Finding pointe difficult

Hi
Has any got any avice for my 12 yr old she has just started pointe class, but is finding it difficult to get up on pointe on her left leg without bending her right leg, I am not not exactly sure what she means as the only ballet experience I have is from watching my daughter, she says that not matter how hard she tries, if she cannot do it and she getting upset by this as friends that started pointe at the same time can all achieve what the teacher is asking,

March 27, 2007 | In Questions |

5 Comments »

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  1. Hello, I was wondering if your daughter has talked to her teacher about her concerns. Her teacher might be able to suggest some ways to improve.

    Comment by Evie — April 5, 2007 #

  2. Her teacher just keeps telling her to pull up on the left leg and keep it straight. but my daughter seems to be unable to do this, without compromising the position of the right leg, could be a balance thing, but daughter says if she straightens left leg, right leg dont touch floor properly,

    Comment by Anita — April 5, 2007 #

  3. is she having a harder time with first or second, or are they both equally hard? could there be some unevenness between the length of her legs or how much her ankles rotate? without seeing her it’s hard to know what exactly is causing the problem. if she continues to have difficulty, you might see if she can have a private lesson with another teacher who might be able to identify the problem. or take her to a podiatrist or physical therapist who specializes in point dancers.

    Comment by Marissa — April 5, 2007 #

  4. hi, I’m a dancer myself and when I first started pointe I had the same problem. Some people in my class still have trouble getting up on pointe with straight knees. Believe me it takes some practice! Tell her to try to strengthen her ankles and calf muscles by doing some releves. Also, rolling through your feet really helps. The more you lift your whole body the easier it is to get up straight. I hope i helped =]

    Comment by Emilie — April 9, 2007 #

  5. Hi, I’m also teaching at the moment and the one thing my teacher taught me is that sometimes before you take a step forward you need to take a step back. Your daughter should perhaps do some stregnthening exercises in her own time for her feet and ankles using a theraband. I have found a huge improvement in my pupils pointework when using the theraband. I hope this information combined with others advice will help your daughter with her pointework.

    Comment by Tammy — April 9, 2007 #

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