Opus Pointe Policy

Things to keep in mind about pointe:

Pointe work is not a right.
Pointe is not for everyone.
Pointe work is not determined by your age, the number of years you have been dancing, your friends being put en pointe or your desire to be en pointe
Pointe work is an evolution and extension of effective ballet training
Advancing to pointe is on an individual basis, not by putting an entire class on pointe

Opus’ Pointe Readiness Requirements

A Pointe Readiness Evaluation is mandatory for all students hoping to progress to pointe work and for incoming students wanting to continue their pointe training.
Students hoping to progress en pointe are required to attend Opus’ weekly Pre-Pointe class and take time to train outside of class as well. Opus provides a detailed written description of the Pointe Readiness Evaluation to help prepare. Training takes several months, if not years. Be prepared for a marathon, not a race.
Core strength, range of motion, alignment, balance and foot strength are all included in Opus’ Pointe Readiness Evaluation for progressing en pointe. Students need to be strong enough to be en pointe and we make sure each individual is ready before the decision is made.
Good attendance in class is a requirement. Students need to regularly attend a minimum of three ballet classes a week for the 2 years. Students are expected to make-up absences by attending the level below their own.
Students need to be a minimum age of 12 to be considered for pointe. There are many disadvantages to starting pointe before a student is strong enough or before proper ossification has occurred. Research has shown there is no handicap to a dancer’s career by starting pointe work as late as 16 years old.

Opus’ Pointe Readiness Evaluation
Pointe Readiness Evaluations are scheduled with the Artistic Director in two parts:

Pointe Readiness Class Observation: The Artistic Director will observe the student in class to examine alignment, rotation and technique.
Pointe Readiness Evaluation: This second half of the evaluation will take privately with the Artistic Director and will take approximately one hour; Testing of strength, range-of-motion, proprioception and rotation will all be included. There is no fee for the first evaluation. Subsequent evaluations cost $60

To set up a pointe readiness exam, please contact Artistic Director, Brooke Evans:
[email protected]

Incoming Students Already En Pointe:

Incoming students will have to pass Opus’ Pointe Readiness Evaluation in order to continue their work en pointe.
New students hoping to continue pointe training will be given 4 months (schedule permitting) to train for the pointe readiness evaluation. Pre-Pointe is required during this time of training to understand the expectations of Opus’ Pointe Readiness Evaluation.
During their 4 months of Pointe Readiness training, new students can continue their work en pointe.
If the student does not pass the requirements after 4 months, they will be taken off pointe until they are able to pass Opus’ Pointe Readiness Evaluation.

Recommended Reading:
We recommend students & parents read the following articles for more information regarding the importance of ossification and risks of going en pointe too early.
International Association of Dance Medicine & Science
https://www.iadms.org/page/185
Pointe Readiness - What’s the debate all about?
By Cindy Lugo