Pointe......... any strengthening tips

[Guest Charleston Chick 92]

I am 13 and really want to get up on pointe soon, does anyone know of any fab exercisies I can do to improve my strength and techique?????

[Victoria Leigh]

Welcome to the Young Dancers forum, Charleston Chick

 

The very best way to be ready for pointe is to take as many classes as possible. Ballet technique is designed to build that strength, but it does take more than a couple of hours a week. I don't know what your class schedule is, however, by 13 you should be doing a minimum of 3 one hour and a half technique classes a week. When you are ready for pointe, then more classes should be added.

 

Working on your feet, placement, and of course rotation, are the best ways to improve and strengthen everything. Ballet barre exercises are the best for doing this. There is no magic trick, or any particular exercise outside of barre work that will make this happen any faster. Ballet is a long and slow process. So, the answer is, keep working, take more classes, work on your feet with a theraband, and maintain patience!

[sugarplum239]

I was having a lot of trouble balancing en pointe, so i asked my teacher if there were any excercises I could do to strengthen my ankle. She said to simply do lots of releves on a turned-out leg with your other leg in coupe. I did about twenty on each leg every day and it really helped me. Make sure you stretch any sore muscles afterwards though. You could also ask one of your teachers what a good excercis specifically for you too. I hope this helps!- SP239

[TyneeDancer]

At GRBC they require that level 3 & 4 girls take an entry pointe class, it's sort of a transition class to pointe. you start the class working on demi in slippers, if and when the teacher sees you are ready they advise as to what shoes you should get, help with the basics (where to sew the ribbon, what padding to use ect.) , from there you start doing just releves on pointe then the rest of class in slippers, the next step is the whole of barre on pointe and center in slippers, you take the whole class on pointe. You can only move to the next step if the teacher feels you are ready. It helps students to build strength and balance and the class is also a good work out if you're not intending in pointe as well.

[little_dancer123]

In the ballet companion, a book written by Eliza Gaynor Minden, she says it can strengthen your feet by just simply going through the feet when doing a tendu, or a jump. I have tried this for my 3 weeks of lessons after I read it (and I intend to carry on really working them.) I find that it works for me. From little_dancer123 x

[NHBnutcracker]

What I do is every time I cook something, if I stir it, every 1 turn around the pot is 2 tendus to each side. Its silly but I cook alot!

 

 

Just think about something you do alot with your hands and do tendus with it!