Ballet Dancers - Sore Feet - 4 Year Old Boy

by Lauren
(Australia)

Ballet Dancers - Sore Feet - 4 Year Old Boy

My 4 year old son started dancing nearly 10 months ago.
He does tap, jazz and ballet, acrobatics. Once a week.
Over the last 2 weeks he has complained of sore feet and doesn't want to dance anymore. He is a solid boy weighs about 20kg and just turned 4.
Does this mean dancing is not for him?
I send him to a dance centre that costs $25 a lesson. Could they be pushing him to hard to perform?
Is this a common problem?
I never danced myself but I thought it was important for my son to have some kind of dancing ability.
Should I stick with it or pull him out of classes?
I always wanted him to enjoy and love dance.
Should I speak to his teacher?

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Reply by Odette
To:- Ballet Dancers - Sore Feet - 4 Year Old Boy

Hello Lauren,

Thank you for contacting me it is great to hear from you. Well, at a first glance I am quite puzzled because I have not come across this problem much before. It would be ashame to pull him out of dance classes, as it it has so many benefits for the body as well as a lot of fun too.

Maybe ask where about his feet are sore? Is the sole? The metatarsals? Or is it is more of an achy pain rather muscular?

First thing to do is to get it checked out by a professional to see if there is a problem in his feet. I would definitely ask his teacher first for advice too, just to check whether it could be anything he is doing from his dance classes. He is very young, so I am surprised his feet would be sore with all the energy he has.

Male ballet dancers will not have pointe work included in their dance training, so whilst their feet still have to be strong, they will not be under so much pressure for their feet. I doubt the dance centre are pushing him too hard, as I am sure they are highly in control of what level they should be giving each child for their age and ability.

Dance is a wonderful hobby for both boys and girls, so it would be great for him to stick with the dance. However, the enjoyment and love must come from your son himself in order to make the most out of the classes. He has already been dancing nearly 10 months, which is a substantial amount of time.

Make sure you double check his dance shoes are all the correct size. He will no doubt get sore feet if his shoes are too small and dancing regularly each week. The dance shoes should be snug, but still enough room for the toes to lay flat.

I hope he recovers from his sore feet! Keep in touch.

Best wishes,
Odette