Ballet Pointe?

Hi. I'm 13 and have been taking dance for 9 years. I take ballet. Since I was 5 I wanted to go en pointe and now I may finally have the opportunity but i have my reservations. For instance, I have a very high pain tolerance but will it cause permanent damage to my feet that will cause pain for me when I grow old? Also - I lost my left toenail a couple months ago by the hand of an iron and its just starting to grow in (its about halfway up my toe now will I still be able to go en pointe? Also - what is the exact sensation the first time en pointe? Does it change? How were your pointe experiances?

P.S. I have very stong ankles but how can I strengthen them more? Will strengthening them make my ankles bulky? I am in grade 5 year 2 ballet so it is beginners pointe. I may be in pointe though next year.

Ballet Pointe?violin

My wife is a dance instructor and she says:

permanent damage/pain when old? -- possibly. It will depend a lot on the quality of your training and your personal dancing but, yes, pointe shoes can certainly cause damage and not very pretty feet!

toenail loss -- yes, you can still dance en pointe

exact sensation? -- would be different for everyone but I think mostly awkwardness and discomfort -- your toes won't really enjoy being surrounded by such hard walls. You will get used to it and you will learn how to be most comfortable.

strengthen ankles? -- good ballet work, pilates, therabands. Good ballet and dance training will not make them bulky.

Check out the dance boards on the site below.

Hope that helps! Have fun! Merde!

Ballet Pointe?chinese theater opera theaterHi My friend lost her big toenail so from experince you should just watch the pointe classes and waitu= until your toenail has grown back. Hope this helps Report It


some people do develop bunions, some people don't,it really depends on your bone structure. the toenail shouldn't be a problem, just make sure to tape your toe while its healing...most of us lost a toenail when we first started anyway! the first time en pointe differs by person, i know i loved it, but when i first started we weren't allowed to wear pads so it was a much different (although not entirely uncomfortable) feeling than when i finally got some ouch pouches. once you get used to the shoes, find a style you like, and find padding you like, it really isn't bad and it becomes like second nature.
i was 12 when i started pointe. i've never heard of it causing permanent damage but that doesn't mean it couldnt happen. i was scared to go en pointe the first time. i had a really hardcore british dance teacher and she wouldn't let us use toe pads in our shoes. her philosophy was if you're not ready for the real pointe you're not ready for pointe at all. it's really tough at first, at least it was for me. my feet bled some, i'm not trying to scare you. the blood was probably from the 'no toe pads' rule. after a while though, i got used to it and i enjoy ballet so much more en pointe than i did when i still wore flats. it made me feel like a much better dancer and really boosted my confidence.
If you have a good teacher, she/he will not suggest it before you're ready. Thirteen should definitely be old enough. It doesn't really hurt; it's more of a pressure. My feet are not the most attractive feet around but I would definitely not call them damaged. And they don't hurt unless I wear uncomfortable shoes. I mean, I do still get little corns on the sides of my little toes but Dr Scholl's takes care of that easy enough. I'm not sure about your toenail. Just give it a try and compare the two different feet; if they are different, you'll know that the toenail is a problem but it won't be forever!

As far as the sensation - it is a little awkward at first especially because, until the shoes are broken in, they feel stiff and strange. (Until you've been doing it for awhile; then you LOVE new shoes.) But really, pretty soon you're just flying across the floor; barely feeling any sensation. (I guess they do get a little numb.) I took yoga at the same time I took ballet and I think balancing for longish periods was the best ankle strengthener. Hmmm...my ankles aren't skinny (although the rest of me is) but they're not bulky either.

Good luck. You will love it and feel so graceful.
Okay ,

no1 , never ask people unless a podiatrist or physiotherapist or of course your dance teacher if you are allowed to go en pointe.

no2 , visit a podiatrist get your feet examined and if they say not , bad luck but you may always get a second oppinion .

no3 - visit a physiotherapist they will be able to treat you regularly with your 'diagnosis' , I in fact have shin splints and have had them for a while , that hasn't stopped me from going en pointe , well it has slightly but it's getting treated twice a week and well that means I can dance

no 4 you will need more than just strong ancles to be able to hold yourself up with your feet on layers of hard glue or whatever they use in your pointe shoe,

you will need strong calfs , strong needs , very good stomach / back muscle's to hold you up , you will need :

great turnout , demonstrate good use of plie ,be able to do 16 sauhtees without stopping and a whole load of other stuff.

no 5 done all of this , now visit bloch or whatever you have , and make sure you understand the different shoe types and what type of feet you have to get the right shoe ex - you might have high arches so you need to get a shoe with a lower cut so your arch pops out properly and is not held back so therefore you won't be pushing over your anckles.

Helpfull ??, if not do steps 1 ,2 ,3
Unless your shoes are improperly fitted, you shouldn't have permanent damage. Research has shown that the body does quite well on pointe. It's gonna be hard at first. You will get lots of blisters, and over time, calluses on like all of your toes and toe joints. With a half-toenail, I think just make sure to protect it enough so the skin doesn't rub against the shoe(or the padding for that matter).

To get strong ankles, you have to do a lot of releves and balancing on both 1 and 2 feet.
hi michelley!
I'm 13 and I've been en pointe for 2 years.

I've never had pain from my shoes and I don't think that toenail loss should affect your dancing. If it hurts then buy some protective pads that only cover one toe. In any case you should dance with toe pads in.

Also, when you do go en pointe, be careful when picking pointe shoes. You should try on various brands and have the people in the store assess your feet.

I think so long as you have good form it won't mess your feet up when you're older.
Hey no as far as I know pointe does not cause permanent damage to ankles unless you break your ankle or do something really bad. It is actually good for you to keep you toenails short while doing pointe. A way to strengthen them is to use a theraband and just work with your ankles maybe once a day for about thirty minutes at least. No I don't think you'll have bulky ankles just from strengthening them. Good luck en pointe!
Just go for it if you fancy it, you can always change you'r mind if it causes you problems.

Toe nail shouldn't be a problem, I've lost my big toenail on both my feet and still do pointe and toe tap, i just strap them up with a bit of elastoplast.

Shouldn't cause any damage to you'r feet if their fitted propely and you wear toe pads.

When you first start pointe it is quite painfull but you soon don't notice it,(it's more strange than it is painfull) not as bad as you may think. I LOVE pointe.

Wouldn't say you'd need to strengthen you'r ankles, ecpessialy if your a begginer and their alredy strong they'll strengthen as you practice, i have a very week left ankle (i sprain it quite often) but it doesn't effect me really, i just wear an ankle support when it comes to exams and shows, just to be on the safe side.