Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 9/23/2007

Question
QUESTION: I have an 11 year old that has been taking ballet for 3 years seriously. The last two years, she has been taking 4  ballet classes/week. This year, we started at a new studio and they put her on pointe over the summer. They are now pushing her to dance on pointe for the winter show. What are your thoughts?

ANSWER: My first question is what does your daughter feel about this? Does she feel confident? How long a rehearsal period is there? I doubt her teacher would cast her in a pointe work number unless she was ready - after all, the teacher is showing off her school.

However, I'm assuming that you may not have seen this school's shows before, so you have no way of knowing how these teachers present their students.

Since I can't see her, or the quality of training she is getting, I can only guess. I would talk to your daughter, who is an experienced student. Let her know that she can withdraw from the dance if she feels she is not strong enough, or feels she is being pushed too hard. Hopefully all is well, and the teachers are making a good judgment here.

All the best, Dianne

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: THANK YOU for the response. I have seen videos of the previous shows and they are certainly top notch. My daughter says she feels very confident in her ability. I just have heard so many conflicting stories about the first year of pointe and so many say that all students should only be on pointe 15 minutes once a week for the first year. The rehearsal period began in August and the show is in December. There are several additional weekend run throughs in October and November as well. Will dancing on pointe so early create future foot damage/issues?


Answer
There is no formula - and that leaves it up to every teacher to assess correctly, every student.

Since your daughter works very hard, I would take her to an activator chiropractor (usually better for dancers, and you can see that at activator.com) once a month. If you call some in your area and find one that does applied kinesiology, that doctor can assess the strength of all the relevant ligaments and muscles, and you can ask the doctor about any concerns you have.

Omega 3 oils and lean proteins will help your daughter develop properly.

http://www.theballetstore.com has info about diet and strengthening exercises - and more. As far as future damage, I do not see any reason to worry, but I think the right chiropractor can adjust her periodically and assure you that her musculoskeletal system is doing fine.

If there is anything else you think I can help with, please let me know.

All the best, Dianne

A brief follow up - I've recommended to almost everyone to read my articles and blog entries at http://www.theballetstore.com. You have to create a user name to log in to see all the blog entries - your privacy is safe! I really apologize that I didn't tell you this - I'm not a technical person!