Pointe Shoes History
When is too soon to be on pointe for me?
I’m a nineteen year old college student with some dance history. I’ve had a couple of years of VERY basic ballet (three times a week) and jazz from my childhood along with the training I’ve picked up from various musicals along the way. I would like to pursue a career in the theater arts, so I’m taking dance classes again this fall, one of them being ballet.
Over the summer, my mother is going to give me lessons in ballet so I can be prepared this fall. She told me this week that because of my strong arches, posture, and general form, it is very possible I could be in pointe shoes by the end of the summer if I work very hard. She both learned and taught the Swedish Royal Ballet technique and the Balantine (sp?) technique for the local dance studios. It’s not that I don’t trust her, I just would like a second opinion please! Thank you much!! 
Honestly, if your mom taught at a local ballet studio,( it is Balanchine btw) she might not be as savvy as she should be regarding when to go en pointe. It is the practice of many local studios to rush the girls en pointe because otherwise they leave and find a place that will put them en pointe. If your mom was trained that way, that may be why she thinks it is okay to do that.
Aside from having strong, ankles, feet, legs, core and balance and working from your turnout, you must have really strong ballet technique. If you cannot do it on flat, you will not be able to do it en pointe. Aside from being dangerous, it is much harder to learn to do something en pointe if you cannot do it on flat first. It really slows your progress as a dancer. Most ballet academies don’t put the girls en pointe until they have had years of strong ballet technique and training. In a short time they are dancing exclusively en pointe and can do everything really well. On the other hand, small studios put girls en pointe in under a year, some as quick as 3 months, and they can barely do a single pirouette and are lucky if they don’t get injured. They never really learn how to dance properly.
If you are studying theater arts, you will not need to dance en pointe. If you are thinking of this as a profession, they will use trained ballet academy dancers for those parts, many of whom are or have been in top ballet companies. Currently on Broadway in “Come fly away” there is an ex soloist with American Ballet Theater and a soloist with New York City Ballet in the cast. You cannot compete with dancers like that for those parts.
If I were you, I would just stick to learning on flat. Remember to always work engaging your turnout. If you have high arches, there is a good chance your ankles may be week. It seems to happen like that.
I am an academy trained ballet dancer, a grad of LaGuardia Arts (the Fame School) and have danced on Broadway in 2 shows. (One was only as a replacement for 2 performances.) Believe me, work on your ballet technique and forget the pointe. You will not need it.
History of Pointe Shoes Video – Dancewear Solutions
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