POINTE
Pointe is a beautiful, highly athletic art form that can put significant stress on young dancers’ bodies if they aren’t properly prepared. At GCDC, we’re committed to our dancers’ safety and adhere to a training process that may take several years before the dancer is deemed ready for her first pair of pointe shoes.
To become eligible to begin pointe, the dancer must have been enrolled in Company, Ballet, and Foot Strengthening classes for at least one year, and remain enrolled with near 100% attendance. In light of the science regarding pointe safety, dancers must be at least 13 years old to go en pointe, but the preparatory process can begin as young as 9.
Below is a rough timeline for how we safely and effectively prepare Company dancers to perform en pointe.
STEP ONE
FOOT STRENGTHENING
To join Foot Strengthening, the dancer must be at least 9 years old.
This class will strengthen the dancer’s feet and legs for beautiful pointing and relevé. This is a great add-on class for all dancers, not just Pointe hopefuls.
This class is the crucial first step in the Pointe process. Foot Strengthening will help drive home the essential techniques for pointe that were introduced in Ballet class, and begin building the muscle needed to sustain those techniques. Dancers will participate in this year-round class for at least 1-3 years before moving on to step 2 in this process.
To join Pre-Pointe, the dancer must:
- Be at least 12 years old
- Have spent at least 1 year in the following GCDC classes:
- Foot Strengthening
- Company
- Ballet
- Pass an evaluation. In this evaluation, teachers will look to see if the dancer:
- Consistently demonstrates 180° plantar flexion in elevé and while pointing the foot (see photo below). Knee must be able to fully straighten while maintaining 180° plantar flexion in elevé.
- Consistently demonstrates proper body alignment, coordination of heels and knees, turnout from the hip, and the strength to maintain balance and repeated elevés
- Be mature enough to handle the responsibility and accountability of putting in quality at-home practice time on a daily basis
STEP TWO
PRE-POINTE
Pre-Pointe dancers will begin targeted preparation for pointe work by doing Foot Strengthening work at home. Pre-Pointe meets during Foot Strengthening and requires 5 hours of independent documented work, including time spent in the required classes.
Dancers will participate in this year-round class for at least 6 months, possibly longer, before moving on. Progress is based on the dancer’s continued technical development and strength, as well as consistency in homework.
To join Pointe 1, the dancer must:
- Be at least 13 years of age
- Pass a reevaluation
- Have shown consistent commitment to quality at-home practice time on a daily basis and documents these sessions for the instructor
- Have had close to 100% attendance and effort in ALL required classes
STEP THREE
POINTE 1
In Pointe 1, dancers officially begin work in pointe shoes, which they would have purchased at a special pointe shoe fitting prior to the first class.
Pointe 1 class consists of en-pointe barre work: a mixture of drills and combinations to build their strength, cement good technique, and prepare them for future pointe repertoire. The Pointe 1 dancer will focus on two-footed skills, and when ready, will take some two-footed skills off of the barre and into the center. This is a non-performing class.
Dancers will remain in Pointe 1 until they can demonstrate consistent excellence in technique and strength, and readiness to dance without the barre.
To join Pointe 2, the dancer must:
- Be at least 14 years of age
- Have had close to 100% attendance and effort in ALL required classes (which now includes Pointe 1)
- Have shown consistent commitment to quality at-home practice time on a daily basis and documents these sessions for the instructor
STEP FOUR
POINTE 2
Pointe 2 dancers have shown themselves ready to move off of the barre and into the center for choreography and more strenuous pointe work. They will also begin working on one-footed skills, such as arabesques and pirouettes.
Pointe 2 dancers will learn a variation each year to perform in the Studio Showcase, and may perform in the Company Show, if the production allows. They may also perform in the Nutcracker when we offer it.
To remain in Pointe 2, the dancer must continue to:
- Have close to 100% attendance and effort in ALL required classes (including Pointe 1 and Pointe 2)
- Maintain quality at-home practice time on a daily basis and document these sessions for the instructor
- Continue to show themselves ready for pointe work off barre
