Am I really ready for pointe?

[Chelsea(:]

i've only been dancing for about 1 1/2 years and I'm 14 now. About 3 months ago my teacher has started me on pointe along with 2 other girls (one has been dancing 3 years; the other about 5 months), is this really okay? The other girls are in shape and my BMI is on the lower side of overweight though I've been very diligent in losing it healthily. I feel like he is teaching pointe wrong because everyone else has said that when they started it was little by little. He has us do all of barre(normal classes) in our pointe shoes and doing exercises balancing on one foot, it's been like this since day 1 of pointe. My ankle got sprained after 2 weeks which i took a break from pointe and now I've been back on but, less and less. What should i do?

[Victoria Leigh]

Chelsea, I moved your topic here to Young Dancers, as this is the forum for technique questions. Your question is not about shoes, it is about pointe work, which is different.

 

Before I answer, I would like more information. Tell me about your class schedule, like how many classes a week and how long are the classes? How many people are in your classes? How many levels are there in the school, and what level are you considered?

 

[Chelsea(:]

During the summer I take 4 classes a week each 1 1/2 hours long (School year i take 4 classes plus an extra 45 min of barre once a week). Class size can vary from 1-15 people per class. There are 5 levels in my school and then the pre-pro options. I'm considered 3/4, which is an intermediate. It's Vaganova method if that helps too.

[Victoria Leigh]

Okay, it is good that you are taking 4 classes a week at your level, and also good that they are one and a half hours long. However, I'm still a bit concerned about you being on pointe after only a year and a half, and another student after only a few months. This is highly unusual. So, whether you are ready or not, I could not tell without seeing you. I do have some doubts, though. Have you ever been to any other school? Do the pre-pro students at your school do well in terms of SI programs, colleges and/or company contracts?

[Chelsea(:]

I've never been to any other school. The Pre-Pro's at my school got accepted into international competitions this year & YAGP. One got accepted into ABT SI, another student got in somewhere in Singapore.

Edited July 13, 2010 by Chelsea(:

[Victoria Leigh]

Interesting. Well, then I think that you will just have to trust your teachers in terms of the pointe work, unless there is another pre-pro school in your area.

[Chelsea(:]

Okay, thank you!

[Clara 76]

Sorry Chelsie but we can't allow links to videos of everyone's school.

[Chelsea(:]

Oh, sorry! I didn't know that performances counted in video section. I thought that meant like personal video.

[Victoria Leigh]

Chelsea, the problem is that if all of our Young Dancers, and their parents, posted videos of school performances the board would be nothing but a gazillion links. Plus, they do not lead to discussion, which is what this whole board is about.