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| Credit to: balleradance |
When I signed up to my new dance course in April, they teacher told me they had a beginners pointe workshop coming up in June and I signed up as soon as I could. I was really excited.
I've spent a lot of time reading up on pointe, and watching YouTube videos about how best to prepare for pointe, what to expect at your first pointe shoe fitting and in your first pointe class. The info I read was brilliant at keeping me calm and helping me to understand what to expect throughout the process.
So today, I'd like to share with you my first experience of pointe and some to tips for those who aspire to go en pointe.
Pointe Shoe Fitting
It's important when buying a pair of pointe shoes that you get them properly fitted, don't buy them over the internet. There are so many different brands, designs, style, sizes, widths to consider, you need to get yourself properly fitted so that you don't injure yourself. Find a qualified pointe shoe fitter with a good reputation to make sure the fit you get is right. Your teacher, or other dancers at your school, may be able to recommend one.
I went to Tip Toes Dance Supplies in Morpeth after reading some really good reviews on line, and was in the store for a good forty five minutes trying to find the perfect shoes for me.
My fitter, Heather, was lovely and really supportive throughout it all. She's a pointe dancer herself which was really helpful, she encouraged me to be really vocal with here, and there was no pressure at all for me to buy from her if I didn't think the shoes were right for me. She talked me through all the different options of padding to put inside my shoes, the different types of shoes I could get, how they should fit, what I should or shouldn't be feeling, and the benefits of wearing elastics and ribbons on my shoes.
I went to my pointe shoe fitting wearing clothes similar to what I'd dance in, i.e. a pair of tights. You don't have to turn up in a leotard, but if you wear tights in the studio, wear them to your fitting so you know the shoes will fit you properly.
It also helped when we came to doing some pliées and going onto pointe (while holding onto things) during the fitting. If I'd turned up in jeans, it would have made moving and bending a lot harder and I wouldn't have been able to see how good the shoes actually were.
In the end I opted for some ouch pouches to protect my toes, elastics and ribbons to my shoes and went for a pair of Bloch Serenade pointe shoes. They were the second style shoe I'd tried on but we went through a few different sizes before we found the right pair. They're perfect!
Sewing Ribbons and Elastics
I must admit, I'm a complete newbie to sewing. My Mum has always stitched my clothes if they needed it, and sewed my elastics onto my soft ballet shoes in the past. This part of the process I was not looking forward to.
It's really important to make sure the ribbons and elastics are on right so as not to damage your foot. I took to YouTube to watch some videos on how to do it and found there's loads of really good advice out there. So I came in from work one night, set myself up at the kitchen table with everything I'd need, YouTube video ready and began to sew.
2 and a half hours later I finished.
It's such a fiddly process. You have to measure where on the shoes you need your ribbons to be and mark them. Measure how long you need you ribbons to be to be able to tie them. My ribbons had elastics built into them to protect my tendons so I had to make sure they were in the right place. You then had to cut the ribbons and seal the ends so they don't fray. Then do the same with the elastics. Make sure that your stitches don't stop the elastic string from doing their job.
It took ages, but it actually felt quite relaxing. Something to do and focus on for a few hours. It's definitely a good challenge.
My First Class
I had my first pointe class the other day, and it was just so much fun. It was only an hour long, and we only spent about 20 minutes of that actually in pointe shoes, but it was more than enough.
Pointe is a lot harder than dancing in soft ballet shoes. Your feet and toes are very restricted, you're putting a lot more strain on your ankles, and you have to re-learn pretty much everything you already knew.
I underestimated how hard pointe was going to be. I was sweating and aching by the end of the class.
Our focus of the class was on strength. We started off dancing strength exercises for our feet and ankles in soft ballet shoes, before we switched into our pointe shoes. When we put on our pointes we never left the barre, and the exercises again were focused on strength, breaking in our shoes and getting used to going over our toes.
Whilst I didn't get to do anything fancy en pointe, and it'll be a long time before I'm doing an entire routine en pointe, my first class was great fun and I can't wait to give it another go.
My Top Tips for Pointe
- Find a qualified and reputable pointe shoe fitter
- Be vocal during your fitting
- Don't be afraid to walk away without purchasing anything if the shoes aren't right for you
- Check with your teacher that your shoes are ok before you stitch anything
- Listen to the advice your teacher gives - they know what's best
- Even if you can do 10 pirouettes perfectly in a row, don't expect to be doing them en pointe on day 1 - you need to learn the basics again
- Listen to your teacher and your body - if something hurts, stop. You don't want to injure yourself
- Stitching takes a long time - make sure you're not doing it in a rush and have no distractions
- Build up your strength at home
- Enjoy every moment of it
Sarah x
Disclaimer: I am not a ballet teacher, or a professional dancer, nor do I hold any dance/ballet qualifications. The opinions/views expressed in this post are entirely from my own experiences. Before going en pointe speak to your teacher to make sure you are ready and listen to their advice.