En Pointe Ballet
Dancing en pointe is not an easy
thing to do in ballet. It is by far the most challenging and
essential part of the dance that every student should learn as
keeping the feet in shape for dance is not always easy. The
reason? Our feet change shape with age and with other biological
factors, or due to injuries incurred.
Basically, there’s a no way for the
dancers of ballet to escape learning en pointe ballet as it is the
most integral part of the dance. Yes, it is! However, en pointe
ballet should not be attempted by a young or older dancer. It
should only be performed by those who are capable of doing it. As
I’ve said, dancing en pointe ballet is not easy as pie. It involves
a lot of balance, strength, endurance and of course harmony of the
movements. It is in fact a requirement for those who wish to
perform it to have strong feet and legs so to successfully perform
the dance. And, I bet for a regular student of ballet, learning the
basics of en pointe ballet may take up to three or four years of
practice.
Now, what really is en pointe
ballet? How it is performed?
On the most basic, the en pointe is
also known as pointe work. It involves the action of rising to the
tips of the toes while performing the steps involved in a ballet
technique. Well, to make this movement possible, the en pointe
ballet is usually danced using the so-called hard toed pointe
shoes. Just imagine the shoes worn by ballerinas with a flat
surface in front. That’s the pointe shoes.
There are a lot of techniques
involved in dancing en pointe ballet. One of the most popular is
the rising to full pointe with the absence of a foregoing demi-plie.
According to some experts, this technique involves the knees
remaining straight and pulled up as the performer employs his or her
muscles of the legs and feet to raise his or her body smoothly to
reach full pointe. However, it is important to keep the toes in
the floor when performing this act. It should possess a sort of
equal control with the knees still straight, while lowering the body
through the feet and to the heels.
Another notable technique involved in
en pointe ballet is to relever in order to spring up. Earlier, you
started with a movement that involves demi-plie. Now, it should be
followed by a light spring to full pointe and the dancer should
finish the move by springing to slide down into the demi-plie.
In en pointe ballet, keeping the
thighs stiff and the knees straight after the first movement, as
mentioned above, is also of great importance. Many dancers call
this technique as “abaisser to descend” as the dancer here tries to
descend from the full pointe by way of releasing to the demi-pointe,
and then descending slowly until his or her heels are rested on the
floor. Often, in en pointe ballet, this technique is followed by
traveling movements.
There are other movements involved in
en pointe ballet, but most of them are complicated and can cause
serious damage to the feet, ankles and knees. So it’s important that
dancers performing the pointe work should first wait for their body
to be strong enough to bear the weights and pressure caused by the
movements involved.
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