Beginning Pointe What to expect from the exercise

 Beginning Pointe What to expect from the exercise

Beginning Pointe What to Expect From Practice Although every teacher is different, the goals of an introductory Pointe class are similar no matter where you dance. These goals include strengthening the feet and ankles, breaking in pointe shoes, and learning how to properly perform pointe shoe skills.

To strengthen the feet, your teacher may instruct a variety of methods, including demi-pointe work, foot and ankle exercises, and basic barre points. Instruction may also be provided for additional work that can be done outside of class to help you gain strength and skills.

Breaking in pointe shoes is simply a phrase used to describe taking a shoe from its original factory condition to a state where it conforms to the shape of your foot. This may involve some work with the shoe in hand, softening the hard spots and bending the stem. I strongly recommend waiting for a teacher's instruction before bending, softening, or trying to break your shoes. If you do this yourself, you may irreversibly damage the shoes or break them incorrectly.

In addition to manual shoe softening, your feet will serve as your greatest tool for respite. Just hitting it will do a lot to help the shoes stick to your feet. Again, be careful not to do too much outside the watchful eye of your teacher. Stepping incorrectly in pointed shoes can cause the shoes to break in incorrectly or lead to injury.

Finally, a basic pointe class will include barre work and finally center work doing the steps you already know. Layers, relevance, tendus, nozzles, and other basic technical steps will help you learn placement, understand positioning, and gain strength as you develop your points.

In an introductory pointe class, you may find that you only spend a few minutes dancing in your shoes. Don't panic. Developing a strong pointe technique takes dedication and time over many months and years. Once you start pointe, you will gain strength, increase grace and expand your dance horizons. There will be blisters, frustration and pain, but the beauty of the dance will always be worth it!