When do dancers go on pointe?
I just turned 20 and have been learning ballet for about 5 months now. My ballet teacher feels that I’m not ready to go on pointe shoes yet but I disagree. Because I started so late, I really don’t want to keep wasting anymore time. I know that it depends on each student, but when do dancers typically go on pointe?
It’s really hard to say when dancers “typically” go on pointe. Fantastic to hear that you decided to take up ballet, but 5 months is nowhere close to being prepared for it. So your teacher is right. First step is to build up your leg strength first! 🙂
Anyone who tells you that you can go en pointe in a short amount of time or right away is either only after your tuition money, isn’t qualified to teach, or has a secret desire to inflict harm on you.. or even all of the above!
The right time WILL come when you’ll be ready to go en pointe, but this really depends on the student, foot and leg strength, the teacher, training, and your dedication. To put it in perspective, I trained 8-12 hours a week for 3.5 years before my teacher felt that I was ready for it. For some in my class that time was slightly shorter, while for others it was way longer. Every ballet student’s dream is to go en pointe. But if you really want it, you need to first find a good teacher and focus on the training that you are given, build strength and keep at it. It sounds like you already have that good teacher.
