Heels Down During Jumps…Technique or Physics?

Author: Samantha Panos on behalf of the IADMS Dance Educators' Committee

As dancers, we have all been told at one point to put our heels down when we land our jumps. As teachers, we may feel like we are constantly nagging our students to put their heels down. But why is preparing and landing from jumps with heels down important? Is it just good technique or does it play a larger role in performance capacity?