Two Easy and Simple Ways to Gradually Improve Your Arch

Over the past 6 months I have unintentionally improved my instep and arch by performing daily exercises on my feet, without really even thinking about it. I do it in several ways, and here's how you can too.


1) Pointing
When you're sitting down during the day, wherever you are, whether it's in class, on your laptop, on the train or in the car, train yourself to subconsciously keep pointing your foot. It's simple, but it definitely works. And think of how long you spend sitting down each day! 4 hours at the very least, I would think, and all that time you could be pointing your feet, and it would definitely improve your arch in no time.
2) Tondus
This one is for when you're standing, though perhaps when alone at home or you may get some strange looks. You could do it whilst ironing or cooking, for example. Keep doing tondus the whole time you're standing, making sure you're really slowly pointing and stretching through your whole foot, pushing out the instep. This exercise will not only improve your arch but also will gradually yet greatly increase the strength of your foot too.


The beauty of these exercises is really just how easy they are to do. They don't require much thought, because within a few weeks of you doing them you'll forget about remembering, and instead it will just become a subconscious habit. Another great benefit of them is that if you, like I used to, have one foot hugely stronger than the other, you can use these exercises to work on your weaker foot, without much effort from your brain.


And remember; keeeeeeeeeeeeep arching! (that was awful, wasn't it? Still, you have to love a Bruce Forsyth reference)

How to Get Ahead of the Game When Auditioning

Well, the key word here is prepare. Know your stuff. Weeks before the audition, contact the company or school and ask them any questions you have. It's better to ask them, and then have your name stuck in their mind for a few weeks than turning up and wishing you'd asked a question when you had the chance. However the important thing here is don't be annoying. Or ask unnecessary questions. Make sure you read all the information you're given about the audition first, rather than jumping straight to the 'contact us' section, sending 10 emails about what colour your hair grips should be in the audition, only to get a grudging reply back saying "read page two". It's embarrassing, and the panel will either think you're not serious because you didn't read the information carefully enough; or they'll smell the paint and think you were annoyingly trying to get into their good books, in a completely irritating way.
Anyway, moving on! So, preparing. Do your research. Read, google, wiki everything you can about the company or school you're auditioning for. Questions could possibly pop up during the audition, and you being able to answer them with your genuine knowledge of the company/school shows that you're interested and passionate about it too. You'll also feel more comfortable and confident when you're auditioning because if you don't look up the place first, it sometimes feels like turning up to a geometry test you haven't revised for.
Finally, look for anything about the company or school that makes them THEM. For example, Matthew Bourne's New Adventures look for dancers who are passionate and inquisitive, as well as having good technique. So if there's one auditionee who is energetic and enthusiastic but may need slightly more practise on her fouette turns, and then another who's technique is down to a tee but spends the whole audition looking glum and bored, guess who is going to get the part? Knowing the company or school's little quirks will get you one step ahead, and could prove absolutely invaluable when it comes to the day.
So remember: prepare, ask questions, and research research research!

My first post: about me

So, before I started blogging, I thought I'd tell you a bit about myself.
It's important when reading these type of blogs to know where the information is coming from, especially because you could be reading "advice" that is dangerous to your body and career.
I therefore am promising that you can have full trust in me that I am delivering accurate, true, reliable and safe information from one dancer to another. 
Anyway, my name is Fran and I dance. I am a dancer, an assistant dance teacher and a choreographer for small things. My other hobbies are reading, writing and laughing. I cannot pick a favourite dance style because I love so many so much, but my top two are ballet and tap.
I love ballet because it is so precise, elegant and quiet. No one knows how fast your heart is beating, how hard you are struggling, how the cramp in your leg muscles is killing you. Because as a ballerina you make it all look effortless and that is the beauty of it.
I love tap because it is so energetic and just really enjoyable. If I'm feeling down, one of my first things to do would be to whack on some tap shoes, and just start tapping. And it's such a creative art. You can make steps up easily and do it anywhere, even if you're not in tap shoes. It's great.
So there you go. A bit about me :) Now I'll get on to blogging about dance...