By Mignon Furman

Tip 1
Sickling inward is seen often in young children, especially in hops in attitude devant. To correct this, teach students to hop with the leg held straight out in front. Once they can hop correctly, instruct them to bend the front leg slightly, keeping the foot in alignment. Another problem position is passé. Have students push the heel forward to eliminate the sickle.

Tip 2
Sickling outward is also known as “fishing” or “winging.” Some schools encourage it, particularly when pointing the foot devant or in arabesque. The shape of the leg and ankle determines whether this position makes a good line, so teachers need to assess the elegance of the line in each student and not change what looks good. When pointing the foot devant the “fishing” or “winging” is governed by the flexibility of the ankle; on a dancer with flexible ankles it can look very elegant.