Pointe Technique Skill List

Struggling with what to teach in your pointe classes? This list of pointe technique skills can help! Featuring skills to be taught at four levels: beginning, intermediate, advanced intermediate, and advanced, this list of pointe technique skills will make it easier to create your pointe lesson plans, evaluation and level-up assessments, and even a full studio or program pointe curriculum for your ballet program! 

This brand-new resource from the trusted Holistic Dance Teacher Collection includes a list of technique-based skills that can be taught in pointe classes, in addition to general overall dance technique concepts that are applicable to any dance form. The list is divided into four skill levels; beginning, intermediate, advanced intermediate, and advanced. You can further divide the lists into smaller sections if your dance studio or program offers more than four levels of pointe technique, or combine them if you offer less than four levels. You can use this guide to help you devise pointe lesson plans or build a pointe curriculum for your ballet program.

Dancers should only begin training en pointe after significant ballet experience. Dancers must demonstrate sufficient strength, maturity, and ballet technique. There are many different approaches to ballet and pointe technique, including the French School, the Vaganova Method, the Cecchetti Method, the Bournonville method, the Royal Academy of Dance method, the Balanchine method, the Cuban method, and the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. 

This list features skills that dance teachers should consider teaching in pointe classes. Because there are many different methods of ballet, you may find that the terminology you use in your classes is slightly different. This list is based on my experience studying with teachers from the Cecchetti Method, the Imperial School (pre-Vaganova Method), and Balanchine Method. In particular, many of my most influential teachers were trained by Robert Joffrey and by teachers in his lineage.

Please note that this skill list is not a comprehensive list of all pointe skills that could possibly be taught in a pointe program, but it is extensive! It is not a complete syllabus or curriculum, but a tool that you can use to design your own. This pointe technique skill list does not include descriptions or videos of the skills, advice on how to teach the skills, or drills and progressions related to the skill. 

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