Pointe Preparation Program

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Description

One of the major milestones in a ballet dancer’s training is starting pointe work. Pointe work can feel like the culmination of years of hard work, but it requires a tremendous amount strength in the feet, ankles, legs and core, as well as proper technique and alignment. Pointe work is not without risks and can potentially cause pain and injury. The decision to start pointe work should never taken lightly. Proper preparation is absolutely necessary for a dancer to be both safe and successful.

Historically, the progression onto pointe varied widely between dance schools. Some teachers meticulously prepare students for pointe work and have strict requirements for starting pointe. Other teachers simply move students up based on age or years of experience. Some teachers may even only allow certain students to start pointe based on foot shape, anatomy, or even personal biases. Haphazard approaches to starting pointe work put students at a high risk of pain and injury. Inadequate preparation will also lead to a lack of success at pointe work. Unfounded biases can even unnecessarily deprive capable students from achieving their dream.

Students who are ill-prepared for the rigours of pointe work face a significantly higher risk injury. Young people whose feet are still growing are particularly at risk of injury, as the bones and ligaments are still soft and malleable. If a child starts pointe before they are ready it can even lead to life long foot pain and deformities. Adults who start too soon are particularly prone to tendon pain in the foot and ankle.

Students who start pointe too soon will also find the experience much harder and much more painful than it needs to be. Pointe work requires an incredible amount of strength and control not just in the feet and ankles, but also the legs, hips, glutes, turn-out muscles and core. When students start without sufficient strength to support the body weight, they will struggle to achieve the movements and can quickly become frustrated and discouraged. Proper preparation is the best way to make a smooth and successful start to the pointe journey.

Alternatively, many students, particularly in the case students who started ballet as adults, are denied the opportunity to progress to pointe. Too many outdated beliefs about pointe persist, particularly the idea that you have to have started ballet as a child to do pointe. Other unfounded barriers for students, adults and young people alike, can include the idea that you have to do ballet class at least 3 times a week or that you must have “the right feet” (Hint: NOBODY has “the right feet”, our feet are not actually designed to do pointe work!)

With the right preparation and pre-pointe training the vast majority of committed ballet students can succeed at pointe.

This course teaches everything you need to know about safely and effectively preparing for pointe, progressing onto pointe and improving pointe work in beginner pointe students. You will learn a clear, straight-forward system to allow you to accurately identify areas of weakness, instability, and less-than-ideal technique in a dancers, as well as specific exercises that will target individual needs. Finally, you will learn how to complete a comprehensive, detail pointe readiness assessment to identify when students are ready to buy their first pair of pointe shoes.

The Pointe Preparation system is based on over 25 years of experience as both a dance teacher and specialist performing arts physiotherapist, as well as years of clinical research.

During the Pointe Preparation Masterclass, you will learn:

• The anatomy of pointe work – Learn the relevant anatomy of what goes on in the body during pointe work, including the foot and ankle, legs, hips, turnout and core
• A detailed understanding of all of the strength and technique elements required for safe and successful pointe work
• In depth discussions regarding wider factors, such as age, hypermobility, skeletal development, class attendance requirement, and more
• Discussions regarding differing requirements for adolescent and adult students
• Simple tests to assess individual areas of weakness
• Extensive range of exercises to strengthen all of the muscles you need for pointe, including feet, calf and ankle strength, thigh muscles, turnout and core muscles
• Simple tests for a basic assessment of pointe readiness – ‘mini assessments’ perfect for gauging progress and identifying when students are ready for a full pointe readiness assessment
• Comprehensive, detailed pointe readiness assessment system to guarantee a safe and effective progression onto pointe, including
  • Over 25 tests covering all essential strength and technique elements
  • Easy-to-use assessment sheets to guide you through completing assessments
  • Clear guidelines to understand when students are ready

Workshops take place via two video conference calls, lasting approximately 2 hours each. You do not have to attend the live broadcast.

You will receive:

• Full access to live workshop recordings for 3 months. All workshops are available on recording for 3 months after the date. You do not have to attend live, and you can re-watch the conferences as many times as you would like.
• Personal attention. Workshops are limited to 20 participants. This allows plenty of time for questions and discussions. This class size limit also allows me plenty of time for follow-up support
• Follow-up support FOREVER. I will answer any further questions via email or video call. If you cannot attend live or you come across a new question later, I am always just an email away!
• Comprehensive set of PDFs, including everything you need to complete pointe readiness assessments in your studio, all of the training exercises, and plenty of lecture notes covering all of the material taught.

Get started with some great Pre-pointe training exercises today with the video below!