Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 3/20/2011

Question
hi, my daughter is 11 she has been dancing from 4, all dance styles she does  2 ballet classes a week i want to know how many ballet classes   she should be taking a week as she wants to progress to point, also can she wear split sole soft ballet shoes. thank you

Answer
Hi Jane. The general guideline for preparing to dance in pointe shoes is three ballet classes a week for the past year, and a minimum of three years studying ballet.

Each student should be assessed by their teacher, for the necessary strength to do pointe work.

http://balletshoesandpointeshoes.blogspot.com/2008/10/use-of-theraband-for-balle... is a blog post of mine that describes some excellent foot strengthening exercises your daughter can do six days a week.

If she wants to do more, she can get The Perfect Pointe Book, and you will see the book's icon on the left of the blog which you can click, to hear the author talk a little about the book. It is a download with photos and videos explaining how to do all the pre pointe exercise properly.

Whether to wear split soles or not is a personal preference, though I think that full sole shoes give the foot more to work against, and perhaps add to the strengthening of the foot better.

All the best to you and your daughter, Dianne.