What Age Can I Start Pointe?

Progressing into pointe shoes is a huge step in a dancer's journey, getting your first pointe shoes means your ballet technique and ankles are strong enough to take the next step in your ballet training. However going onto pointe too early can be dangerous and cause serious injuries, it is imperative to be 100% certain you are truly ready. But how do you know if you are? In this blog, we'll discuss the key factors that will help you (and your teacher) determine if you're ready to take on pointe work.

1. Ankle and Foot Strength

Pointe work requires significant strength from your ankles and feet. The bones, muscles, and ligaments in your feet must be strong enough to support your entire body weight while balanced on the tips of your toes. Starting pointe before you are ready can cause serious injury. A good exercise to improve ankle strength is 32 relevés on each foot, you can do this at home or in the studio before class!

2. Foot and Ankle Flexibility

As well as strength it's so important to have flexibility in your feet and ankles. Proper pointe technique requires that your foot be able to fully extend, creating a beautiful line from your knee to your toes. Dancers with insufficient ankle flexibility may struggle to get fully over their box which can lead to improper weight distribution. Using a resistance band can help increase both strength and flexibility in the feet and ankles. Sit on the floor with your legs extended and a TheraBand looped around the ball of one foot. Hold the ends of the band and gently point your foot, feeling the stretch through your ankle and foot.Slowly return to the starting position. Perform 3 sets of 10–12 repetitions on each foot.

3.Core Strength

Even though pointe work mainly focuses on the feet you also need overall body strength especially in your core to achieve graceful and controlled movements. Core stability is crucial for balance and control, there are many great workouts and exercises dancers can do to increase their core strength and stability. Leg lower is a great exercise to strengthen the lower and upper abdominal muscles. Lying on your back, lift the legs up and slowly lower the feet down not dropping them completely onto the floor and bring the feet back up again. Make sure you do not arch the lower back, if you feel your back is arching try not to lower the feet as much.

4. Ballet Technique

Having strong ballet technique is a good indicator of when a dancer is ready to go onto pointe or not.This means proper placement, strong lines and good control often dance teachers look at the demi pointe of a dancers foot, having a good demi pointe can be a another good indicator of whether or not you are ready to go onto pointe.Do I consistently land softly and in control during jumps? Are my turns, balances, and extensions clean and well-placed? Do I maintain proper turnout without forcing it? Are a few things you can ask yourself to see if you are ready to get your first pointe shoes!

Hopefully this is given you some more clarification on if you are ready to go onto pointe or not. Remember your ballet teacher is your best resource for determining whether you’re ready for pointe or not, make sure you get her approval before going to get your pointe shoes and always get your pointe shoes fitted by a professional. 

For more dance advice check out our Tips for Preventing Injury and Muscle Soreness for Dancers

blog and Bethany Kingsley Garners Top 3 Exercises To Improve Your Fouetté blog.

We have a wide range of dance shoes and dance leotards to try, so why not get a new dance outfit for your new pointe shoes!

Happy Dancing!

The Move Dance Team x