If you ask any aspiring dancer or someone studying ballet what the most difficult technique is and my guess you will get a lot of answers of dancing en pointe. It is hard to learn because it requires a lot of dance experience plus countless hours of strength and conditioning for your feet and legs. There are many dancers who have studied ballet for years and they still cannot dance en pointe.

So what exactly is en pointe? It is "the action of rising to the tips of the toes while performing steps from ballet" and performed using hard-toed and stiff-shanked pointe shoes, hence, its name dancing en pointe. This is one of the most graceful and famous forms of dance but can be very painful and may cause permanent foot damage.

Pointe work is an exciting and essential part of any ballet student's training even though few will be able to master it. Most students begin preparing for pointe work after they reach advanced levels in training. They work in flat shoes to learn pointe technique and combinations, and develop the strength they will require. Here some other requirements that a ballet student will need to be mindful of before learning the art of en point dance.

• The student must be ten years old and two years of training in ballet. The bones of a child's feet start to become harder at this age, which is why it is commonly thought that dancers should not go on pointe until this time. They must have taken 3 classes a week consistently as a minimum.
• All dance students must able to do the following:
  • Hold their turnout while dancing - The main concept of all ballet is the turnout. It allows you to do certain steps that you couldn't do otherwise. Holding your turnout while dancing is a sign of strength and conditioning. If you don't think you have the strength to maintain a turnout, then you are not strong enough for pointe. It is much more difficult to hold turnout en pointe.
  • A strong, straight back while dancing, especially the lower back - Dancing while en pointe requires the muscles in your legs and feet to stand en pointe and not use the shoes as a crutch. If your back is weak, then it will throw you off balance while en pointe and will make it difficult to do ballet steps. A straight back is also important for doing pirouettes, as well.
  • Keeping your heels forward toward the big toe - Pointe work's most stable position is to have your weight slightly forward over the big toe. If you have your weight over the little toe, it will be much more difficult to stay up en pointe. There is also a better chance of strain or injury.
  • Use plié while dancing - You will need to use their pliés while dancing since this is how they get up en pointe. By not using their pliés, your legs will bend incorrectly. Pliés are done with the knees pointing straight over their toes and with the heels down.
  • Point your feet while dancing - Point your feet while dancing in order to strengthen the muscles which pointe-work requires. These muscles need to be strong enough to support your body weight on the ends of your toes - no easy task! If you are not in the habit of using these foot muscles then you will never be able to support yourself en pointe and knuckle over on your toes, increasing your chances of getting hurt.
  • Pique passé using a straight leg - In order for you to push them onto half-pointe, you should have enough leg strength built up. This step is much more difficult to do en pointe and a bent leg is usually the leading sign of weakness and improper step preparation.
  • Do 16 relevés in center without stopping - Strength for pointe work is achieved by repeating exercises. Relevés are a great way to build up vital strength in your calf muscles. You will also need the ability to go up as high on half-pointe as possible, since pointe work requires this kind of physical ability.
  • Hold a passé balance on half-pointe - You should have your hips square, back straight, legs turned-out, and still have the strength to balance on half-pointe. The surface area for balancing will be smaller and your strength requirements are greater.
• The student should be healthy and physically fit and enough of an arched instep to stand on pointe. If the student frequently needs to rest because of illness or injury, she is not strong enough for the extra demands that pointe work requires.

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