Professional Opinion - Level of Evidence V
Many parents ask me when is it safe to go en pointe? The short answer is no sooner than 10 years old.
However, the longer answer with more detailed information is the one that you should pay attention to. All children are different. They mature at different rates for muscle strength and skeletal maturity. There are no studies in the literature that suggest adverse affects on the bone development of young dancers who start en pointe at a young age. Similarly, there is no evidence that starting en pointe at a young age will give a young dancer a higher liklihood of a professional career. En pointe training earlier than 10 years old is not all that productive, as children younger than that age often do not have the muscle strength to control the movement in an effective manner. So often the young dancers are up en pointe and are not really doing all that much.
It is my professional opinion that children in the 11-13 ranges do well with starting en pointe activity provided they have adequate strength and a very qualified teacher to focus on proper form and technique.
Many parents ask me when is it safe to go en pointe? The short answer is no sooner than 10 years old.
However, the longer answer with more detailed information is the one that you should pay attention to. All children are different. They mature at different rates for muscle strength and skeletal maturity. There are no studies in the literature that suggest adverse affects on the bone development of young dancers who start en pointe at a young age. Similarly, there is no evidence that starting en pointe at a young age will give a young dancer a higher liklihood of a professional career. En pointe training earlier than 10 years old is not all that productive, as children younger than that age often do not have the muscle strength to control the movement in an effective manner. So often the young dancers are up en pointe and are not really doing all that much.
It is my professional opinion that children in the 11-13 ranges do well with starting en pointe activity provided they have adequate strength and a very qualified teacher to focus on proper form and technique.