How long before I can get my pointe shoes?

I know it depends on your studio but on youtube there are some people that say that they got theirs after like a year and a half when most people say like 3 years. I have had one ballet class when i was 5/6 years old and now i am 12 I just took another hip hop class last two semesters and I am going to take ballet class again next year as a 12 year old going on 13. I may have only had 2 years of training but I have been dancing all my life. I am natrually really good at dance when do you think I should get my pointe shoes (also I do ankle weights like 8lb as often as i can if that makes a diffrence)

How long before I can get my pointe shoes?
Most studios discourage anyone under the age of 11 getting pointe shoes, because it can screw up the final development of your feet/toes. When to get your pointe shoes doesn't really matter in regards to how long you have been dancing, but rather your age. You will learn to do well in pointe, just like you would with any other type. If you can balance on the balls of your feet for 10-15 seconds w/out shaking and have strong calves, then go for it. Good luck!
Reply:ok so i just finished my first year of ballet and im the same age as u. all of the people who were in my class (their first year 2) get 2 start pointe now, except me cuz i broke my foot and missed tons of classes. but it really depends. sounds 2 me like ur ready. yes its good 2 have strong ankles for that





good luck!!
Reply:i'm a dancer myself and i go to victorian college of the arts secondary school and the best advice i could give you would be to go to a physio and let them cheak out your ankles to see if they have finished growing and have developed correctly. then get your pointe shoes professionally fitted by say bloch or energetiks.
Reply:Ideally, doctors believe that you shouldn't get pointe shoes until your feet have stopped growing, which is sometime around or after puberty. However, the dance world doesn't exactly follow this rule very well... So to compete with those who ignore the doctors, most studios start their girls on pointe much earlier but are very careful about what they let them do. I started at maybe eight or nine... All we did was put the shoes on at the end of a ballet class and do a few exercises at the barre with them. Then we took them off. When I was in fifth or sixth grade, we started actually dancing in our pointe shoes. The most important part is that your ankles are strong enough to handle it, and that you are able to pull up out of your shoes so you don't strain things. Make sure that you go to the store and have someone help you get a pointe shoe fitting. Its important that your teachers are behind you in letting you start and that your shoes fit you well. Take it slow at first, and try to stay at the barre for at least a couple months. Good luck and have fun! PS. the ankle weights are a GREAT idea, and I still wear flip flops all I want!
Reply:It depends on how strong your ankles are and if you think you can handle it, and how ugly you want your feet to be.... If you want to do pointe say good by to your flip flops and sandles now, you won't want to were them anymore once you start pointe.... I have done pointe for many years I started at age 9 and have done it ever since. It just depends on you.



maintenance repairs