Dancin Zouk in High Heels
After a major injury in my left ankle, while chasing a bus on my way to the airport, I am finally dancing Zouk in high heels again. It was not easy, but with some help from my physiotherapist at löparakuten, I am as stronger as ever, and can actually endure a few hours of dancing in 9 cm high heels. This makes me think of all the misconceptions I used to have about high heels!
If you look around while at a Zouk event, you will see that most ladies dance in flat shoes. When you think of it, it is quite normal considering the perilous head movements you get to execute in Zouk. But now that I dance in high heels, I wonder, how could I miss this before?
Of course, it is not only the issue of having a healed foot that makes my delight so fascinating. It is also the fact that I have been training for this moment for a few years now, in spite of my bad ankle. It takes a strong core to be able to support your body in high heels while executing Zouk head movements, but also strong inner thigh muscles.
My point is, only because it is very hard, it does not mean impossible. Only because it’s unnatural, it does not mean it’s bad for your body, or your dance. In fact, I am forced to use those muscles I have been training for a couple of years now in order to keep my balance while dancing. I am really dancing with a neutral pelvis. I am really engaging my pelvic floor. I am activating all my “balance” muscles. All the elements to dance in a healthy way, provided I keep training my supporting muscles, I guess.
Don’t misunderstand me, I do not advocate for the general use of high heel shoes. In fact, I rarely walk around in high heels. But for dance, you can actually see them as a powerful training tool. Like the training wheels on your first bicycle. Wanna go for a ride? Start using not-so-high heels and keep on dancing. Unless you have a condition that prevents you from using high heels, you will see the development. Don’t forget to train your core!
Lili from Zouk in Stockholm.
