The Perfect Pointe Book
All The Tips, Tricks And Exercises You Need To Know About Starting En PointeHow Do You Tell When A Girl Is Ready For Pointe Work?
It is one of the most often asked questions in ballet, yet one to which there has not really been one definitive answer; “How do I know when I (or one of my students) am ready for pointe work?” Young girls dream of their first pair of pointe shoes for years before they will be allowed to get into them, and, until now, it has basically been up to the teacher to decide when each student makes the transition.
This has lead to many girls being allowed up too early, to “keep up with their class”, often resulting in chronic foot injuries that may plague even the most competent dancer throughout their career, or even permanent damage. Due to the variability in growth rates of girls in the 11 – 14 year age group (when moist girls start en pointe) and the lack of complete closure of many of the growth plates in the feet until at least 16 – 18 years of age, strength of the feet and ankles is a huge factor in preventing injury when progressing to toe shoes.
In Australia, many dance teachers have realised the importance of getting each girl individually assessed prior to going onto pointe. The ‘best dancer’ within a class may not necessarily have the strongest feet, and many weakness can be hidden inside regular ballet slippers. They advise each girl to undertake an assessment with a Special Dance Physical Therapist, who will perform screening tests that take much of the responsibility off the dance teacher in deciding who is able to go onto pointe and when. Following an initial assessment, special strengthening and mobility exercises are taught to strengthen any weaknesses in the dancers feet, ankles, hips and core muscles, to help the girls cope with the demands of pointe work.
A Dance Physical Therapist will see hundreds of girls each year for such assessments. The teachers find the resulting written reports on each girl extremely helpful for tailoring corrections in class, and all note the dramatic improvement in the girls overall approach to dance, both technically, and energetically, once they have their assessment, and have specific goals to work towards.
As there is a limited number of dancers a therapist can see day to day, and due to the enormous global interest in Ballet, a program was developed that made this process available to the world. It is based around 4 stages, each with clearly described tests to assess each girls current strength and mobility, explanations of what any weaknesses may mean, and programs of specific exercises to help improve all the highlighted areas. Once a girl can correctly perform all of the tests in each stage (each has a check-list to ensure that they are performed correctly) she should be strong enough to commence pointe work under the guidance of a qualified teacher. All of the tests and exercises are clearly demonstrated with clear photographs of both the correct and incorrect positions.
“The Perfect Pointe Book” is the essential companion to any dancer, either aspiring to progress to toe shoes, or already en pointe, and is an excellent resource for teachers of pointe work.
Lisa Howell (B.Phty) is a Physical Therapist (Physiotherapist) based in Sydney, Australia, who specialises in the assessment and treatment of dancers of all ages, from young students to professional level, and teachers. She is dedicated to the education of dancers to help prevent injury, and to develop optimal performance at every level. She produces a FREE weekly dancers newsletter with tips on all aspects of dance to help spread her knowledge to the world. To find out more about “The Perfect Pointe Book” or to receive the newsletter, go to http://www.theperfectpointebook.com.
16 Comments »
olivia wrote @
hi, my name is olivia, i am 12 years old. i am wondering if you could help me decide weather or not to ask my teacher about starting en pointe.
when i was 3 years old i started ballet lessons and continued them for 3 or 4 years, then when i was in kindergarten i started taking modern classes and i am still taking them (i am in 7th grade now) over the summers between 5th and 6th grade and between 6th and 7th grade i took ballet classes all summer. now i am taking 2 modern classes a week and 2 pre-pointe classes a week. i am 58 inches tall and weigh about 80 pounds. i have very strong calfs and i think i have strong ankles too. in my pre-pointe class there is only one other girl who has not started pointe.
do you think that i am ready for pointe? if not can you tell me some execercises that i can do to prepair?
thanks so much!
-olivia
Kyra wrote @
Hey. My name is Kyra. I started taking ballet when I was 2 and a half. I’m now 13. I took about 2 years off of dance when i was between the ages of 8 and 10. I recently switched dance acaedmy’s. My previous teacher told me I was ready to begin pointe, but kn new teacher is telling me I can’t. Why is that? How do I know if I’m really ready or not? Please help me. Thanks.
emily wrote @
hi, i am emily, i am 13 years old and would like to start the pointe, but i dont think i am quite ready yet because i started to take ballet seriously a few months ago, i have been on and off with other schools. i did grade 1&2 when i was 5 , then did grade 3&4 last year. now i am working towards grade 5. i feel a bit behide though because my ballet teacher has said to girls younger than me at the age of 10 to start the pointe after easter.But my mother says to follow my dream. which is BALLET. i would love to do the pointe and be a Darsey Bussell…
thanks Emily, 13 Heswall
Kaitlyn Graves wrote @
Ok i have been in dance for nine years and i’ll be 17 years old in 19 days. I have taken ballet hip hop jazz basicaly all of it and have always dreamed of goin on toe i just got my first pair of toe shoes and have been trying to learn a lot about it i dont wanna make any mistakes. I was wondering if you could help me and give me tips. my dance teacher said it would be best for me to walk around in them for six months then do work with them on the ballet bar for a few months before i start dancin in them but i would like some professional help. Also which kind of padding would be better i have been told lamb’s whool would probably be best!!! Please help!!
Danae wrote @
I am 15 years old and I have been taking a ballet for 4 months now and I love it. I would really love to be en pointe one day. Right now I am taking a once a week hour long class but I am trying to take two more a week 
I really want to buy the perfect pointe book and I cannot seem to find it. It may be my faulty computer.
Jo wrote @
Hi my names Jo im 13 years old I’ve Ben taking ballet for 8 months ! And my teacher seems to think I have a LOT of natural talent but I’m worried that if I ever want to go farther that I’m not built rite ! What is the height and waite you should be I’m 134 pounds and 5′3 ( is that to heavy ? ) If it is and you have anny tips on how to loose wait PLEASE HELP ! I don’t want to compurmise my possible fetich’s because of waite !!!!!
Sincerely ,
Jo ,13
Kimberly wrote @
Hi my name is Kimberly. I just started ballet in January and I’m 13. I am moderately strong and I was wondering how long it might take to get to pointe. I work really hard and do about 3 dance classes a week and about 100 or so releves at home every day.PLEASE ANSWER! I am dying to know when I might be on Pointe!
Beth wrote @
Hi, my name is Beth. I’m 14 years old and began ballet when I was 5. I did ballet until I was 10 at which point my family moved overseas and I was unable to find a good dance school. We moved again and I started ballet last year. I have very strong legs and ankles and was just wondering if I would be able to start pointe in September. My teacher said I would need to strengthen my ankles even more to do it. I was just wondering what your thoughts were on me starting pointe
Sara wrote @
Hi, My name is Sara and I have only done Ballet since September. I took 2 classes a week and I practice a LOT.
I have taken Jazz for three years but this was my first year of Ballet. I lot of girls got moved up this year and I did’nt. I can hold releva for over a minute and have really strong ankles. I was wondering what your thoughts are about when you think I could start pointe.
Kimberly wrote @
Nevermind my comment. My ballet teacher said I would probably move to pointe next February. Thanks anyway though!
Amanda wrote @
hello my name is Amanda and im 16 yrs old and m taking Ballet classes(and also tap classes) soon and i was wondering …. when will i get on to pointe i dont want to be too old and i am really scared about my first class.. what shuld i expect for my first class??
help me, thanks
x
McKenzie wrote @
I am 11 years old and want to go on Pointe sooooo bad! I am very strong and slim. I have very strong ankles and feet and strong core muscles. I just can’t seem to ask my teacher when she wants me on Pointe! I guess I just haven’t been taking Ballet long enough. I think I am going to buy the Perfect Pointe Book if my mom says I can. Can you send me some exercises? I am already doing a lot, but I want to do some exercises that I know will help me improve for Pointe. (
Sarah wrote @
I am 12 years old, and I have been taking ballet since I was 2 years old. The only point where I stopped was between when I was 10 and when I was turning 12. I am taking two ballet/pointe classes a week. These classes prepare you for pointe if you are not already en pointe. I really want to get en pointe soon. There about half the class is already en pointe and I really wish I was too. I asked my teacher what it takes to go en pointe, and she said the growth plates in my feet must be done growing, I have to have taken 2 years of dance, and I have to pass the pointe evaluation. The pointe evaluation is basically a test to make sure you are ready for pointe. Unlike many other girls I don’t know If I have strong ankles, or a core, I don’t know how good I am. My mom believes in me and says she thinks I will be en pointe by January, But I’m not so sure. I take many other classes too, at the same studio. I take Lyrical, Musical Theater, Acro, Jazz, and Modern. Please if there is any way you can help prepare me that would be great, I really want to be en pointe by January.
Thank you so much!!!
Sarah
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Hi Lisa!
I would love to sign up for the newsletter and get more information on your book but I can’t seem to sign up on the perfectpointebook.com website.
Thanks for your help!
Asha