Video Regarding Going en Pointe for the First Time in Ballet

When I treat young ballet students, I will eventually get the question of when can pointe work begin. I must work with the advice of the dance instructor, or use one of the dance medicine instructors here at Saint Francis. The 2 criteria that our Golden Rules (unbreakable) are 3 years of experience and great biomechanical technique. The 3rd criteria is age. Typically the dancers should be 12 with growth plates closed. Some dancers are skeletally mature while still 11 (rare) and some 13 or 14 (not that uncommon). Taking x rays to see if growth plates are closed in the feet is reasonable, for making the wrong decision is very dangerous.