Pointe Requirements

Advancing to Pointe is a huge step in a dancer’s training. The student must possess physical and mental strength in order to advance to Pointe work. The student must display strong legs and bones along with the proper placement. It will be required that each student attend a minimal of two technique classes each week AND pre-pointe class. If the student misses a class, the student will take the Pointe class in their flat ballet shoes. This is for the safety of the student.

The student will be expected to exhibit the following before advancing to Pointe:

strong bones with no recent growth spurts
strong ankles and feet
able to stretch feet without being reminded
strong turned out legs without direction from teacher
strong placement of the body without direction from teacher
attending 2 ballet classes a week
attentiveness to the details of ballet class
strong motivation and determination
respect to teacher and art of ballet
must be able to balance on one feet with perfect placement of the body

This is not an exhaustive list. It is the discretion of the teacher to decide whether or not the student is ready to advance to Pointe. Please contact the teacher for further information on the anatomical, physical, mental, and technical requirements of the discipline. There will be an assessment of each student. The pre-pointe class prepares the student for this assessment. The student must pass the assessment in order to proceed to pointe work. The assessment will address which areas student need to concentrate on and improve upon.