What's In An Arch?
Mikko Nissinen cornered me after Boston Ballet’s Fall For Dance performance at New York’s City Center Theater last week simmering about the growing prevalence of fake arches, or pads placed over the aches to make them look bigger. He admitted to past struggles with two accomplished company members whose feet were “perfectly fine,” but who insisted on wearing arch enhancers for performance. “It’s a problem,” he said. “Now even students are starting to wear them.”
He’s right about that. We’ve gone a bit crazy over drooping arches these days, but plopping a bit of foam over an instep to create the look of an arch is only a cosmetic fix. Young dancers need to concentrate on developing the articulation and strength that result in beautiful footwork. Ballet is all about illusion, and good training is all about creating those illusions honestly. There’s no denying that fake arches are cheating. A professional dancer may make an informed choice to go that route, but for students, don’t rob yourself of the challenge to create work that will make you proud.
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