Ballet " Ready for Pointe work? "

Ballet

There are many places all around the world that made " Pointe shoes ".

 The binding is the channel around the upper part of the pointe shoe, through which the drawstring runs. 
To secure the shoes to the foot, the drawstring inside the binding is pulled tight.

Are you ready to start Pointe work? There are some important things to consider before starting pointe work and buying your first pair of shoes. 

1)   How strong are you ? When you dance on pointe you not only rely on the shoe for support,    but also to dance 'out' of the shoe needing huge strength in your legs, hips and abdominal muscles. 

2)   How many classes do you do each week?  To do Pointe Work, you should take a     minimum of 2-3 classes per week,

3)   Has your teacher given you permission to go on pointe? 

4)   Have you started your periods, or had your second growth spurt? This is because the         bones are much stronger after the 2nd growth spurt which occurs around the same time as        menstruation. 

5)   Can you use the small muscles of your feet?  Using these tiny muscles helps make Pointe work easier.

6)   Turnout muscles are essential for correct pointe work, how easy is it for you to hold your turnout muscles?

7)   When you pointe your toes they need to be long and straight not clawed. Clawed toes can lead to pointe shoe problems such as blisters. When you pointe your toes focus on using your ankle, if you curl your toes it could be that you are putting to much tension in your toes tips. Many dancers have to retrain their feet and learn to use those tiny small muscles correctly. Practice by doing a tendu, make sure your foot has contact with the floor as you reach out for the tendu only springing the toes at the very last second, as you spring the toes off the floor think about making an outward arc shape with your foot, reaching away from your body and not down to the floor.  Tendu is one of the most important balletic steps and it is a good exercise to do to train your foot correctly. 

8)   Any rolling inwards of the feet MUST be corrected before Pointe work commences.

It can take 1-2 hours to fit the first pair of shoes, and although this may seem a long time to most dancers, I want you to dance as safely as possible on pointe. This helps to prevent any injuries that may occur from a badly fitted shoe. I also highly recommend the use of demi-pointe shoes for at least 3-6 months before the first pointe shoe fitting. This gives the feet a head start by making them stronger, and gets them used to working in a confined space. The foot has its own natural 3 point support system when stood on the flat: when you go up on pointe, this is lost, so the shoe becomes your support. Always remember, your feet are needed for your whole life, not just for the years when you dance.  

When the shoe is a good fit, it should be like a glove. The toes should be straight and in a normal position inside the shoe when flat and on pointe, the foot should never slip down the shoe, but feel held by the box.  

It is essential that you wear correctly fitted shoes to avoid long term damage occurring to your feet

Credit :http://www.pointeshoefitting.co.uk/pointe_shoes/Pointe_Shoe_information.html