On our toes...

This post is to help educate both our Spokane dancers and parents on the purpose of our Inland Northwest Ballet Pre-Pointe class…We want to make certain anyone interested in this class understands very clearly what this class is intended for, and the purpose it serves. Helping to educate you as a parent will help you to make a decision that is safe, and also make the classes you choose worthwhile your child’s time.
This class is for girls in levels 6 and above dancers who hope to eventually go on pointe. In this class, we prepare the core of the body (the lower back and abdominals), and the feet, ankles, and legs to sustain the rigors of pointe work, through exercises specifically created for pointe work. Please understand clearly that just because a student is enrolled in the class, it does not mean they will go on pointe, as there are many factors that play into pointe work, and whether a child is physically cut out for this kind of training. Dancing should be good for a child’s body, not damage it…
Some problems that might prevent pointe work are the following…
Feet, ankles and legs that do not have the proper line of pointe only set a dancer up for misery, as they may have trouble getting over on top of the toes, and would not maintain any type of balance, making pointe work difficult and also scary…Who wants to wonder if their feet are going to slide out from under them?
· Feet with any type of Achilles problems are not candidates for pointe work, as this only tightens the Achilles further, causing pain and mobility issues in daily activities.
· Children with an extra bone in the back of the foot, called an “Os Trigonum“ are limited in pointe ability, as this extra bone gets in the way of a good arch (and offers the same problems as feet with a poor line).
· Lack of core strength would mean that the child must wait until these muscles are strong enough to engage when needed, in order to support the weight of the entire body over a few square inches.
Let me also briefly explain the requirements for dancing on pointe…
· The child must have completed 3 or 4 years of somewhat serious study, and be in level 7, dancing 3 days a week. Recreational dance once or twice a week does not prepare a body for pointe work.
· The child’s body must have reached a certain maturation, this happens generally about the age of 12, possibly younger if the child shows exceptional maturity, or whose dance schedule has given her exceptional strength (meaning she is studying 4-5 days a week, which only a handful of our dancers are).
· The child must also have sufficient technique and control of the body while dancing. If a child’s hands, feet, or heads are flopping around, why place them on pointe only to make EVERYTHING much harder, and therefore, everything sloppier. Pointe should be the polishing touch to already beautiful dancing, it does NOT make a dancer beautiful by itself. Someone not ready for pointe can ”step up, and step down” on and off pointe, and bourree poorly, but they can do little else. If a child does not understand the difference between being on pointe and dancing on pointe well, then in no way are they ready for pointe work.
· The feet and ankles must be in line with the hips (no “sloping up”). Unfortunately, the body has the first and final say in pointe work.
Any questions? Please see Janine as soon as possible, she would be happy to clarify …