A primary purpose of my blog is to serve as a sounding board for all those interested in a more in-depth exploration of the inner workings of dance. Are you having problems with your dance? Frequent injuries? Experiencing difficulties advancing? Discovered a trouble spot that won’t seem to go away?
Send me a question in the comments and I will respond in a new blog post!
I have over 20 years experience working as a master teacher and my specialities are helping injured dancers recover; teaching those who struggle with traditional methods; and inspiring dancers who have been dissuaded from pursuing dance as a career.
A brief summary of my history: after starting at the age of 22, and with only 3 years of intense training, I was accepted, without even auditioning, to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, one of the most well respected companies in the world. Now I want to share the secrets that made me progress so quickly.
Visit my company’s website http://www.johncartballet.org, for more information and to view my current work. Be sure to leave your questions in the comments!
Solution Dance 
Hello! I’ve been dancing for tenyears and suffer chronic pain in my knees and hips. Can you advise me on what would be causing this and what I can do to make it stop? Thank you!
Dear Veronica,
There could be several possibilities for your pain, in regards to how you are training:
1. You could be overly turning out your feet alone and not from the top of the hip as you should be.
2. Ignoring your hip structure and also ignoring the discomfort you carry around while you are training.
3. You might not be paying attention to how you stand on your feet. Meaning. . .
A. Everting your feet when you stand (favoring the little toe)
B. Inverting (favoring the big toe)
C. Are you standing whole footed (optimum!)
D. How you are pitching your weight — too far back or forward?
E. Are your torso and hips twisted out of alignment from a normal bipedal position?
Any and all of these possibilities could be causing undo strain on your muscles, ligaments, and tendons, causing distortions and imbalances in the way you are working — which likewise causes pain. Thank you for your comment and I hope this helps you begin to take a second look on how you are training, especially things you take for granted that could be damaging your body and your chances for a dance career.