That’s En Pointe!

For many ballet dancers, receiving their first pair of pointe shoes is a rite of passage. Expanding your dance experience to include this technique is exciting and challenging. But knowing IF you’re ready for pointe work can be confusing. Maybe you’ve been taking ballet for several years and “feel ready”. Maybe your teacher is suggesting it, and you just aren’t sure. And perhaps your parent wondering if pointe work is safe for your young dancer.

We hope this handbook will help you to know what is expected of a beginning pointe dancer, and how best to prepare your body for this new technique. At Art In Motion, we provide pre-pointe classes to instruct dancers not only in ballet technique, but also in cross-training exercises to prepare for pointe work. Dancers undergo a Pointe Readiness Assessment with their instructor to ensure that certain benchmarks are met before pointe shoes are worn. We also provide this guide to offer insight into how this technique is taught, and how the body adapts to being “en pointe”.

Whether you dance at AIM or another school, this guide is meant to offer any young dancer and their family a little more knowledge about pointe work. We recommend you consult with your dance teacher before beginning this work. But, when you do, we hope you feel informed and ready to dance!

Pointe: A Beginner’s Guide

At Art In Motion, we are working hard to develop a ballet program that provides classical technique and instruction in a supportive environment. For many young dancers, the addition of pointe work is a rite of passage in their dance education. We strive to incorporate pointe in a careful manner, taking the time to prepare, assess, and educate dancers about the rigors and benefits of this art form. We hope this guide will provide additional insights into pointe work for young dancers and what it means to be “en pointe”.

Am I ready for pointe?

Dancers should have the necessary training and technical foundation in ballet before beginning pointe work. Pre-pointe classes will offer targeted exercises to strengthen the feet, ankles, turnout, and core. As a general rule, dancers should meet the following criteria.

1. The student must be at least 11 years old. The bones of the foot do not fully develop and harden until approximately 13-15 years of age. A dancer must be strong enough to protect the bones before they are fully developed. Beginning pointe too early or without proper control can permanently damage the bones of the foot.
2. The student must have at least three years of consistent ballet training. Regular weekly classes in ballet with a strong emphasis on foundational elements of foot articulation, turnout, and placement will ensure the dancer knows how to control their body while en pointe. Supplemental classes in other dance forms and dance conditioning can also assist in gaining strength and control for pointe.
3. The student should be able to hold correct turnout while dancing from flat foot to demi pointe. Correct turnout is achieved from the hips and not the feet and knees. In the turnout position the foot is in line with the knee cap and hip joint. In demi pointe, weight should be easily maintained and centered forward over the big toe with heels forward and knees straight.
4. The student should have a straight trunk with no tilt of the pelvis. The straight trunk is achieved by activation of the back muscles and lower abdominals.
5. A strong demi-plie position should be used for all transitions. Turnout from the hips and proper knee cap to toe alignment should be present whenever executing a demi-plie. The foot should not pronate or supinate (roll outward/inward), the arches of the foot should be lifted but the heels remain on the floor.
6. The dancer should be able to fully point the foot in all steps without sickling. Sickling is a sign of weaker muscles on the outside of the ankle and can lead to injury/strain if the dancer lowers from en pointe to flat feet incorrectly.
7. Pique passe with straight leg. The student should have enough strength to push themselves onto demi pointe. This step demonstrates power in the plie leg, control of turnout, and ankle stability in the balancing leg.
8. Passe balance on demi pointe. The student should demonstrate strong placement: even hips, back straight, both legs turned out. This position is more difficult to correct en pointe, as the surface area for balance is smaller and the strength requirements greater.
9. The student should be able to execute 24 releves in center without rest. Proper form in rising up and down from demi pointe with minimal fatigue demonstrates adequate calf muscle strength, and a full demi pointe shows that proper range of motion in the ankle joint is present.

Ok, I think I’m ready. What’s next?

Dancers who achieve these benchmarks in class display a readiness for pointe work, and can prepare to take the pointe assessment. The pointe assessment includes the following exercises:

1. Postural assessment, both parallel and turned out.
   1. Head placement (neutral position)
   2. Upper back alignment/shoulders (even shoulders no rounding or pinching of shoulder blades)
   3. Lower back curvature (minimal curve, engaging lower abdominals to aid placement, no tucking of pelvis)
   4. Hip placement (even hips, no slouching into one side or the other)
   5. Knee alignment (length in the legs without hyperextension)
2. Forward bend
   1. Dancers should be able to bend forward and place at least fingertips to the floor
   2. Rolling up through spine with articulation even throughout
   3. Lifting up through flat back with control
3. First position
   1. Weight is forward in the toes
   2. No gripping of the tibialis anterior
   3. Turnout is executed from the hips
   4. Arches of the foot are off the floor
   5. Pelvis neutral
   6. Proper execution of demi and grand plie
   7. Proper execution of releve
4. Single leg balance in parallel
   1. Hold a proper retire for 30sec
   2. No toe gripping
   3. No rolling in
   4. No wobbling/core control
5. Single leg knee bends parallel and turned out
   1. Maintain proper back and hip alignment through the movement
   2. No toe gripping
   3. No rolling in
   4. No wobbling

6. Tendus en croix
   1. Maintain core control and proper turnout in all directions
   2. Strong foot articulation from ankle, through metatarsals, to toes
7. Retire passe and balance on demi-pointe
   1. Maintain turnout on both legs
   2. No rolling or gripping in the supporting leg
   3. Activation of hamstrings and lower abdominals in working leg (not just hip flexors)
   4. Core stability and flat back while on demi pointe
8. Single leg rises in coup de pied derrière
   1. 16 rises without rest
   2. Maintain turnout on both legs
   3. Full demi pointe each time
   4. No toe gripping
   5. Straight rise over big toe
   6. Controlled lowering to flat foot
   7. Hips square
   8. Straight supporting leg
9. Toe to wall test
   1. Demi plie with toes at least 10cm from wall
   2. No rolling in/sinking into arches
10. Toe swapping
    1. Lifting only big toe off floor without gripping others
    2. “Swap” toes so that big toe is down and all others are lifted
    3. Arch stays lifted, ball of the foot remains on the floor
11. Doming
    1. Activation of the lumbricals to draw the arch upward
    2. Heel maintains contact with the floor wile ball of the foot is lifted
    3. Visible toe knuckle activation
12. 1st toe extension
    1. Dancer can manually stretch the big toe to 90degrees
13. Turnout control
    1. Dancers execute 24 clamshells without rest
    2. Hip alignment is maintained throughout
    3. Controlled opening and closing actions
    4. No grip of the hip flexor
14. Core control
    1. Dancers hold a forearm plank for 45sec minimum with proper form
    2. Dancers hold a side plank for 30sec minimum with proper form
    3. Dancers can engage deep abdominals through “dead bug” exercise without releasing lower spine from the floor

I didn’t pass the exam. Will I ever go en pointe?

Just because you didn’t pass this time, doesn’t mean that hard work won’t get you there someday soon. As your instructor for direction and guidance on how to improve in the needed areas. Focus in your ballet lessons and practice drills at home. You can always request to retake the assessment. Every body progresses through ballet differently, so don’t get discouraged. Your teacher will know when the time is right for you to begin pointe.

I passed the assessment. Now what?

Dancers who pass the assessment can begin pointe work. Students will be trained first on how to properly sew and break in their shoes before learning exercises to further develop their strength and range of motion in pointe shoes. Dancers will spend their first year of pointe lessons at the barre. Here they will begin by relying on the barre to assist in rising and lowering in their shoes. As the body becomes stronger, the dancers will notice they use the barre less and will feel ready to leave and begin center work. All progressions at the barre will begin on two feet in parallel, then progress to two feet in turned out positions. Single leg actions will only be performed once the dancer displays mastery of the two-footed actions. 

The Twelve Week Rule: it takes the body about 12 weeks to complete any major repairs or changes in structure. 

For pointe, the student needs the strengthening of muscles to meet increased stress, the increasing of the density of bone cells to withstand increased pressure, the strengthening and thickening of ligaments to hold bones more securely in place. When these new requirements are put on the body, it requires major reinforcing of the bones, ligaments and muscles of the feet and ankles. This is why it is so important to go slowly and avoid causing pain or discomfort when beginning pointe work. No at-home practice should be attempted between classes, and dancers should begin with only one class containing pointe work per week.

Pointe work will feel slow and meticulous at first, and that is because it IS! Dancers must be fully aware of how their body is working and be in control at all times. Strength, balance, and flexibility must all work together to achieve proper pointe technique. The result of all your hard work will be confident and beautiful dancing en pointe!

We hope this guide provides you with the information needed to get started dancing en pointe!