Ballet teachers are faced with the dilemma each year as to which of their dancers are ready to go on pointe. There are always the pressures of both students and their parents pushing their teachers to let them go on pointe. It is a great responsibility and it is very important to make the correct decision for any classical student as to when and if a student should be put on pointe. Really the decision can only be made according to the level of the student’s skill, age and physical development and mental strength. The teacher’s assessment of the student should be the defining answer, no pressure from student or parent should affect the teacher’s decision. Dancing on Pointe is difficult and permanent damage can be done to the feet, ankles, knees, hips and back if a dancer is not ready or physically inappropriate to dance on Pointe. Of course, many a young dancer has the dream or vision of being on Pointe, the professionals make it look effortless and beautiful; but it is a long road to get to that level. The reality is that some dancers will never be suitable for Pointe work. Of course young dancers who look upon going on Pointe as a promotion or status symbol are disappointed if it is not their time, but it is definitely worth that bit of disappointment to keep the dancer away from unnecessary injury and suffering.

So what can you do to help students who are either not ready or not suited for Pointe work? First of all it is always a good idea to sit down with parent and student to discuss the reasons why you feel it is inappropriate. As long as the parent has respect for the teacher he or she will be more likely to go along with the teacher’s judgment. If you can give a student and parent the reasons both scientifically as well as from the humane aspect it will be a lot easier for them to understand that you are truly looking out for the child’s well being. Putting most of the emphasis on going on Pointe and not so much on general classical training can be a mistake. Most dance studios are not only training future classical dancers but all kinds of dancers who want to succeed as far as they possibly can. It is different if the student is training at The Royal Ballet School, The School of American Ballet Theatre or any other school that funnels dancers into their companies. Those young dancers are chosen very carefully and their bodies are analyzed fully before being accepted into their programs. This is why I think it is important to avoid promising to put an entire class on Pointe. I can tell you that after 25 years of owning a studio I have never had an entire class, with the exception of my company dancers who I felt could all go on Pointe at the same time.

 It really is a double edged sword!  If you do not put every student on Pointe because you know that it could cause damage you may have some disappointed dancers but at least you will be able to sleep at night knowing that you have done nothing to put any in danger of injury. If you cave in and make the decision to overlook the obvious because you want to placate the students and their parents you will probably end up losing some of those students because they will not be able to cope with the pain of Pointe work and the frustration of being unable to execute the steps that they had no trouble with in flat shoes.

One way to truly weed out prospective Pointe students is to insist that they take daily Ballet classes, nowadays only serious students want to work that hard! Another way to help students feel part of the Pointe class is to have them take it on demi pointe, I like to do this as a preparation for my students anyway. The key is to help students who are not suitable to feel useful and important in their ballet classes. This will eliminate the low self esteem that they may feel because of not being part of the 'In group' as they perceive it. Once all of the students understand that dancing on Pointe is exactly the same as dancing with flat shoes and that it is not a different technique just different shoes, the dancers that are on Pointe will get over the feeling that they have to do things differently and will feel less intimidated and the dancers who are not on Pointe will feel more capable.

What always worries me when I see young dancers on Pointe who obviously do not have the right attributes, is not what I am looking at now but what they will be like in years to come, possibly in their twenties or even later.  When injuries start developing and feet show deformities that need never to have occurred if the dancer’s teacher had been courageous enough to just refuse to take the risk of putting them on Pointe all those years ago. It is not always easy and it will not always make you the most popular teacher in the school but you will know in your heart that you did the right thing for your students. It is a big responsibility that we take when we enter the dance teaching profession to make sure that our students are cared for in an appropriate way. We do, however, need to be creative in our ways of dealing with students, parents and any other people who might be pressuring us to give in and let our students go on Pointe when we know that it is the wrong thing for them to do.

One of the main ways that we can help our students to realize their dream of dancing on Pointe is to make sure that we are preparing their bodies for it in the best way that we can. I would suggest adding these types of exercises into your Ballet classes if you are not already doing so.

1) Exercises to strengthen the core muscles

2) Exercises to strengthen the back muscles

3) Ankle exercises. I recommend using resistance bands for these as well as doing simple rises on one foot.

Using exercises on the floor to help dancers understand how to stand and for abdominal exercises is the best way to make sure that they are supported. Lying on the stomach to do back exercises is also a safe way to make sure that the dancers are correctly placed.

Doing extra strengthening exercise consistently in class will protect your students from unnecessary injuries and prolong your students dancing life whether they are on Pointe or not.