On Pointe

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

For all you dance parents out there, when did your kids go on pointe? My DD8's studio won't let them until they're 11. I was just wondering if this is early, late or average. She wants to know and there is an audition she would like to do , but you have to be 10 and have a year of pointe. Well she'll be 9 in August and that year of pointe would need to start around now. So, just wondering. TIA

 

[dis4me]

Our studio reccommends you wait until you are 12 to start point.However they do prepoint before them. Don't push her too early, It can do damage to her feet.

 

[CraftyMouse]

My daughter's ballet teacher, who I trust completely, refuses to let them go on pointe before they are 12. If they go up too early it can damage the bones in their feet. By waiting you dramatically decrease the risk of that damage.
DD13 went up on pointe last September and I'm glad she waited.

 

[missypie]

DD is 12 and has just started "pre-pointe" class. I think the youngest girls in the class are 11. (I LOVE her toe shoes....I want toe shoes!)

 

[CinderellaIam]

I agree with the other posters, DD's teachers made them wait, I don't think it was a certain age though, their feet, ankle and leg muscles had to be strong enough first. DD was 12 when she went into her pointe shoes.

 

[swanmom]

At my DD's studio, they don't start those classes until 12 and, even then, the director also checks all the girls growth patterns and overall physical maturity before they can start.

 

[DVC Jen]

My daughter is 12 now and has been in dance for 9 years. She has been on a ballet team for 4 years and started on the jazz team last year. She still at this time is NOT on pointe. Her ballet instructor refuses to let any of the girls go on pointe before their bodies are ready. She was considering letting them go last year, but a few weren't ready yet. Maybe this year.

Don't rush it. Going on pointe early (before thier bodies are strong enough to handle the stress of all their body weight on such a small area) can cause some serious long term damage.

I would really be concerned if your daughters teacher put her on early.

 

[Forevryoung]

I was a dancer... I competed the whole bit-

I LOVE ballet and I loved dancing on pointe. I believe I was 11 at the time. It definitely messes with your feet though. Please please warn your girls that they will never have "beautiful feet". I did not care and I look at my feet and smile, never regretting those 7 years. My toes are crooked and calloused. The teacher should start them slowly- we only had it 30 min twice a week for a year before moving up to an hour and a half twice a week.

Just warning everyone that Pointe shoes are NOT for sissies. There is blood and blisters and pain but it definitely looks beautiful and easy. I wish you all much luck.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

At our studio, the ballet teacher is just now letting two girls in DD's group go on pointe after a few years of regular ballet. They are 13. There is another local studio that will do a summer "prepointe" but our studio is having a separate class for the beginners.
My DD's do jazz, lyrical and tap--I don't have to worry about ballet and all the politics--I hear a couple of moms complaining all the time about their girls not being "allowed" on pointe yet. You would think they would realize the teacher knows best from experience. My girls enjoy the jazzier types of dances so much more.
Robin M.

 

[F1Julie]

I went on pointe when I was 10 or 11. Isn't it horrible that I can't remember? I had been taking ballet classes twice a week for 2 years before going on pointe. I've never heard of a dancer going on pointe before age 10. Physically, the girls bodies just aren't ready before that.

 

[Daxx]

This goes waaaaay back (oh, gosh -- further back than I like to think!). It was pre-pointe for a year at age 11 and full pointe at age 12 for me.

I loved every minute of it and still slide on a pair of toe shoes every now and then for fun (and to entertain my students who are amazed by it).

Good luck to your DD. I know she is anxious -- I remember the agony of the wait for my first pair of toe shoes (which I still have!).

~Daxx's Wife

 

[helenabear]

I think I was 11 or 12 when I would've started... they had my try on pointe shoes... just wound up quitting before I got any further!

 

[Florida_luvr924]

Not a parent, but at our dance studio you can start pre pointe at 8 or 9. They have to take pre pointe before they start pointe. The youngest age on the point group was 14 or 15. The oldest in the pre pointe class was 14.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

Not a parent, but at our dance studio you can start pre pointe at 8 or 9. They have to take pre pointe before they start pointe. The youngest age on the point group was 14 or 15. The oldest in the pre pointe class was 14.

Can you explain pre point to me please?

 

[froglady]

I once read a quote from a famous ballet choreographer about this. (although the name escapes me)

"What's the purpose of putting a dancer up on pointe if she can't DO anything when she gets there?" Meaning, a dancer should have her technique perfected before starting en pointe, which usually takes a few years of "real" dancing, not the cute stuff that the 4-6 year olds do.

Combine that with physical immaturity, and most instructors will make dancers wait until 11-12.

 

[Florida_luvr924]

Can you explain pre point to me please?

Pre Pointe is a class that helps you learn the technique of pointe and improves your ballet skills. At our studio it is required to take before you join pointe.

 

[phisigprincess]

I would be very wary of any studio that pushes students to pointe before age 12. It's really not safe for them developmentally. Also, if they don't have the technique they shouldn't be allowed en pointe either. It's all about whether or not the STUDENT is ready. Parents tend to forget this. Sure pointe is beautiful, but it also has its less beautiful aspects as well.

 

[THESCHULTZFIVE]

I would be very wary at a studio that pushes students to do anything. My DD is not being pushed by anyone(the studio or me I mean). This isn't about whether or not pointe is beautiful as some have stated. When you said that it's about whether the student is ready is precisely my point. There are students at her studio, older than her, that just don't have the abilities that she has. It's fine to judge by age in some respects, but age can't be the determining factor always. Obviously if the audition is for students that are 10, and they would like you to have one year of pointe, I would venture to guess and say someone at 10 or earlier must be taking it.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I recall when I took dance that our instructor required a minimum of three years of dance prior to being considered for pointe classes, and the more I think about it the more I think the minimum age was 12. Your ankles have to be very strong.

Is it possible for your DD to receive private lessons if the instructor feels she is ready? If they have general "rules" about classes then maybe private instruction is the way to go?