The Ballet Bible

Feet Turning in when going up on pointe

I am a dance teacher and one of my girls has just started pointe. When she rises onto her shoes, her feet and knees turn in. Her shoes are broken in but I am not sure what is causing this. I am not sure what is causing this because when she is on flat, she does not have this problem. If you could help me out, that would be great! Thank you.

Beginner pointe shoes

I am 24 years old and started again ballet lessons after 10 years… I remember most things and I advance very quickly as my body remembers its good position and my flexibility still stays on. I will now buy my first pointe shoes and I need your help. I am very tall (1,80m) and quite heavy (78 kilos) and I need a shoe that can support me well. As in my country I do not have a lot of choice (only a few brands are sold here) and the shops do not have specialized staff, could you please propose me something good for a beginner at my weight?

Total beginner and can’t find classes

Hi! I’m actually sort of re-starting ballet from the very beginning(I learned the basic positions in third grade dance class, and had to re-learn the positions past first.) I’m 16 now, and want to get a winter job. With that money, I want to get some instructional videos on ballet, as I don’t know of any classes close to my area, but my question is, will that be enough? And if not, then does anyone know of any affordable classes along Co-Op City or Boston Road?? Thanks!

- Courtney

Buying Tutus

Does anyone know where I can find a nice, good-quality tutu for a reasonable price?

I know Back Bay Dancewear has some, but all of theirs are a little strangely shaped, and none of them come attached to bodices. I’ve looked on eBay, but theirs are all either too expensive for anyone but a real company or they’re for little kids. Anyone know anything?

Balance in adage

I’ve been doing ballet for almost 7 years now but these few years I find it hard to balance while doing adage work. My feet can’t stop shaking. Any suggestions to help me?

Beginner’s Problems: Releve, turn, warm-up

I just started ballet classes (adult beginners) and last week I had some problems doing releves without the barre.
I find it difficult to keep my balance (so I fall forwards or backwards) and I feel my muscles trembling (and then I loose my balance for sure).

It doesn’t feel like I rely heavily on the barre, but I must be doing something wrong.
Does someone recognize this? Any tips, exercises, …

Also, I get dizzy instantly while doing turns.
I do have problems with my sight, mainly with seeing in poor light and with seeing in depth (or estimating distances), don’t know if this can be related.

Any tips here would be greatly appreciated.

And finally: what do you recommend as warm-up while practicing at home or before class?

Thanks for any advice given.

Kaat

Advice for beginner dancer?

hey! ok well im 15 and i just started ballet, and i absolutely love it!! but since i just started, im really behind all the other girls and im not very flexible.
I really want to become really really good, but since i only have ballet once a week, im having a really hard time improving. do u know any stretches or do you have any advise that could help me?? thanks so much!!

- Casey

Blisters when en pointe

Two weeks or so ago, I had an especially long pointe class in new shoes. The shoes worked great (Merlets- I love them) except that I got one really bad blister on my little toe. It was bad enough that I couldn’t go on pointe for a week or so, because it popped while I was still wearing my shoes and a new one formed over it, all in that one class.

Now, two and a half weeks later, it doesn’t hurt at all anymore and I’m fine on pointe again…except that it’s still this huge red bloody gory hole in my foot. Should I be worried? Like I said, it doesn’t hurt at all, it just LOOKS gruesome.

And by the way, I LOVE this site. It’s perfect for asking anything that I don’t want to take up class time asking, and all the replies are really helpful. My parents are getting me the complete Ballet Bible for my birthday next week, and I’m really excited Thank you!

- Audrey

You can now purchase Ballet Bible Package

Sorry to everyone that tried to order over the last day or so. Our payment processor’s website was down for some time but all seems to be working now. They may have been doing maintenance on their servers. You should have no problems purchasing now. Everything is done through paypal so you can pay with your paypal account or credit card etc.

Thanks
Anita

Ballet Lesson 7 of 7: Tying Pointe Shoes

Tying pointe shoes incorrectly is as dangerous for the health of the dancer’s body, as progressing to using pointe shoes without having sufficient training, and being capable enough to dance en pointe. The decision to move to pointe shoes should only be made by a qualified dance teacher who knows the students body and limitations and is prepared to supervise this progression.

Harm and injury is caused to the feet, legs and spine through the improper fitting, and tying of pointe shoes. This guide aims to provide a starting place for any dancer progressing through to pointe shoes, however it is the part of the dancer to ensure that not only has a competent teacher informed them that they are ready to make the transition, but also that they visit a suitable qualified shoe specialist to have the right shoes chosen for their particular foot type.

Most ballet teachers will set aside a full lesson in which the class is taught how to tie their pointe shoes, and also how to prepare them for dancing, to increase the dancers comfort and the longevity of the shoe. For a beginner learning to tie pointe shoes the correct way can be a tedious and time consuming exercise but it is imperative for the health of the dancer.

Although some dancers may choose to tie their pointe shoes while their foot is flat, it is preferable for them to be tied while the foot is in the en pointe position. As this is the position in which the shoe was designed to dance in. The most important thing to remember when tying pointe shoes while the foot is en pointe is to after the tying is complete to attempt to flatten the foot slightly flexing the muscles within to ensure that at those periods when it is required that the foot be flat that the circulation to the foot is still free.

Another important point to remember when tying pointe shoes is to ensure that the ribbons are tied reasonably close together around the ankle as this provides the foot with the most support. And also the ribbon should be as smooth and flat as possible, both for aesthetic reasons, and also to prevent any excess friction which could lead to painful blisters and calluses. Finally it is important to remember to tie the knot in the ribbon on the inside of the ankle rather than at the back of the foot as this way helps to minimize the pressure on the tendons in the ankle.

When tying any ballet shoes, the inside ribbon should be first crossed over the ankle to the outside, going around the back of the ankle. This needs to be reversed for the outside ribbon, with it traveling across the back of the ankle to the inside. Depending on the length of the ribbon it may need to be crossed over the back more than once. The ribbon should be tied in a knot just above the ankle bone (the small ball like bone on the ankle). The important difference with tying pointe shoes should lie with also crossing the ribbon over at the arch of the foot, before wrapping it around the back of the ankle to provide a greater feeling of support.

You can find out more in The Complete Ballet Bible Package