Our feet contain an astounding 25% of the body’s bones and each one of them has an important function. Encasing our feet into shoes and constantly walking on artificial surfaces weakens our feet by depriving them of the natural workout that the muscles require, eventually causing strength and fine motor skill loss that is vital for our feet to properly support our bodies. We call on the muscles of the ankle to take the load instead which leads to further weakening the foot muscles. There are all sorts of domino effects that can come from weak feet, i.e. ankle and knee problems and even hip problems. This is one of the reasons Hilliard Studio Method® workouts are in bare feet. Standing in second position on the balls of the feet is much tougher than doing it with big padded shoes on – and much healthier for not only your feet but the balance of your entire body. At Hilliard Studio Method we take the body as a whole and set the barre high to strengthen not only our muscles, but our mind and spirit as well!