How much point should a dancer have?

A dancer should have 180 degrees of ankle plantar flexion range of motion, especially if one wishes to go en pointe. When en pointe, your ankle plantarflexion range of motion (pointing of the foot) is much higher than usual. Forces of 12 times your body weight are transmitted through your foot, as opposed to four times in a soft ballet slipper. Therefore, ankle flexibility must be great enough to create an optimal alignment so your body can balance on top of the block of the shoe.

How to test;

1. Sit with your legs out straight. Make sure you are sitting on the sit bones of your bottom and not slouching the spine.

2. Lock your knees straight.

3. Point your feet forward as hard as you can at the ankle so you feel your calf muscles squeeze hard. You can do one leg at a time.

4. Make your toes stay long, avoid scrunching.

5. Hands may rest on the ground.

Interpreting the test;

1) Looking from the side: A straight line should be seen from the side of the leg to the small toe.

2) Looking from the top: place a pencil so the middle of it is over your ankle joint above the ankle bone: the pencil should sit horizontal across the ankle joint from shin to foot.

From the photo above we can tell that this dancer needs more point range of motion, prior to using pointe shoes as the small toe is higher than the side of the leg.

Check out the perfect relevé and how do your calves measure up for further tips to improve your dance technique.

This plus other tips are included in the dancer’s handbook. However, if you still have any problems, book online for an appointment today.