Understanding the Dual Nature of your Feet:
Foundation & Propulsion
Enjoy the recording of a Live Workshop with dance teachers just like you discovering some fascinating new and extremely applicable information.
How you use your affects all of your dance technique...from the ground up!
Exploration
Explore along with participants how the foot changes with movement, especially the difference between non-weight bearing and weight bearing.
Structure
Discover the structure of the foot, and in particular why the foot has the arches for both foundation and propulsion.
Step Analysis
Along with participants, go through some key dance steps to see if you are using the feet as designed.
Arch Development
Go through how the foot goes from a flat foot of a baby ideally through to the miraculous design of functional arches for walking, running and jumping.
Weight Placement
The issue of where to place the weight on the foot for proper functioning is often simply said to be "Keep the weight forward". This workshop will challenge that commonly held belief.
Transfer of Weight
How you transfer your weight will either be effective for the next movement or not. What does the imagery of landing like a helicopter vs an airplane have to do with it?
Improved Mobility
Via some hands on manipulation, work to increase full mobility of the foot as well as releasing the calf muscle for best depth of plie/fondu.
In Class Resources
Images and photos are available that you can use as a teacher to help deliver quickly and easily both concepts and anatomical information.
Next Steps
There are many great resources that can further your studies if you wish from books and online teaching and resources, both free and paid.
All of the Above Info will give you new insights, strategies and tools that will forever change how you teach dance. By truly understanding the brilliant design of the feet and the kinetic chains up the body, many of the typical challenges in teaching dance can be overcome.
About your Instructor: Mariah-Jane Thies
Not only has Mariah-Jane been teaching for over 37 years but also has been studying embodied anatomy for decades. She had professional motivation for doing so coupled with personal incentive. After a traumatic ankle injury at the age of 10 on the playground, Mariah-Jane struggled with continuous ankle and foot challenges, from a fallen arch and recovery from 2 surgeries.
The end result: advice given to get a desk job! Clearly, she did not follow this advice and has instead focused on true recovery. With this background, Mariah-Jane feels strongly that she has a unique angle to share for both dancers and dance teachers for which she earned the 2024 RAD Innovation in Dance Teacher Award.
Take the Next Step
You owe to YOUR Feet to ensure your Longevity and to
Your Dancers to give them Full Function!
Take the Leap!
