Pointe Work 

When considering whether or not a young dancer is ready to commence pointe work, it is essential that we consider each dancer individually. We must be confident that a child is ready both physically and mentally.

Physically: due to the various growth spurts between the ages of 11-14, a dancer's balance, coordination and strength are affected. During this time, dancers can experience a decrease in their strength and flexibility. Therefore, we must be sure that they have enough strength in their legs to allow for this whilst keeping themselves safe on pointe. It is also essential that a dancer has the strength in their core and legs to sustain the main principles of classical ballet technique whilst on pointe - the shoe is just there to assist them, they must have the strength throughout their body to hold themselves on pointe.

Mentally: we must be sure that the young dancer is prepared to dedicate enough time to their ballet studies by attending class twice a week. They must understand the commitment and focus needed for pointe work.

Provided a dancer has started the extra Masters classes from Year 5, we hope to be making the decision at some stage during year 7 or 8 to put them onto pointe. However, we do ask that you respect our decision on this and don't encourage us to put your child on pointe before they're ready.

Once we have made that decision, we ask that you make an appointment at a ballet shop to have them fitted - they must not be bought without being fitted. For their first pair, we would ideally like them to go to Freed of London in Covent Garden where they will be fitted with a shoe that encourages them to work their feet well in the early stages of pointe work. For a more convenient but also good option we recommend Dance Evolution in Kidlington.

During your appointment it is a good idea to explain to the fitter that it is their first pair and they will not be doing any work away from the barre so they can have a little more room in them. In the first term we learn to tie them properly, and some basic movements to get them started. They don't have the stamina to keep them on for long so they only spend about 15 minutes in them.

Please let us check the shoes before you sew anything on them. Once the shoe has been sewn you will not be able to return them if we're not happy with the fitting. Here is a clip to help you pin them in the right place and explain how to sew them on once we've checked them: https://youtu.be/idtlciOx06A 

We will spend several lessons ensuring students are tying their shoes correctly. This is something they can practice at home.