Kyra Laubacher

As a teen, my quads used to drive me crazy. Whether I was doing a tendu, a développé, or even a plié, they’d take over, and accessing my other leg muscles seemed frustratingly impossible. As teachers cued me to “lift from underneath” and “stop gripping” my quads, I struggled to figure out how to engage everything correctly. Quad gripping is common, and it’s often a matter of faulty muscle firing, weight placement, and mental imagery.

The past few weeks have brought another exciting round of ballet career news—check out the latest farewells, appointments, promotions, and more in your July 2026 roster roundup. Jake Roxanderhas been promoted to principal at American Ballet Theatre, effective September 1, 2026. ABT artistic director Susan Jaffe announced the news onstage following Roxander’s debut as Basilio in Don Quixote on July 3 at New York City’s Metropolitan Opera House.

Pointe shoes have looked and functioned about the same since the early 20th century: typically satin-covered, with fortified insoles and boxes made from fabric, paper, and paste. Few designs have strayed too far from this basic look and structure, despite huge advances in technology and sports medicine. Why has the pointe shoe been so resistant to change? The process of designing a new shoe and thoroughly integrating it into the market is complex and costly.