Blog from the Barre: Pointe Readiness

By, Allyson Lowis, PT, DPT, COMT

“There is no reason to get a young dancer up on pointe if she cannot do anything when she gets there.” – George Balanchine

Many young dancers take ballet with the hopes of getting their first pair of pointe shoes. Pointe is a beautiful addition to ballet that makes the ballerina appear weightless and magical! In the United States, most ballet dancers are approved to go en pointe for the first time around age 11 or 12. At this age, the dancer’s bones are not yet mature; however, they have typically progressed in their ballet training enough to understand alignment and ballet technique.

Although the dancer may not be skeletally mature by the time she goes en pointe, there are ways to ensure the dancer is strong enough to handle the demands of the new specialty. Did you know that the forces through the foot when en pointe are 12 times higher than body weight alone?! No wonder dancers have to be so strong!

How can a physical therapist help? A physical therapist trained in dance rehab with a strong dance background can perform strength and performance screening to find potential points of weakness prior to starting pointe work. This can give young dancers autonomy over their bodies and dance training. By addressing weakness prior to going en pointe, dancers will be less prone to injury and more equipped to meet the aesthetic and physical demands of pointe work. 

If you are interested in knowing more about pointe readiness screening, please contact Allyson Lowis, Doctor of Physical Therapy and dance rehab specialist at Rehab Specialists for more information. (269) 459-6212

 

Photo by IIONA VIRGIN on Unsplash