Pointe Shoes

Pointe shoes.  The goal of almost every young ballet dancer (and us not-so-young teen beginners).  There's just something intriguing about effortlessly dancing on your toes in shiny, pink, ribboned slippers.  Of course, that's only what it looks.  Pointe shoes are really much more difficult than that.  Have you ever touched a pointe shoe?  I'd always thought they would be strong but flexible until I went to a dance store for the first time.  I saw a pair of Suffolks on display, so I picked one up - hard as a rock.  Of course, they have to be.  They have to able to support your whole body weight on a little platform.  And then there's all these requirements to be able to dance en pointe.  I'm not en pointe yet, but these are some of the things that I've picked up.

Age and maturity: if a dancer is too young and her feet haven't finished developing yet, dancing en pointe could cause serious injuries.  Most teachers will not allow students to get pointe shoes until at least age 11.  Also, you need to be mature.  You should be listening and paying attention in class.

Turnout and technique: turnout is much harder to maintain while dancing en pointe.  You would need to be able to hold your turnout.  Technique is...well, technique.  It's important even in flats, but in flats it's much easier and you can fake your way through some exercises.  En pointe, when your whole weight is on two toes, you can't fake.

Ankle and foot flexibility: you need to be able to push you ankle over your toes (that's the best way I can describe it...lol) to have a high releve.  Your toes should meet your foot at a 90 degree angle.  Without flexibility, you won't be able to get on to your platform.

Strength: you need strong legs, strong ankles, strong feet, and a strong core to dance en pointe.  To roll through demi-pointe on to your toes and hold it there takes a lot of strength.  This is probably the most important requirement, because you need muscle just to get on your toes.

Like I said before, I don't have pointe shoes yet, but these are some of the things I've heard and read.  But it really comes down to whenever your teacher says your ready.  If you see any information here that is wrong, just let me know so I can change it :)

Who here cannot wait for their pointe shoes?!  I really hope to get mine before I'm 16.  When the day finally comes, I'm probably going to die of excitement XD  Who's en pointe already?  Tell me about your first time!