Dance World

Foreword   Position on pointe

The Foot

The ideal foot for dancing sur les pointes is the square foot--one that gives the impression that the toes are sawed off straight across--with a low arch and a solid, strong ankle. Such a foot will "wear well" and will be a great comfort to the dancer because in standing on pointe the weight of the body will be borne evenly by all of the toes.

This foot, while more beautiful in appearance because of its high arch (beginning almost in the ankle) and its slim, well-turned ankle, is much more difficult to work with because of its great flexibility and softness. Even with excellent training and care it will never be so strong as the foot illustrated in Figure 1.Dancers with this type of foot must be especially careful in their training and must go through a longer preparatory period before attempting to dance on pointes.

 Another type of high arch; this one, however, is stronger than the foot illustrated in Figure 2 because the arch does not involve the ankle joint.

The grouping of the toes is very important to the would-be ballet dancer:

short toes, all even in length, are the best for pointe work because all of the toes will share the burden of the dancer's weight;

at least three toes should be "carriers";

      when one toe is longer than the rest, the dancer finds toe work difficult and painful.