How to Prepare For Pointe Work

Every ballerina’s dream is to get into those pointe shoes, but being on pointe is not as easy as just going to a pointe shoe fitting when it's time. Here are some ways to prepare for pointe work:

Strength 

• While your feet are still developing, building up strength is important as a dancer. When you go on pointe, you’ll need that strength to protect your body while you’re jumping and holding yourself up on pointe. 

Center of Balance

• Having a poor center of balance can make it difficult to maintain proper technique and good posture. The dancer needs to be able to balance in various ballet positions and dance combinations. 

Posture and Alignment

• Proper posture and alignment help with body control and balance while also appearing more elegant and confident. Improving your posture can help prevent strains and overuse issues like muscular pain. Alignment helps the dancer move a lot more freely while lessening the risk of injury. Continuing to improve to hold your core muscles, keep your shoulders down, chest lifted, rib case closed, and straight pelvis. 

Flexibility

• If a dancer has a good range of motion, they appear to be more seamless and improve their turnout. Improving your flexibility also reduces your risk of injury and soreness. Any pronation or supination can indicate that you need to build strength and/or flexibility around the ankle and feet.

If you’re a dancer who’s hoping one day to get on pointe, working on these will help you - in the long run - to make your experience on pointe a lot easier.