When am I ready for Pointe Work?

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When am I ready for Pointe Work?
Topic Started: Nov 20 2007, 09:50 PM (96 Views)
Miss Melissa	Nov 20 2007, 09:50 PM Post #1
Tell a friend to join! Posts: 363 Group: Admin Member #2 Joined: October 16, 2007	Picture a juggler balancing a broom on the tip of his finger. In essence, this is what a dancer must do to achieve proper pointe positions. On pointe, the bocy must be balanced, or centered, over the tips of the toes. It is very important that proper centering and alignment be under full control in flat shoes before pointe work is even considered. First things first. Are you 12 or older? If you are not yet 12, your bones are not hard enough for pointe work. And while you might be strong enough, you could do permanent damage to your feet and body. I know it is hard to wait, but you must. There are many things that your teacher will look at when deciding whether to put you on pointe or not. Do you have proper balance and alignment? Directly related to these are foot, ankle and back strength, for no matter how correct the alignment is in a standing position, weak arches and ankles, and a lack of back strength will cause the alignment to change when rising to half-toe, and ultimately to full pointe. How do we know if those things are strong enough? Weaknesses in these areas will show themselves in the dropping back of the shoulders, causing the rib cage to open, and the head to jut forward to counter-balance the weight. Other times weakness will show up in other parts of the body - such as the knees not straightening, or an inabililty to rise up to a good half pointe. If I were to conduct an audition to observe pointe readiness, here is what I would be looking for: 1. Foot and ankle issues. Are the ankles strong enough? Can the dancer get all the way up in a solid half-pointe releve? Is that releve properly placed, centered over the first three toes, or does she roll out to her pinkie toe, or in over her big toe? 2. When moving between plie and releve, is there a good strong sense of center? Does she shift back or forward in this transition, or maintain her center? 3. Are the knees pulled up properly? Or does she not straighten them completely, or is she locking her knees? 4. Does she remember to use the buttock muscles? Does she have complete control of her turnout? 5. Is her back lifted? Are her abdominal muscles active? 6. Is her shoulder placement correct? Does she take the strain of movements in her shoulders? 7. Does she maintain proper head placement at all times? Overall, the body must appear unified, not fragmented. And finally after all of that, a teacher needs to take into consideration each individuals unique body. There are some dancers who are just not built to withstand the rigors of pointe. They may be fantastic dancers, who through no fault of their own, just shouldn't wear pointe shoes. What do I mean by that? Well, some people have very tight -knit feet. Meaning the muscles over the top of the foot and moving up the ankle are very short. This means the dancer can not rise up high on half-pointe, and will have extreme difficulty getting all the way up onto the platform of the pointe shoe. Not only can this injure the dancer - but it can be difficult on the pocket book since dancing this way tends to break pointe shoes very, very quickly. Dancers with bunions may wish to skip the pointe work. Pointe work can cause bunions (which are painful to begin with) to become inflamed and extremely painful. They can also cause the bones to shift even further and make the condition even worse. Dancers who are overweight, might want to think twice. Does this mean you need to be a traditional ballerina body - NO! But look again at that X-ray. You have 26 bones in each foot. 52, if you add them together. There are 206 bones in your entire body. That means that 1/4 of your bodies bones are in your feet! Pointe work means that your entire bodies weight is being held up by some of the smallest bones in your body, in their most vulnerable position. If you have a few extra pounds, that's just fine - but you'll need to work extra hard on your center. You will need to virtually pull yourself up out of your shoes all the time, to protect your feet. It is a daunting thought - but one you can accomplish, if you really work hard at it. Pointe work can be very rewarding, but it is very very hard work. That is why your teachers should make sure that you are 100% ready before allowing you your pointe shoes. Not only will waiting make your pointe experience safer, but it will also make it easier and more enjoyable.



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