To clarify, pointe shoes do NOT have wood in them. They are made with layers of fabrics stiffened by glue. Also, please never try this without years of continuous ballet training. Pointe is EXTREMELY dangerous! I’m so glad you’re okay, you were definitely much better than me on my first pointe class!
Same! Pointe shoes are made of satin, linen, fiberboard, suede, itsy bitsy NAILS, and compressed glue. Anyone who has ever danced their shoes far beyond what's appropriate knows that the box softens, loses its shape, and you can see it clearly and it not made of wood. In fact, Gaynor Minden used to make a shoe (not sure if they still do, I haven't danced ballet in 20+ years) where you could put the shoe on, hit it with a heat source like a hairdryer, and the glue would mold to the shape of your foot. Meaning they utilized part of the structure of the shoe to aid the breaking in process. Also pointe shoes are how I learned to sew out of the sheer necessity of it. And you can put more than just the toe pad in for protection. I used countless yards of lamb's wool to protect my feet.
@@moquimoon2395 Exactly. That's the fiberboard I was talking about. I'm sure I'm not the only one who has taken a box cutter to a destroyed pair of pointe shoes just to see exactly what is inside of them 😂
Interesting Fact: The best ballet school in the world Vaganova would not even accept a child if they had back fused. They are able to tell if someone could be a ballet dancer at the age of 8. Its fascinating.
It’s the case of many schools. They are able to see with your body type how best you can do. For instance : the position of your shoulders, the back, the arch of the feet (flat or rounded)… They do the same in the prestigious Opera in Paris with the « Petits rats de l’opéra ».
its bad though because people like her can't help the condition because she was born with it, unless she wants life threatening surgery and life changing. they shouldn't judge someone as soon as they walk through the doors. maybe they could give that citizen a few dance/ballet lessons before hand and then let them audition. I quit ballet because I felt like I was getting looked up and down by my dance teacher.
As someone who is mainly trained in ballet I have to say you were actualy pretty good and pirouettes on point scare me as well so I totaly knew how you felt. And this colab is amazing I love you two
As a ballet dancer, I don’t think people realise just how hard it is. There are so many things to think about at once. Posture, feet, head, eyes, doing things gracefully, oh and of course I can’t forget that you also have to look effortless while doing it.
As an ex-ballet dancer who quit after I reached my 9 year mark of ballet, ballet is not only very physically torturing, but also mentally torturing. Maybe I wasn't strong enough in both sectors, but after my 6th year of ballet, I began feeling very insecure about myself and my self-confidence was just non-existent. You have to learn not to compare yourself with other dancers. Sure, people may have their leg up at 90 degrees, and you'll feel frustrated that you're at 45 degrees, but you have to learn to accept that your body goes at its own pace. It's an art form that requires you to be patient with yourself, while loving yourself. Unfortunately, I was in a ballet school that wasn't very accepting of that, which is how I've ended up here today. Don't get me wrong, I love ballet. I love dancing and I love the joy ballet gives me. But that joy was only in the moment then. After lessons, I'd come home, body aches all over, mentally exhausted, and starting my homework at 10pm. I'd never get enough sleep. And the time ballet took along with school hours made me feel isolated from my peers. I was always feeling lonely. I think Haley has put this art form beautifully into words: “It honestly inspires me that people will go through this much pain day in and day out to perfect an art that tortures their own bodies, simply because they love it.” We sacrifice and we give. To some, the reward is worth it. To others like me, it kills us. Ballet is truly not only a test of physical strength, grace and control, but also a test of your self-love, growth and mental strength. May all my fellow dancers out there find worth in what you do, in every second of your lives.
Yes, but when I got older and really started realizing why I started in the first place, it became an exeptance. I would do anything to dans and ballett makes me happy (no matter the pain) and I think it brings others joy aswell
I feel this pain, my ballet teacher, who was teaching children at the time (aged 5+) would almost torture us just to get results.. I remember always trying extremely hard to do what was asked and it never seemed like it was enough for our teacher, she asked us to do something like box splits against the walls and when I didn't have the same flexibility as the rest of the class she would yell "get closer to the wall" and even if I tried to, which was extremely painful and I didn't succeed in doing so, she would come over and push me against the wall making my legs feel like they were going to straight up snap off my body 💀 I know ballet is hard but when you force expectations onto someone so young they will get frightened and even start to think they will never really keep up or meet those expectations. I eventually quit because I personally preferred the tap dancing they taught and I couldn't be asked to deal with the ballet alone anymore.. It felt like it caged you almost and then the tap would come along and free you but ofc that was no longer there 😅 _Ballet is beautiful but it needs more people who can teach it nicer.. Stern if they're stubborn to learn and understanding if they are unable to be like the rest of the class (since we aren't mindless robots after all 😊)._
Wow. But do know, there are other ways, to achieve the same joy it gave you. Maybe you never thought about it too much. But it is there. Please live your life ♡ it could be scary maybe or hard but it can be found.
I did ballet on off for about 30 years. I was pretty good but never made it pro. It was very extremely hard but so exhilarating when you got that move. What's not exhilarating is practicing a dance for months that brings you to tears because it's so difficult (even for the best students in class) and finally getting it and you're so happy...and then bombing it on stage 😓😓😓 I decided to never set foot into a studio ever again! Over 5 years later I discovered pole dancing and I love it🙏🙏🙏 That 1st pole class is just one of many reasons why I'm so thankful now for putting in all those years and effort to ballet even though I never made it professionally. At 46 Ive been poling for a few years and every practice makes me more thankful for my ballet background. If anyone that has never tried ballet discredits it, hand them a pair of pointe shoes 💪
And THIS is why I have always wished I had more strength than flexibility. Your leg may not get higher than 45 degrees, but you have the leg and core strength to support yourself! Myself being a human noodle with very wobbly joints, my 3 years of pointe were miserable. Quitting and just doing everything in soft shoes was the best decision ever lol
@@amymccarthy5591 i have hypermobile ehlers danlos and was great in ballet, just not on pointe because of my ankle slipping out of socket after being on them for too long
Same story. Ballet used up my feet tendons and stretched them to the point i had the feet of an 80 yo at 18 lol oh, and I dislocated a knee. Twice. This was the end for me. I walk and do crochet now :)
Partially correct. Ask a professional ballet dancer to hike a mountain. If untrained he or she will quickly start panting. Same works visa versa, mountain hikers will be quickly overwhelmed when having to work their muscles in an entirely different way.
So many people think ballet is easy and a very boring dance style. It is SO hard. I have been doing ballet since age 2 and I am 17 now. It is one of my favorite things in my life right now, but it has never been easy. It's SO much harder than it seems, and I get so mad when people congratulate a hip hop dancer and give them gifts and stuff, and then they see the ballet dancer and they're like: " Well, you did good but considering you do ballet and it's so simple, this dancer is way more talented." UGH
It's because all of you guys are so talented you guys make it look really easy, but after watching some videos I realized that it isn't as easy as it looks....
I've been doing ballet since I was 2 and 1\2 and now im 10 I go on demi pointe in 2 years, pointe is so beautiful but is extremely dangerous! and so if you have never done ballet DO NOT do this please
Ballerino here, and let me just say this is absolutely gorgeous I don’t even want to picture what pointe feels like- it looks terrifying, yet you girls always look perfect and in control. I’m in awe! Huge kudos 💛
this is literally so impressive coming from someone who has never danced in their life- I love this video Haley, you can really see you light up during the lesson and it’s so cute to see you be able to live out a childhood dream
everyone should dance, and dance lessons make everyone a better dancer. it only matters how good you are if you plan to make it your career. ps even retired dancers still take classes. it's never too late
as a ballerina pop, you didn't do that bad. especially for your first time and not having done ballet in quite some time. i won't lie, i was terrified that your ankles were going to snap right off, but i'm glad you're okay. 😭♥️
@@vlapndo Yes just like @deepee said, its painful. Make sure you trim your toenails because they will hurt too. But as time goes on, they will feel better as your feet adjust and your pointe shoes will kind of mold to your foot shape. Don't be worried, after a while when you put them on you will feel like they are just an extra part of your body. Hope this helps Let me know if you have any more questions, I'll be happy to answer
As someone who has never been a dancer but did do martial arts, I am So Pleased to see an example of how hard it is to make your body do subtle, balanced motions at all, let alone dance. Ballet is so f/ing hard, professional dancers are truly a special breed, and a gift.
Yeah I’m a dancer and I’m 11 started point at 9 and blood comes out of my ankles I get splinters it hurts but you don’t feel much hurt after you warm up and start dancing but still it hurts
The techniques learned in martial arts apply to ballet also. Martial arts concentrates a lot on flexibility, breathing and tradition. High ranking martial artists could certainly adapt to ballet.
I have a black belt in karate (going for that second belt too lol) and I'm always in awe of ballet dancers. In karate it's elegant, yes, but it's sharp, quick, and effective so that your body is at its maximum strength and ability. Ballet is so different in that they're doing insane things with very much of the same control but a lot slower. Ballet dancers are incredible for what they do
i’m a trained ballet dancer and haley i think you did amazing!! i’m actually impressed haha. just a note for anyone who may be reading this… it’s actually a common misconception that pointe shoes are made out of wood (i mean it does sound like wood when you hit the ground in them lol), but there’s no wood in them at all. the toe part of it is made out of layers of paper maché and fabric like luna started to touch on. that’s why they’re extremely hard but can be molded to your foot when bent and sweaty ☺️
Got a medical procedure done that us known for being painful. The doctor and nurses were shocked at how calm I was and how little of a reaction I gave. "I do pointe ballet"
Same loll my fingernail almost came off a few days ago because someone kicked it and it was bleeding a lot but I didn't even know until like 5 minutes later I felt a little sting and I realized it was literally pouring blood
Just for those of you who don’t know, not all of your weight is on your toes in pointe shoes. There should be pressure on the side of your feet/toes and only about half is on your toes. However, pointe still can hurt but shouldn’t be excruciating if it is done correctly.
I took adult ballet with my daughter in 2005/2006 and we had a blast together!! She’s now 29 and I’m 51. We’re talking about going back to adult classes on FaceTime now that she’s back in Seattle and I moved to Georgia. After just 14 months of basic classes we were in best shape ever. ❤
Haley still 'has it'!! - As a former contemporary dancer, I concur that ballet is by far, the most demanding and rigid dance discipline to learn. But ballet is the foundation of majority of dance styles, so it is encouraged to train. Thou I dreaded going to ballet class, it helped me so much!
Ballet is harder than what it looks like and we make it look easy because we've done it for years. I love seeing people show appreciation and show the love for our art because it's not an easy one. One thing I will say is that you should have training and get the ok from your teacher before going on pointe because you could seriously injure yourself if not done correctly.
There’s actually no wood in them! They are made of essentially cardboard and other glues and satin materials, almost like a papier-mâché. Love the video!
Ex-ballerina here, did 9 years of ballet and for 3 of those years I was on pointe. I still appreciate ballet but my gosh the pain my feet went through most of the time was pretty unbearable. But now I’m so much more graceful on flat. I quit ballet but I didn’t stop dancing. I’m actually a contemporary dancer now and I’m in much less pain nowadays lol. Great job for your first attempt, it was lovely
Um no as a ballet teacher all I could see was how she looked like she was going to break her ankles at any second, the teacher should not have let her step away from the barre that was so irresponsible to do and makes people think this is ok and does a disservice to the sport and art of ballet
En pointe is so hard and you picked it up so quickly and absolutely killed it. Please don't write it off entirely, Give it a chance again someday. En pointe is a goal for many of us adult ballet dancers. With your natural talent, you would accomplish so much!
People never realize how crazy ballet is! Like this past year I won a dance competition in first place and when I told people someone else said they had made it to regionals for a rock climbing comp like not even won or anything and everyone was super happy and saying stuff like “OMG CONGRATS!”. When I told them about winning the dance competition since it was an international, one person responded with a thumbs up. Like, I’m excited about this stuff and people just turn me down because it’s ballet and A different dance (salsa dance) people think that is so easy and anyone could do it, but my dance teacher said “Dancing is supposed to be hard. And that’s why not everyone can do it.” Because it’s true! Dancing is REALLY HARD.
Haley is literally my favorite human no joke. I'll trust her book recs to *death* and she's one person who actually has a sense of humor. And this video😩😩
When the bottom of your foot cramps up, you can completely stretch out the cramp by taking off your shoes, walking up to a wall, and putting just your toes up on the wall while you keep the flat of your sole on the floor. Lean lightly into the stretch, and hold each stretch for at least 30 seconds. Stretch multiple times for each foot. Eventually the cramp will completely loosen up. Best results if you practice this stretch every time you go walk (or some exercise that warms up your feet).
I would love to do ballet but I'm afraid it would take too much time out of my life and I've never had dancing lessons before. But seeing you do it makes me feel really happy for you and I almost got to feel myself doing it. You actually had me watching this standing up so I could try to do it too. (Only a little safer cuz I didn't wanna die 💀)
do ittt! i started last year and never had dancing lessons either. i improved so much in only a couple months. if you’re passionate and dedicated it’s totally worth it
Do it!! It will be hard but if your passionate about it it will get so much easier and after a few classes it will be like you’ve been dancing for year, believe me I’ve been a ballerina for 6years and its just wonderful
@@gianna3928 omg that's so nice! Can you tell me your dance and workout routine? I didn't improve that well since last year, but I'm working out, dancing and stretching daily. I guess I have a wrong focus (:(
While the science behind ballet has progressed tremendously since I trained in the 1950s, it's never going to be easy on the body. There is literally nothing like it. I can't begin to tell you how impressed I was that you took to pointe so quickly and (believe it or not!) easily. Yes, you have cramped feet and fears you never expected, but I've been watching ballet for literally decades and have never seen anyone adapt so fast! You are really a gifted dancer! You looked wonderful and your instructor was justifiably impressed.
I did ballet for 5 years, I quit because it was very physically and mentally exhausting for me, the ballet instructor was very demanding and didn’t take no for an answer, she would force you into a split if you couldn’t do it and I was being forced into doing something I hated cause my parents said it was good for me. This sport is really only for the people that can take it/ love it
Anyone who does ballet or who is learning it. Know that I do respect your work and art. You make the world to a better place with that kind of dance imo. Nothing but respect to you !
As a modern dancer of 10 years, I'm so proud of you! My dance teacher, or coach, would literally tell us to do ballet, like any type of dance genre, and my legs weren't that flexible as others, and she would urge me to go all the way to the ground etc, and I had cramps badly. Sometimes we do ballet, or gymnastics, practically. Someone who didn't do dance before doesn't know how difficult it is! Love you! ❤
Just for those that believed pointe shoes are really made out of wood, there is actually a mix of paper and glue at the shoe box, that’s what makes them hard enough to stand on but soft enough to dance in
I started pointe only this last January and even though I love it, my pointe shoes are basically TORTURE devices. My feet always hurt after (which is to be expected) but still. I am really excited to progress in pointe and start doing turns and what not soon enough. You did a really good job for never doing pointe before
Your shoes shouldn't hurt that much. You might try another fitting, experiment with different kinds of padding, or maybe your shoes are worn out. I hope you can ask around your teachers or dance store staff or friends for advice
I made this comment almost a year ago when my toe pads sucked and I wasn’t fitted very well cause I have difficult feet. But now I found a good shoe and great toe pads 👍🏻
I have done ballet for 16 years now and I am genuinelly impressed, you killed it! Specially for your first pointe class. Just to emphazise for the viewers, never do this without the proper training, it is seriously dangerous 😅
I’ve been doing dance when I was little but took a break. Last year I came back to ballet, and I still love it. I’m not on pointe yet, but watching her with this being her first time on pointe, I feel more confident.
As a former ballerina let me just say first off that you did amazing for your first class. But also, hearing Four Little Swans (final performance song) just gave me ALL the PSTD
As a ballet dancer this was both hard but exiting to watch Personally it’s always exiting to see dancers who don’t do point try it, (safely obviously) and what Haley said at the end I thought was very true most ballerinas go through so much pain just to fulfill what they love, including me
watching you rediscover your love for dance made me tear up, i’d lost that love for so long and finally got it back this year and it just reminded me of that incredible feeling 😭
Amazing video! I actually feel so bad thinking about all the times you probably tried to get your leg up to 90° (and all the instructors who probably continually yelled at you) when you legitimately couldn’t move your leg anymore.
can't get my leg higher than 85° ...my joints are super turned out but too narrow (cannot stretch anywhere near a split)....so people oftentimes assume I'm not that good of a dancer. I had people tell me repeatedly to stretch more...and it didn't do anything except cause joint pain (so I got an MRI - and saw...that it's just not possible). I do have wicked good turn out though - so that's a plus. Dancing is about so much more than flexibility...it's an art form and a sport. Seems like a lot of people forget about that nowadays.
um… so that was GORGEOUS. never would’ve expected that from someone who hasn’t danced. i am a dancer and you would never believe how hard this is but the joy on your face was priceless and i hope you continue to keep dancing you are beautiful ❤️
That little routine at the end was actually really good though for never having been en pointe before! I remember in my first year of pointe, we had an end-of-the-year recital with kind of a similar routine, and we were all way more wobbly and had more issues staying en pointe than you did for our 2 minutes en pointe.
Haley as an ex-dancer this is amusing and amazing to watch. I ended up with health issues that caused me to close my dance studio. I stopped dancing in 2018 after giving birth to my son and I now have back and hip issues plus other health issues. My doctors goals are to get me back into dancing. So through all of this my doctors requested I started dancing again and as symptoms hit they’ll treat as I go. They said it will also help with a diagnosis as to what’s causing all of these problems. I’m shocked I still have my splits but can’t go into them. (I learned the hard way not to just go into them like I use to, ended up injured for awhile…and to think I taught my students not to do this but look at me being irresponsible 😅). Relearning to do everything while I’m in pain is a challenge but I can feel my dance spirit knocking at my door again. I want to do leaps, turns and acro like I use to but I have to take it slowly or I’ll lose all my progress. I’m so ready but I feel like it’s so far. Kudos to you and your courage❤️
I do: 3 years ballet, 7 years modern, 2 years hip-hop and 2 years break dance. And I'm 11 years old. And I think ballet is the most difficult because: In ballet you have to have balance, be flexible and much more. 😅😊❤
Nice work. For anyone new to pointe: 1) don’t break your shoes in with your hands, you’ll want them to naturally break in with the shape of YOUR feet. 2) don’t jump to sus-sous or échappé
Bro I’ve done dance for 7 years and I’m currently doing pre pointe so I can do Pointe! I loved this video of you Haley it was so entertaining! Love you💕
I can't dance, but I always stand basically on my toes, but in sneakers. Idk why it's just funny when I do it bored, waiting in a line shopping and people suddenly look a bit strange and you notice you are doing it again and grew 2 inches....^^
I have been doing ballet for nearly 23 years (I started ever since I could walk) and doing pointe professionally now, i'm really surprised by how well you did
I love this! I'm currently enduring the same journey! And your "fulfilling childhood dream euphoria" is sooooooooooo inspiring. I will stick with it!!!
"But hey, now we know," just inspired the crap out of me to go after all of the dreams I've ever had, simply for the fact of knowing what it would be like.
As an ex ballet dancer I never really enjoyed dance, I was forced to do ballet since my sister was doing it. I always said that dance didn’t take much effort and wasn’t fun. Which is true for me in a since, my teacher would get mad over the smallest things like my head being titled, and most of my teachers were like that. Before dance I did gymnastics which was my happy place. I enjoyed being there, and my teachers were really nice. I had always loved gymnastics, cause I found it more challenging in a way then ballet which was all about being perfect and graceful, but in gymnastics I felt like I could be perfect but also have a little bit excitement added to each lesson. I am now back in gymnastics which was the best decision ever! Since I was always pushed to do dance that was one reason I didn’t have passion for it, and seeing the older girls dance just made me feel like I couldn’t do anything. In gymnastics since I have passion for it I am also up for the challenge and I love looking at the older girls and hoping that will be me one day. So if you love dance do it! If you love gymnastics do it! The choice should be yours!
I’m now 45. My feet would turn to powder if I went up on pointe now. I’m amazed at all the comfort products. When I used to dance if blood didn’t fill your pointe shoes you were expected go for another hour. And the 4th toe on my left foot is permanently bent at the top. I’m so so glad it’s different now. Your future self will thank you!!
Wow, this is amazing! Watching an ex-dancer take on extreme ballet training is so inspiring. Your determination and skill are incredible, and it's truly captivating to see your progress. Keep up the fantastic work! 💪🩰
Wow you did an amazing job! I start ballet classes next week and can’t wait. I’ve never had any formal training. Watching your video shed light on the pain, beauty and dedication to the art. Thank you so much for sharing❤