How I did it: I'm not one of those people who has been dancing since they were three; I started ballet in my early teens. My feet were worse than average--I didn't have much of an arch, my ankles didn't look flat when I pointed, and my releve was horrible. Still, from the moment I took my first ballet class, I wanted to dance en pointe.
After I had been taking classes for...a month or so, I talked to my ballet teacher about getting pointe shoes. She told me that I wasn't ready yet (she was right), but that, if I kept working hard, I might be able to someday. Being the ambitious person that I am, I asked her if it was possible for me to get my pointe shoes by Christmas (which would be six months after I started). She hesitantly told me yes.
For the next five months, I worked really hard. I started taking more ballet classes and I stretched my feet (although maybe not as much as I should have). I asked my teacher constantly how I was doing; I bugged her so much that she eventually told me to stop asking her constantly.
After one class in December, my teacher asked me (again) to come to the barre so that she could check my feet. I didn't think my of it, but then the magic words came out of her mouth--"Go get them."
I nearly cried I was so happy. I was at the store the next day buying my new shoes.
It wasn't easy getting started. Pointe is difficult, painful, and frustrating. My feet still weren't great, so I had a lot of trouble. After a while, though, it stopped being so painful. Now, I can dance on pointe for hours without difficulty.
It is possible to dance en pointe. I guess the moral of the story is work hard, don't give up, and try not to bug your teacher to death. :)
Read how I did it… 2 years ago
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