The Pointe Is...

Since I am very new on pointe (September 29, 2011 oh yes i still remember the date), I am still figuring out this freak of nature. I am convinced that humans were not meant to fly or stand on their toes, but it looks pretty so what the heck.

I use Russian Pointe Grandes, and this was my first pair. I recently purchased my second pair to wear for the concert next week. These are considerable harder than I remember, but they are supposedly EXACTLY the same. I have experimented with different padding, switching shoes, different warm-up techniques, everything! I didn't remember Pair 1 hurting this much; the only reason I got new ones were because Pair 1 was all torn-up and falling apart. They weren't dead, just ratty. I made a mistake. I put the old pair on today with fresh padding, and the felt like a second skin! Sooooo comfortable compared to my new shoes. I have spent all day today trying to soften my shoes up, with no success. Maybe I need to buy a softer shoe next time? I will not be getting Grandes again because 1) I am not happy with them and 2) they are discontinued. 

Pointe shoes should look like a part of your feet when you are wearing them. The picture shouldn't be a definite difference between the shoe and your feet. Here are some examples:

Michaela DePrince from First Position is one example I can give you. Watch her feet at 0:17.

Amazing, huh?

This is an example of a foot separate from the shoe.

See what I mean? During pointe class, think of your pointe shoes as part of your foot, not a shoe. They are extensions of your legs, not ballet apparel. You can get this look and feel through well-broken in shoes.

Tuesday's Tips: Winging Your Ankle

If you look closely at this dancer's foot, you will see that her ankle (in the air) is angled like this: _/

Do you see?

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Let me go into a little more detail on the feet.

Here is a diagram of my feet that tells you what your foot is pointing like. Note: I pointed with my feet turned in, so you could see the positions better.

Sickle Foot:
The worst you can possibly do on pointing. Sickling can create a messy line in arabesque and tendu.

Regular Point:
This is the ideal point of the foot. This position is used in pretty much all battements, the foot isn't winged in these.

Winged Foot:
This position is tricky, and you probably won't be able to do it within your first year of ballet. Winged feet are generally used in arabesque, attitude, and other large steps. The feet appear to be like this:

/
|

or

_/

If you have any questions, comment or email me at abitofbecca at gmail dot com!

Come back tomorrow for Wednesday's Ballet!