Expert: Dianne M. Buxton - 11/29/2007

Question
Well, i have a few questions well first i was wondering if you can tell be if I'm ready for pointe cause I'm 11 and   I'm 5'3 and a half and i have been doing ballet for a while i did ballet when i was 4 ish til i was 7 and then i stopped for a while til i was ten then I started again and now I'm eleven I'm fairly good and i drink lots and lots of calcium in fact i take so much I'm now lactaid intolerant. And if I'm not can you tell me some good ways to get ready for em. And do you have to be a certain weight for pointe just wondering.

Answer
Hi Christina. Since I cannot see you in class, or see your technical accuracy, I cannot tell if you're ready for pointe.

The general rule is, that if you have been taking at least three classes a week for one year, you can be assessed for pointe work.

I cannot describe the lengthy details of those assessments here. They are available in a book, where dance students can actually assess themselves, do exercises to strengthen the required muscles, and assess themselves again. If you feel you are ready to do something that takes self-discipline and daily exercises (just a few minutes mind you) you can get the book at this site:
http://www.linkbrander.com/go/54727 It costs $47.77 US. It is a very expertly written manual with photos and lots of explanation for pre-pointe exercises, turnout, posture, and more.

You can find a non-dairy source of calcium at a good health food store. It is best mixed with magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin D, to be absorbed well. Vegetables like broccolli, and also sesame seeds are very high in calcium.

Ask your teacher if there are any specific areas she would like to see you improve in, to do pointe work. That will give you some ideas, and help you figure out if you want to look further, such as getting the manual I refer to above.

Let me know if you have any more questions after you've explored this further.

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!