two questions

[Guest haylee]

If I take a class using pointe shoes but only go onto demi pointe will this strenghten my foot.

Also can you give me some good excersise to practise at home to help me with doing turns.

Thanks

[Mel Johnson]

It will help with strengthening your feet to use pointe shoes, whether fresh or spent, as technique shoes in regular class. The additional resistance will make you work your feet harder. Some schools use this method from day one of classes to make the students use their feet.

 

The best things for practicing pirouettes out of the classroom are the spotting exercise, where you just rotate in place, taking "baby steps", and work your spot, making sure the head stays straight and level throughout its spotting action. The other one that can be safely done in many places outside of a classroom is the "all-but" exercise, that is, taking a proper preparation, and going into pirouette position, but without a turn. Go easy on the arms with this; you may find that without even trying, the arms alone may give you a quarter-turn! I don't particularly think practicing the turns themselves at the office, say, is a good idea. Too many obstacles.