Dance students new to pointe are always excited to get going, inspired by what they have seen through their dance training so far. Watching older students or favourite ballerinas dancing en pointe is often an enamouring experience, and now it is the turn of the younger students to get their first pair of pointe shoes.
Dancers who are not training at vocational dance schools usually are allowed to begin pointe in their early teens, due to the development of their bones and ultimately, their classical technique. Other factors which must also be considered are the regularity of attendance to ballet classes and a teacher’s approval, and it is paramount that each dancer is professionally fitted for pointe shoes.
Often being en pointe doesn’t feel as dainty as young dancers may have thought. Stepping onto pointe for the first time is uncomfortable, but is not a reason to be discouraged. Even minor discomfort is normal as dancers get used to the sensation of pointe, and they get stronger by practising their technique and not rushing the process. Extreme pain is a good indicator that a shoe has not been properly recommended or fitted for the student’s individual needs, and if manually breaking in the shoes has not happened.
To make the time en pointe more comfortable (and more enjoyable!) there are a few things that dancers can do. Strong abdominals are vital for pointe work, as it is a strong core that will help dancers lift their weight out of their shoes. Also important is correct body placement and flexibility in the ankle and foot, which must be built up before and during pointe training. This is primarily done through learning to roll up onto pointe and down through the shoes.
Ultimately, dancers must take good care of their feet, as well as their shoes by airing them between lessons to prevent fungus and bacteria growth. Don’t give up, and approach a teacher or studio director if something feels wrong.
Following the enormous success of last year’s festival, VAULT returns to Waterloo’s Leake Street tunnels from 28 January-8 March. Specifically, dance and physical theatre are one of VAULT’s areas of excellence this year with a wide programme of powerful and provocative shows taking over the venue.
In a co-production with Theatre Royal Plymouth, Frantic Assembly’s explosive Othello will hit the Lyric Hammersmith in the capital from 13 January 2015 following a successful UK tour. The company are said to have radically transformed the Shakespearian classic with its high energy choreography and approach to working artistically.
Resolution! – the biggest annual showcase for dance in the UK – returns to The Place from 8 January to 21 February 2015. Each night is a triple-bill, profiling 84 companies across 28 nights in a huge celebration and support of new choreographic talent.
The Royal Court theatre and the Guardian newspaper are set to collaborate on a web-based play series. Directors, playwrights and journalists are all headed to collaborate on a new series of short plays, which will be available to watch online. Making these theatrical works more readily available to audiences all over increases the reach of the arts and puts it in greater stead for the long term.
The first National College for the Creative and Cultural Industries is to be established at the High House Production Park in Thurrock, with backing from the government, it has been revealed. The college will open in September 2016 and will provide specialist training for the technical skills needed by the artistic industries.
English National Ballet’s Le Corsaire is now available on-demand in HD for the first time, courtesy of DigitalTheatre.com Collections. To rent, the cost is £3.99, and to buy, it is £10.99, expanding the ballet content of DigitalTheatre.com. Le Corsaire is the first production to be captured live for English National Ballet.
What better way to celebrate the festive period than with the Royal Opera House’s “The Wind in the Willows” at the Vaudeville Theatre. Martin Harvey joined this year’s production to take on the role of Ratty…
Stage Door, an on-demand radio series presented by West End stars including Louise Dearman and Killian Donnelly, will launch in January 2015, it has been announced. The project was originally planned as a 24-hour service dedicated to musical theatre when it was first announced last year, however organisers failed to reach the set fundraising target of £145,000, which they had intended to raise through crowdfunding. It was always maintained that the organisers wanted to make a musical theatre radio station for fans of the genre, not for shareholders wanting to make money.
Scott Cupit has the rare skills of having a banking and finance background as well as a love for swing dancing. He has combined the two skills and created what is now considered the largest swing dance school in the world.