Ballet Pointe Shoes - Exercises to Help Start Pointe Sooner?

by Anna Little
( Greeley,Colorado,United States of America, )

Ballet Pointe Shoes - Exercises to Help Start Pointe Sooner?

Hello,
I asked a question similar to this a few days ago but I thought this is more appropriate for what I want to know. I've been doing ballet for 7 years, I'm 17 and I'm still not on pointe. I work soooo... hard and I have classes every day. I stretch everyday and hold my splits for three minutes each day. I've wanted to start point for a while now but my instructor still hasn't started me. I really would like to know what I'm doing wrong, could you PLEASE, PLEASE, give me some exercises or something I can do to make me better. To make me be able to start pointe. I know you need to have a strong core to do pointe so I've been doing sit ups daily as well. I really want to start pointe is there anything else I can do?

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Reply by Odette
To:- Ballet Pointe Shoes - Exercises to Help Start Pointe Sooner?


Remember, just like I did before I went en pointe, ballet students MUST take responsibility for their own strengthening prior to beginning pointe work.
Australian dancer, Lisa Howell has made a video which explains how pre-point strengthening works.
Don't leave it to your teacher!
You can watch this pre-pointe video
yourself here (just wait for the page to load up then the video is on the top right of the page).


Hello Anna Little,
Thanks for both your messages, it's great to hear from you and I hope I can help out. Firstly, it doesn't neccessarily mean you are doing something wrong if you haven't started pointe yet. It could be a case of strengthening in certain areas, or just talking to your instructor and asking whether you are ready.

In terms of what you can do yourself, I would say you mostly want to focus on your footwork and demi-pointe work to prepare you for pointe. You can look at my physical therapy equipment page, which gives certain exercises using a resistance band to strengthen your feet for pointe.

If you are looking for the ultimate advice and solutions, then look at the video above which is by Lisa Howell. She is an expert in pointe, so it is worth looking into her ebook.

Otherwise, I would say you have been studying ballet for a long enough time so it you should ask your instructor if it is something you really want. Then you can figure out what areas you need to work on and when is the right time for you to start pointe.

Best wishes,
Odette