pointe shoe problems

[littlepup]

i want to take point classes but i releve on my outside toes instead of my big toe, so i fall whenever i try. without point shoes , i can shift to my big toe with both of my feet on the ground, but as soon as i stand on only one foot i can't hold it there. HELP!!!!

[DanaD]

your post barely makes any sense. i think I understand.

although I am no moderator, it seems like you are sickling and need to focus your weight more towards the ball of your foot/big toe

 

And it's Pointe, not point. :]

[Mel Johnson]

Dana, you are quite correct. Littlepup is sickling, and needs to correct that before she can proceed to pointe, and pointe is indeed spelled pointe.

 

BUT -

 

You are also correct in that you are not a moderator. Lay off until one of us gets to responding to a post.

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello littlepup, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers.

 

You say "I would like to take pointe classs....", so I have to wonder, first, how old you are, and second, has your teacher placed you on pointe and in a pointe class? Also, when did you get your first pointe shoes? It would help us to help you if we have a lot more information, like how long you have studied ballet (not counting anything before age 7), how many ballet technique classes you have every week, and how long are the classes?

 

[littlepup]

sorry for the lack of information. I'm 14 and have taken 7 years of ballet after the age of 7. I'm placed in the pointe classes, just not in pointe shoes. I tried to use pointe shoes last year, but as i said i couldn't releve. Also, usefull information might be, i was born with club feet and had to have casts to straighten them. The casts caused my achilles tendon to become very tight, and sometimes when i releve on the inside ball of my foot, and big toe it compresses a nerve below noby bump on the outside of my foot caused by the leg bones. That compression causes a sharp shooting pain.

 

Hope this helps!!!!!

[Victoria Leigh]

littlepup, thank you for adding more information. It sounds to me like your teachers have been correct in keeping you off pointe so far. Have you talked to them about your potential for working on pointe in the future? It's terribly important to be very strong and very correctly placed on the foot on demi pointe, so you may have to wait until you develop the strength and control to work in the right place on your demi pointe, both on two feet and on one. Just be careful in pointe classes, when you are not on pointe, not to do too many one foot relevés, as these can be very hard on the Achilles tendons.