How to Begin Pointe Properly: Guidelines for Beginners
Jun 18th, 2008 | By Blog Editor | Category: Parents & Young Dancers, Teaching, Education & Careers, Young Adult Dancers
To prevent injury and begin successful training, a dancer, as well as a dancer’s parents and instructors, must follow important guidelines when deciding on the best time to begin pointe.
The Physical Demands of Pointe
Susan Sharkey of the Royal Academy of Dance reminds students in the “Right to the Pointe” demonstration at Jeanne’s School of Dance in Mesa, Arizona, that a dancer’s body holds her up on pointe, not the pointe shoes.
When a dancer goes on pointe, the shoes will add at least seven inches to her height. Before attempting to manage that extra height and instability, a dancer must be able to masterfully control her muscles and movements.
When You’re Ready for Pointe
The bones in a child’s foot are not fully developed until about age nine or ten. To prevent long-term injuries, dancers must wait to begin pointe until they are about 11 years old.
But age isn’t the only criteria for beginning pointe training. A dancer should also have had at least three years of ballet training. And, she should be able to participate in ballet classes at least three times per week.
Once a dancer fulfills all of these requirements, her instructor should test her physical abilities. A dancer beginning pointe should:
- demonstrate the ability to obtain releve and hold passe position for at least 15-30 seconds
- demonstrate proper hip, knee, and foot positions in the releve position
- execute proper bar and floor movements and positions
- display strength in torso, sides of body, back, lower abdominal muscles, inner and back thigh muscles, ankle and attending tendons and muscles
- demonstrate foot strength and flexibility
- be free from abnormalities such as bunions, dropped arches, or collapsed first or second metatarsals
Because pointe training is so demanding, according to Sharkey, a dancer should begin to take classes on the demi-pointe before beginning pointe work.
Injuries to Watch for When Beginning Pointe
Podiatrists warn that dancers most often suffer ankle injuries, foot fractures, Achilles’ tendonitis, bunions, hammertoes, and neuromas when beginning pointe work. So, even if a dancer seems ready, she needs to begin slowly to prevent injury.
When young dancers begin pointe work too early, injuries can end a promising career. Whether you’re a dancer, a parent, or–most importantly–an instructors, it’s always important to remember that the wait for pointe is worthwhile!
WHAT ARE YOUR EXPERIENCES WITH POINTE? Are you a dancer who is waiting to begin, or wondering if it’s time to begin, pointe training? Are you a parent whose child is beginning, or wants to begin, pointe? Are you an instructor with experience in evaluating a dancer’s pointe readiness? Comment on this post with advice, or questions, on the topic of going on pointe!
I’m a dancing teacher (istd ballet, modern & tap) and I want pointe shoes in my next tattoo. Where can i get the pointe picture to take to my tattooist?
Miranda: Would you like the photo from this post, or a different photo? I’ll e-mail you!
-Jen
Hi. I’ve been dancing for two years (one year jazz/modern and one year ballet). i know that it says to start pointe work the dancer must have 3 years dance experience, but is that also true for demi-pointe?
i don’t want to dance en pointe just sometimes at the barre.
i also want to convince my teacher that im ready.
ps and i’m 16 years old and don’t want to start too late
Dance Lover:
One good thing about being a bit older is that the bones in your feet should be fully formed and developmentally ready for pointe work. (For younger dancers, sometimes the hardest thing is having to wait until they are old enough to start pointe).
Three years of experience is recommended so that you’ve had time to develop the proper strength and technique to begin pointe work. To work on demi-pointe, you should also be able to demonstrate certain strengths and abilities so that you are not injured.
If you’d like to begin demi-pointe, talk to your dance teacher about it. Ask if he or she can evaluate you and tell you whether you can begin demi-pointe.
Dancers progress at different rates, depending on personal strength and how often they take lessons. So, even though we have guidelines in place for beginning pointe and demi-pointe, it’s best to have your ballet teacher evaluate you individually. This way, if you’re not quite ready, your teacher can tell you what you need to focus on improving.
Thanks for the comment, DanceLover! Let us know how things go.
-Jen