When adult ballet dancers perform, they dance en pointe, meaning they support their weight on the very tips of their toes and wear special shoes designed to support this position. It takes skill and strength to dance this way, and an inexperienced dancer who tries it too early may get injured. For this reason, when young dancers are beginning to learn ballet, they don’t start out dancing en pointe. Instead, they practice many basic skills in the dance studio, then take a pre-pointe ballet class to ready them to dance en pointe.

What Is Pre-Pointe?

Pre-pointe classes focus on developing and assessing a student’s abdomen, leg, ankle, and foot strength. Instructors teach exercises to strengthen the feet and toes, such as toe-tapping, which means lifting toes individually off the floor.

There is also extra time devoted to flexibility and to making sure the dancer’s body stays correctly aligned as they move. All of this helps ensure the dancer’s body is prepared for the next step, preventing injuries and building a solid foundation for beautiful, skillful dance.

What Are the Goals of a Pre-Pointe Class?

One of the most important skills in ballet is turnout, the ability to turn the leg at the hip so that the foot points outward. Turnout allows a dancer to extend their leg further to the side and backward while dancing.

Instructors will watch to see that a student can rotate their leg far enough without compensating with other body parts. They’ll also check whether the student keeps their body aligned correctly in different positions, and whether they have developed proper leg and core strength.

Finally, they’ll check a student’s balance; it’s essential that they maintain this easily since it will only get harder when switching to pointe shoes. If a student demonstrates all of these skills, they will be approved to start pointe classes.

If you’d like to enroll your child in pre-pointe ballet classes, choose Dancexcel in Brunswick, OH. They serve students from one to 18 years old in a 15-mile radius from their location. These skilled instructors not only teach ballet classes but also provide life lessons that will increase your child’s confidence and give them an outlet for self-expression. To get started, call (330) 273-5525 or visit their website.