The Power of Plié

"Plié is the first thing you learn and the last thing you master." -Suzanne Farrell

This has always been one of my favorite dance quotes, because its so true. Throughout my dance training, teachers have always emphasized how important a good plié is. When I was teaching, I really made an effort to pass that advice on to my own students, though I don't think I really realized how far reaching it is.

I'm currently struggling with an uneven plié and its making my life difficult. The flexibility of my right ankle (that'd be the Ankle of Doom) still needs work. I can't get the same deep plié I can get on the other side. Landing jumps doesn't have the same squishy feel, and in pointe class recently, I struggled doing a simple tendu fondu to sous-sus en pointe (which requires a bit of a spring)--it was such a mess! I felt like I just could NOT push off the floor enough. Not to mention my complete inability to get off the floor for petit allegro.

It's been a year and a half since my surgery, and I worry that I'm not going to get my flexibility back. I try to stretch my calves daily, and can tell it helps a little, but I still feel like I'm hitting a wall.

I have some nice chunks of scar tissue in my ankle from surgery that are causing their own sort of impingement; I can only hope that they will break down or become more malleable (there are conflicting opinions about whether not not this can actually happen) so that I can get some more mobility, because I want my jump back!

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