Sickling?

Last night we had a substitute instructor, Pascha, as our regular instructor is on vacation on a warm and sandy beach somewhere. This was the first class I'd had from this instructor: I know her as one of the front-office staff and didn't realize she taught ballet. Fellow students said said she was good and I was looking forward to seeing what her class was like.

Overall I was favorably impressed. This was much more of what I'd consider a Beginner II level class, with less action and more instruction. If I had to nit-pick I'd say her worst flaw is that she tended to give the steps in each exercise a bit too quickly, which resulted in students needing to ask for a repeat.

One of the things I like about having a variety of instructors is that each picks up on different things. Julie has X-ray vision that allows her to spot a bent knee even under baggy sweatpants from across the room (I've seen her do it), let alone tights or shorts. Last night, as I was holding demi-pointe a la seconde, Pascha told me, "Your foot is sickled."

So what is a sickled foot? Here is a photo from an article entitled "Ballet Basics: Common Errors in the Feet" from a website called Learn About Ballet that shows correct positioning in demi-pointe along with a winged and a sickled foot:

Correct foot position in demi-pointe, along with a "winged" and a "sickled" foot. From: learnaboutballet.wordpress.com

Apparently I angle my feet just a little toward the outside in this position. I might have dismissed this comment except that another instructor made a similar observation a few months ago.

Although I can consciously shift my position to correct this, I feel a strain on the ligaments between the front of my lower leg and the instep of my foot. It also feels less stable, probably because my second metatarsal is a bit longer than the first. I'll probably have to focus on stretching this area and maybe do some strengthening of the muscles on the outside to be able to adjust my position without conscious effort.