Ballet Dictionary: Pointe Work
Photo by Mark Sumaylo • Text by Abigail Oliveiro
What: Pointe Work
Pointe work is an iconic part of classical ballet technique. It resulted from a desire for female ballet dancers to appear weightless and light footed – almost as if the dancer is floating. Pointe work is executed in pointe shoes. For the dancer to be en pointe means full support of their body on the tips of their toes in pointe shoes. To be able to do pointe work, the dancer has to have strong ankles, feet and toes on top of good alignment. Extensive training is essential to be able to go on pointe. When the dancer is able to go en pointe, a lot more practice goes into pointe work training which then prepares the dancer for performances, and repertoire work.
Tip: Extra stretching and strengthening of the ankles and intrinsic muscles of the feet is beneficial for pointe work to help strengthen and prevent injuries. This can be done through various exercises such as exercises using a theraband (resistance training), calf rises and rolling through the feet on pointe.
Dancer: Nicole Barroso, Soloist
Location: Ballet Manila Studio 2
