I am fascinated by the biomechanics of what makes for great vocal technique.
I also happen to like high-heeled shoes.
That seems to imply a conflict of interest.
We’re frequently reminded that heels can compromise alignment. “A woman’s body will attempt to compensate for the off-kilter balance heels cause by flexing, or forward bending, the hips and spine,” Christine Schrum warns in her May 2014 article for the Iowa Source, “High Heels: So Sexy It Hurts.” “In order to maintain balance, the calf, hip, and back muscles become tense.”
“Avoid high heels if possible . . . from the vocal point of view, half-heels or flats are better,” recommends Dr. Anthony Jahn in his Summer 2014 column for Classical Singer.
“One change in a postural measurement could affect the entire alignment needed for singing,” notes Amelia Rollings in her paper “The Effects of Shoe Heel Heights on Postural, Acoustical, and Perceptual Measures of Female Singing Performances: A Collective Case Pilot Study.”1 “For instance, a decrease in lumbar lordosis could correlate with a collapsed sternum, which could impact breathing.”
Given the potential hazards, why would a singer wear heels? Why would anyone?
Because they make women look and feel more attractive.
This isn’t just a modern cultural bias. Women across the globe have worn heels for at least three millennia.
Psychologists Paul H. Morris, Jenny White, Edward R. Morrison, and Kayleigh Fisher “investigated the hypothesis that the association between high heels and female sexuality is partly a function of the effect of high heels on how women walk” and concluded that “high heels exaggerate sex-specific aspects of female gait.”2 Schrum points out that “Walking in heels causes the back to arch and the chest to thrust forward, giving women that sexy come-hither stance.”
With the exception of mezzo-sopranos who specialize in pants roles, heels are the default choice for women’s audition/concert attire and are often a component of an opera costume. “The heel is the acceptable shoe of choice [for auditions],” observes voice teacher and blogger Susan Eichhorn Young, pointing out that, “Heels do not mean 5-inch club wear! A simple kitten heel can be elegant and dressed up. If you aren’t used to heels regularly, a wedge heel might be more comfortable to walk and stand in . . . any height is acceptable if it makes sense for your type and your ability to move, walk, and support.”
As opera is the realm of heightened emotions and high stakes, it should come as no surprise that gender attributes are also usually exaggerated. How, then, are women singers to reconcile the need for optimal physical alignment with the insistence that they wear heels?
By minimizing their negative impact through the development of strength, stability, and flexibility.
Singers must continually compensate for the impact stage movement has on technique. It’s one thing to be able to execute an aria brilliantly in the studio, but quite another to perform it just as brilliantly while running on a raked stage, wearing not only heels but also a 2-pound wig and a corset. If your technique falls apart on stage, it’s time to develop a strong core as well as stability throughout your torso and limbs.
If you have poor alignment and a weak core, heels will exaggerate the impact these problems already pose for your singing. If, however, you have excellent alignment and are reasonably strong and flexible, wearing heels will likely have little or no impact on your technique, provided you pay some extra attention to those parts of your body most directly affected by the additional leverage.
Stretch Your Calves and Lower Back
When you wear heels, your ankles are in a sustained state of flexion—your calf muscles are continually contracting. Massage your calf muscles with a foam roller or other device and perform static stretches for both your gastrocnemius and soleus muscles, before and after performances.
Wearing heels exaggerates the curve of your lumbar spine. The classic yoga cat/cow stretch combination is a great warmup and cooldown. Begin on your hands and knees, with your spine in neutral. Alternately move between spinal extension (cow) and spinal flexion (cat).
Strengthen Your Core
The Plank is a classic core stabilization exercise, activating and strengthening the transversus abdominis and other key core muscles. Begin on your elbows and knees, with your spine in neutral. Then step your feet back and lower your hips so that your shoulders and hips are in similar alignment to what they would be while standing. Continue to breath deeply and maintain this position for 30 seconds or more.
Improve Your Balance
Strength-training moves that incorporate a stabilization element prepare your body to execute complicated movements and compensate for challenging costumes. The Single Leg Squat Touchdown is among my favorites.
Alignment is dynamic, not a static spinal position to be “held.” You need to be able to move around in all directions while singing, and adding shoes with high heels to the equation is a movement challenge that you can expect to encounter with some regularity.
Women who wear high heels throughout their entire workday are far more likely to incur problematic chronic tensions than singers who don heels for the length of an audition, a recital, or even a full opera role. If you cultivate good alignment and stretch before and after performances, hopefully you will find that wearing heels does not impede your ability to sing well.
While Amelia Rollings finds that different heel heights influenced the singers she studied in a variety of ways and emphasizes the need for further investigation, she also concludes that “[it] is doubtful that shoe heel height alone can make the difference between a stellar vocal performance and a mediocre one.”
