak

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreaded standing at the end of the barre. The teacher would give a combination, my body would tense up, and I’d start breathing heavily knowing I had room to disappoint. I was convinced that if I made a mistake, everyone in the class would notice and I’d somehow be to blame if they messed up too. I carried ballet classroom stress like this with me for years. Stress became my “default” way of moving in ballet. My muscles were constantly tight,