A Word on Pointe Dancing
By Pointe Instructor
Mary Pivec

Dancing en pointe is a privilege which has traditionally been reserved for serious ballet students who possess the potential to dance in a professional or semi-professional company.  It takes great skills, strength, and stamina, as well as several years of training in ballet technique.  Knowledge of terminology and correct body alignment are crucial to the safety of the pointe student.

Because dancing en pointe requires the student to put their body in an extremely unnatural situation, it is very important the their body be adequately prepared.  Muscle strength, especially in the ankles and feet, can take several years to reach the level required by pointe work.  A well balanced diet, high in Vitamin D and Calcium, is also important to prevent the stunting of bone growth in the legs, ankles, and feet.

Ballet students should wait to go en pointe until after their first menstrual period (or about 12 years of age).   At this point synapse between the bones has begun to close and harden which will aid in keeping the dancer from putting too much strain on the tendons and ligaments, thus preventing tendonitis and other joint injuries.  Dancing en pointe before this time can seriously stunt growth in the lower body and cause several other muscle, bone, and joint injuries.

It is up to the instructor, student, and parents to decide whether or not the dancer is willing and ready to commit their body to this kind of training.  Discomfort and blistering are common and very much a part of the journey en pointe; however, stress fractures and strained tendons are not.  Please take the time to educate yourself and your dancer on all of the risks and benefits of dancing en pointe.

 

WHY CAN'T I GO ON MY TOES?
Helpful information from Celia Sparger

(Former Physiotherapist Sadler Wells School and Authour of Anatomy and Ballet and Beginning Ballet)