Pre-pointe dance assessments

Pre-Pointe Assessments

Since 2015, Active Physiotherapy has offered expert physiotherapy advice to dance students of all ages across the Riverina area, and there is no time in a young ballet dancer’s training more exciting — or challenging — than working towards getting her first pair of pointe shoes. It can be difficult to know when a student is truly ready for this, and a pre-pointe assessment can find any hidden weaknesses that might place an otherwise excellent dancer at risk of injury en pointe. Physiotherapists Tahnee McCarthy and Caleb Shephard are able to provide a tailored assessment to evaluate your strength, stability and flexibility and work with your dance teacher to ensure you can safely progress onto pointe shoes.

What do I need to bring?

  • LeotardProper assessment of form is tricky if you show up in tracksuit pants!

  • White socksSome assessment tasks require sliding movements, so you will perform at your best if your feet aren’t getting stuck on the floor.

  • A positive attitude! If it seems like we’re being picky about your form, don’t be upset - we do this to make sure you won’t have any injuries in the future, and so that getting your pointe shoes is rewarding and not a chore!

What can I expect?

The appointment will be 60 minutes long, and covers more than 20 different aspects of your physical ability and technique, including;

  • Postural control

  • Pelvic stability and alignment

  • Foot and ankle shape and mobility

  • Flexibility, strength and control of the foot

  • Hip control and core stability

Throughout the appointment, we will give you feedback on your strengths and weaknesses, and provide some basic exercises to start making sure that pointe work is as safe as possible. For some students, further physiotherapy appointments may be recommended to monitor the effect of these exercises and progress to more challenging exercises where appropriate. After the appointment, we will send the full assessment form to your dance teacher and summarise our findings, highlighting particular areas to focus on during classes.

To take the next step in your ballet journey, speak to your dance teacher or call us on (02) 6925 7734 and book a pre-pointe assessment!

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