Im a 15 year old male (of course) and i just started getting into the world of dancing ballet. I want to know if i should go on pointe. I know it is not "normal" for men to go on but i figure like this-if i put on my dance resume i do ballet, jazz, and lyrical modern, i probley get a job, but if i put on my dance resume i do ballet, jazz,lyrical modern, and go on pointe i know there is no way for them to turn me down. let me know what you think.

It's not unusual for a guy to dance on full pointe, but I would wait a couple years if you just started ballet. You need to really strengthen your ankles. However, as bad as this sounds, point is more of a feminine dance. However, it can also be danced with masculinity, as there are many male pointe dancers out there, who are really good. I would wait a couple years though, still. In most schools, 5+ years of ballet training is a pre-requisite to taking pointe. And some schools don't allow males to take pointe.

Not if you just started Ballet.

Not if you just started Ballet.

thanks youa ll sooooooo helpful, i really do appreciate the advice

For some people(like me) ballet is not necessary to ahcieve pointe. I can naturally stand, jump run and dance on pointe without shoes or a toe box. I stand on my toes a lot just to keep them in shape. Start on a mattress for example, move onto a cartpet, and a hardwood floor. If you need to wear thick socks, But you wont be able to wear thick socks on the stage.

I'M STRAIGHT AND I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT DANCING BALLET. I ALSO KNOW THAT STRAIGHT GUYS DANCE BALLET TOO. THERE WAS THE MOVIE WITH THE 12 YEAR OLD DANCER. IF YOU LIKE IT SO MUCH, DONT WAIT. DO IT!!!
JUST GET YOUR ANKLES STRONG LIKE THEY SAY B4 U GET HEAVY WITH IT.
I'M NEW HERE AND NEED MY 20 POST, SO I'M POSTING EVERYTHING. I'M A GOOD ADVICER ANYWAY. GOOD LUCK

No not if you just started ballet. Before doing doing pointe work you need many years of ballet training.

Kev

Hi i have been doing ballet for about 5 years and i only went on pointe last year tONY X

are pointe shoes those that ballet people use?
i remember narrow shoes years ago i bought because of the style. i was just dancing salsa. painful, but for the style we guys dont care about a little pain. was about the lo9k and geting the girls

I have been doing ballet for about 6 years, i only went on pointe just some weeks ago. Its fun but I still have a long way to go. My shoes where fitted at Sancha in Paris. I am glad they did it as I have absolutly no problems with the shoes.

Please do your regular training for some more years. If you feel like it the ask your teacher waht he/she thinks.

Hi,
Im 17 and have been doing pointe work for nearly 2 years now and have found it has really improved the arch and point of my foot. But i have more use for it when choreographing dances for girls on pointe. you become more aware of the limitations and would highly recomend trying it, if you are thinking about a career in this, but naturally after a good few years in ballet training.

Its up to you really. Your teacher will not let you if he/she doesn't think you are ready. My teacher refuses to teach guys pointe for her own reasons, which I suppose is fair enough. I haven't wanted to do it, but I just know that's her view (the girls asked in class). So the decision is yours.

Personally a student of mine needs 5 years minimum training before going up. And that is the most basic requirment, there are other factors the contribute, such as foot and arch strength, proper techinical execution, among many other things.

I was a male pointe student and its VERY useful to help strengthen your legs and your upper body control. I had no concept of the control needed to be on pointe properly prior to actually doing it as a child. Besides developing proper releve' techinques (not over forcing turnout, pushing to far on the arch, keeping ankles high, etc) I found that had I not done this personally for over 9 years I would never be able to teach it to my students male or female.

I highly recommend it... when you are ready of course. Speak to your ballet inst.

i kind of think its a good idea cause i dont have the best point in my foot and dooing point could help me reach a better "point" in the toe

WOW good point!

However, no matter what you put on your resume, it doesn't fly. You have to prove yourself in an audition to the Company. The only company that really cares for men going on point is: Les Ballets Trockadaro de Monte Carlo (www.trockadero.org . . .) and you have to be an angle from heaven to get into that company!

Of course, they're parts in a classical ballet company's rep. that requires for a man to go on point. That is the Character of, "Puck" in Midsummer Night's Dream. Otherwise, it really doesn't matter.

Your audition for a company - they, the judges, will be looking at body type, height, technic (remember, 20% of your technic go's flying out of the window when you join a company, they don't teach anymore - your there to learn their companies Repertoire).

This is the reason why you might see a professional dancer in a normal/regular school... to regain some technical experience they might have lost.

(NOTE: to Teachers of a studio schools. If you see, a professional dancer from a company in your class, they are there for correction, so please correct them. Don't look the other way). They might look pissed but, the truth of the matter is, believe me, the look is in digesting your information. Nothing more and nothing less. When I took classes outside New York City Ballet Co. (NYCB), I was looking for correction. ( I can't speak for any professional dancer but myself). If I seemed to look down at other dancer while I was in YOUR class, I sincerely apologize, I was concentration on what the teacher wanted me to do and to do it the best way I can. (Training is not a time for socializing).

I agree with the other posters here. DON'T go on to point until you have the technical level of pulling up out of your shoes, so you don't sit in your point shoes.. this doesn't make any sense now but, it will. Learn the basics first and learn them well. Get a strong foundation before expanding your sights on point... Otherwise, you can cause serious damage to your knees!


Niccollo
Retired NYCB

im 15 and my teacher said that i should be thinking of getting a pair to strengthen my ankles but u wuldnt put on ure resume that u go on point like i dnt think they wold even care!!! if u were to get pointe shoes than mybe you should only get them to stregthen your ankles thats what i think anyway good luck!! xo

yes but to be fair your not just goin to get a job just because you can go on pointe i dont think that matters anyway i dont think people are lookin for males that can go on pointe. plus there are other ways of strengthening your ankles up
snoopy

Men aren't supposed to be on point. Also I honestly doubt you will get a dance job because you can go on point. I mean that's why they have girls. But you may get a job if you take point and lift the girls.

I agree, you risk injury and frusteration if you try to early. Wait a while.

i think its totally unfair that some schools and studios dont let males go on to learn pointe. i dont dance with my penis so why should it matter if i have one to take a new type of dance?

blkdancer, I feel the same way; I'm an Irish dancer, and I'm ambitious about toe work for my jig next year.

What you have to realise is that pointe work, whether in Irish or in ballet, is a very feminine style of dance. As males, even if you're the most flamboyant gay ballet dancer out there, we're expected to move like males should, look like males should, and do like males should.

Moving on, this may have been posted nine months ago, but I'm still going to give you some advice; you're probably not ready yet anyway. Pointe involves a lot more than you think; sure, you know about pulling up, you know about a properly pointed foot, all that jazz. But there are those tiny technicalities that can matter as much as the big stuff. If you sit too much on your heel (i.e. your foot isn't fully pointed when you go up en pointe), you're causing serious, though perhaps as yet unknown, stress to your metatarsals, and that certainly doesn't help. Your foot must be fully pointed, your ankle must be over the toe, not just in a straight line with it; if your ankle is in a straight line with the toe, you're not locking that ankle as you should, pointing your foot to its limits to ensure safe toe work.

Pulling up involves a lot more than just the "pull up out of your shoes" expression that a lot of people tend to give. You need to initiate your core muscles, your abdominals, and your inner thigh muscles, to lift yourself up and support your weight. If you rest everything on your foot, you risk severe injury, and if you're off balance, your ankles are screwed, and you'll most likely fall unless you recover that necessary balance.

Exercises to strengthen your arch and your ankles are very necessary when attempting pointe work. With a strong arch and strong ankles, not only will you be that bit more correct in your toe work, but your pointing in itself will look better.