Years of ballet classes have prepared you for this moment: transitioning from flat to pointe shoes. It’s naturally an exciting time, and one that requires preparation to ensure safe, injury-free dancing. Below are tips for making your transition to pointe shoes a seamless one. 

What Are Some Tips for Starting to Dance On Pointe?

1. Get Custom-Fitted

Never wear someone else’s pointe shoes, as each pair is designed to accommodate individual feet shapes. Schedule a professional fitting with a dance shoe boutique and see how yours feel as you walk around and go on pointe. 

Note that feeling a little awkward in the somewhat weighty dance slippers is normal; however, the shoes will mold to your feet quickly. Keep in mind the fit should be snug and provide little to no wiggle room for your toes. Numbness in the toes is normal during the first few dance sessions. 

2. Add Rosin to Your Shoes

Avoid slipping and falling in your new toe shoes during ballet class by adding rosin to the bottom for traction. Place a few rocks of the powdery, sticky substance made from tree resin on a non-carpeted floor, then step on them. They will crumble under pressure, allowing you to lightly coat your tips, heels, and balls of the feet. 

3. Use Pads Every Time

Protect your toes while on pointe with ballet pads that provide extra cushioning to help prevent blisters and pain while dancing. Consider purchasing multiple types of toe pads, such as silicone and fabric versions, to determine which type and thickness work best for you. Gel toe spots, or small pieces of gel, provide additional cushioning and support if the pads are not enough. 

4. Focus on the Correct Form

Work on your form so you always go up on pointe correctly, which minimizes the chances of injuries. The shoes’ tips should be flat on the floor when you go up, and your feet perpendicular to the floor. 

Tips that pull back from the floor create an angled result that stresses the feet and ankles. Feet that are too far forward, pronated, or supinated do not support the feet and ankles either and risk injuries. Pronation refers to feet that turn inward, while supination concerns feet that turn outward.  

Sign up for ballet classes at Heidi Knight School of Dance to perfect on pointe techniques. The dance studio in Huntsville, AL, provides dancers throughout the Madison County region with a range of classes, including tap, jazz, hip hop, and ballet. Call (256) 430-4315 today with questions or learn more about ballet classes online.