Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 4/8/2008

Question
Hello
My Name is Elizabeth and I'm 14 years old.I have been taking dance for about 10 years now (if you count pom pom & aero)
I am doing dance classes right now in Ballet/pointe ,Adv. Jazz ,Modern , & Adv tap and I think I am Ready to go on pointe now. Everyone else in my class was already on pointe when I joined. My feet and ankels are very stoung , I'm 5'8 ,116 pounds and very fit , But my teacher never ever says anything about me doing any pointe work & I dream for day when I get to. So I was hoping that you could help me by telling me some things to do to be ready to go on pointe. And also what are most teachers look for to decide if a dancer is ready for pointe work.
Thank you so much for your time,
Signed
Elizabeth

Answer
Hi Elizabeth.

I think that the first thing you should do is ask your teacher. Find out what she thinks about when you can go on pointe. Ask her exactly what you need to work on.

The second thing I can recommend to you is a pre-pointe manual written by a dance medicine specialist. It is called The Perfect Pointe Book and the link for that is at http://www.theballetstore.com

The author  presents exact ways for you to assess yourself, your strengths and weaknesses. She gives you exact exercises to do to get strong enough for pointe work. It is an ebook that you download. It is expertly written, comes with videos and photos, foot anatomy and tons of information that you do not get in a ballet class. It has more info in it than many teachers know. It would allow you to practice safely at home, since you are serious about progressing.

Most teachers look for very accurate technique, and strength.

There are also many (free) articles at theballetstore.com about the details of good ballet technique that will answer your questions about being ready for pointe work. The essential basics of ballet movements are  covered.

I hope this helps for now Elizabeth. Feel free to ask me questions anytime. All the best, Dianne.