pointe technique classes

[Guest laurasivers]

hey guys i am to start pointe work after christmas but i keep reading that you are meant to have 3 pointe technique classes a week for 1hr and a 1/2. my dance school is only small so i only have 1 ballet class a week for 45 minutes. we would be doing half pointe work and half classical ballet in this time. my teacher says that we may have another class some weeks but i still dont think that is enough. what should i do becuase i dont want to leave my dance school!!! please some one write back and give me some advise!!!

[Victoria Leigh]

I'm really sorry, Laura, but if you have only studied ballet for forty-five minutes a week, no matter how many years you have done that, there is NO WAY that you are technically ready for pointe work. Even if you have an exceptional physical facility for ballet, you don't have the training. There is no other answer but another school. You need at least 3 ballet technique classes a week, an hour and a half each. A proper ballet class cannot be taught in forty-five minutes. Many teachers spend that long just at the barre. In fact, most of us spend from 35 to 45 minutes at the barre, and the rest of the class in the center.

 

PLEASE change schools, or don't even think about pointe work! And my guess is that it will probably be a while before you would be placed on pointe at a good school.

[Guest laurasivers]

are you saying that my dance school isnt a good school? and i cant change becuase in my town there is such a rivalry between dance schools. and anyway i am going to go on pointe becuase my teacher does think im ready

[Mel Johnson]

I want to be gentle, here, but from what you've told us, things don't sound good in your training. No responsible school would put a student on pointe as half of a once-a-week, 45-minute class. It's just plain dangerous. You won't have enough strength or basic technique in order to work at all on pointe. I concur with Ms. Leigh. You need to change schools. And what do local rivalries matter when you put them up against your own health and well-being?!