How are dancers able to dance in high heels without twisting their ankle or worse?

Question

And more importantly, how can I dance in heels without injuring myself? I would really appreciate tips, advice, and ways to learn how to do it from experienced dancers only please :)

Answer 1

I dance Latin in strappy sandals with 3" heels for 6 years. It takes some practice and training. It aslo takes the correct shoes that provide proper support. I do all sorts of steps, jumps, kick and flicks when wearing my Latin shoes, but I don't dare to dance like that in my street shoes. Street shoes = moderate dancing, like clubbing. They are designed for walking or actually for sitting around. Dance shoes, while having a flexible sole, have a metal shank that runs from inside the heel to the middle of the sole. That prevents the heel from twisting sideways if you step not quite right.
When people are serious about their dancing they learn the correct foot placement. In short, if you let your ankles roll out - that's dangerous. When we first start learning, we do very simple steps where correct foot placement is not crucial. Your body naturally avoids being hurt, so you sort of avoid making too big of a step or too complicated of a step. But eventually it gets better. We also do exersises that strenghtens our feet. Raising on your toes as high as you can go and holding your balance for 10 seconds without rolling out works miracles. Do it barefoot, but also do it in heels, heels need to be off the ground.

I don't recommend spending all your life in heels in order to get your feet stronger. It is pretty hard on your body. Yeah, wear them often, but not all the time.

We do get hurt sometimes. Foot injuries happen despite of all efforts to avoid them.

Answer 2

Well dance heels are considerably more flexible than regular heels. Also, usually the dancer will have it braced at a shoe repair between the shank and the heel. This prevents the heel from moving around or breaking while you're dancing. Also keep in mind that when you wear them, it's best to dance in the same size heel. If you switch back and forth you can set yourself up for injury and will probably find dancing the same choreography difficult to perform since the height of the shoe will shift your body and how you shift your weight around to execute the dances. Fit is important also.Make sure that they fit properly.An finally,practice makes perfect.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How are dancers able to dance in high heels without twisting their ankle or worse?
And more importantly, how can I dance in heels without injuring myself? I would really appreciate tips, advice, and ways to learn how to do it from experienced dancers only please :)

Answer 4

How To Dance In Heels

Answer 5

I badly sprained my ankle about 3 weeks ago. I was in a hurry going down the stairs, lost my balance and landed on a bad side of my left foot, causing my left ankle to be stretched going on the inside. The first 48 hours were excruciating and the pain was un-believable. I've never had a serious ankle injury before.

So I immediately treated it using the RICE method. The following day, the bruising and swelling were so horrible. I found out that I got a second degree sprain and immediately panicked after that. I had a football game on that week and it been looking forward to it because I've been training for rt. I had teammates that had similar injuries and it took them months to fully recover, some of them stopped playing altogether. So I kinda had a short-term depression because I can't imagine myself not being able to run and play sports anymore.

Because I was so desperate to recover again, I contacted a lot of people that I know who do sports and asked them if they had similar injuries. One friend of mine, from the boy's football team in my university, told me about H.E.M. Ankle Rehab. I got a copy 4 days after I got injured. I immediately read and followed what was instructed and felt improvement on the first day. I was able to walk a bit, but I was in pain.

A couple of days after that, the swelling and bruising were subsid-ing significantly and on the fourth day, I was walking comfortably again. Although I've had felt a bit of stiffness, I continued doing what was instructed. My sister was surprised that I have recovered this fast. I told her about this book and was shocked on how effective the procedures were. I'm just so happy that this book was shared to me and how effective it is.

Heal your ankle fully & fast?

Answer 6

The only way to get good at walking, dancing, running, whatever in heels is to practice. Eventually, your ankles and calves will be able to support your weight better. My grandmother wore heels every day of her life. By the time she was sixty, she couldn't go barefoot - her feet had completely formed to heels.

Answer 7

You wear the right dancing shoes, and you don't look on the ground while dancing! Everybody dances professional or not profession - when you go clubbing all girls have high hills. It's a matter of balance, and that comes from experience. Good luck!

Answer 8

well ive always been able to walk in heels but im pretty sure they just practice alot and like start out with small heals and make them higher and higher. its not as hard as it looks
good luck
xoxo jordan

Answer 9

I always spend my half an hour to read this blog's posts daily along with a mug of coffee.

Answer 10

You should wear dancing shoes, the one that have a small strap around your ankle and it should be tight enough.