Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 7/18/2008

Question
I began ballet when I was 3 right up to when I was 11, then I quit. I'm 14 now and I started again nearly a year ago. I'm anxious to go on pointe, I'm meeting all the necessary requirements; am I ready?

Answer
Hi Megan, I thought I had answered this question before, and maybe somehow it didn't get to you. Sorry about the delay. I can understand that you are eager to start ballet in pointe shoes, and it's good that you want to be sure you are ready.

If your teacher says you are meeting all the requirements, then all you can do to verify that is test yourself. I couldn't begin to outline that for you here (I'd have to write a book), but if you truly wish to do this, I can recommend a book written by a dance medicine specialist. Her manual outlines self-assessment for foot strength, turnout strength, and posture. She carefully explains technique, anatomy, and every exercise you should be able to do with enough strength and accuracy, before dancing in pointe shoes. It costs $47.77 US, and probably you would use it as a reference as long as you are dancing.

I got it at http://www.theballetstore.com there is a link to her book on the the front page, it's called The Perfect Pointe Book. It is a download, and she includes photos and videos to illustrate her text.

A general rule for starting a student on pointe is that she would have been doing three ballet classes a week for a year, first.

I hope this helps. If you do start pointe too early, you won't enjoy it anyway, so it is good to be sure you have enough strength.

All the best, Dianne