My daughter dances at the Houston Ballet Academy, and they don’t give anyone the green light to go on pointe until at least age 12. They have doctors on staff from Methodist Hospital that evaluate the girls over and over. Starting to young can ruin growth plates and greatly increase the chances of injury. They don’t care how good someone appears to be or how much they want to do it, it’s health first.
I, too, am glad to hear they are putting health first. I think it should be regulatory law that there has to be a doctor signing off on them going on pointe, and their weight needs to be medically managed also (no matter what bones Balanchine wanted). Just like they created rules for the modeling industry to protect the models' health, ballet dancers should have some governing regulations and medical supervision to protect dancers' health as well.
@@Brembelia when did the modeling industry create rules to protect models' health? If they are in place, are they realistic & practical, actually enforced or are they just there as a front?
With great respect for this beautiful dancer, I’m wondering if she should be assessed for Ehlers Danlos. It often shows as excessive hypermobility. Then she can be guided to dance for longevity if so.
@@Lilli_Loves_BondiNo, honestly, not really. Don't just look at the mobility of those "normal" joints, which are needed to do splits in all directions. Look at her feet joints, then see what her knee looks like on the leg that is / or is not under load (depending on the movement), as if she doesn't have any patellar bones, so her knee is bent in the other direction, also the ankle joints are so much bented, they really looks a little abnormal. I'm not writing this out of hatred, quite the opposite. I would be really, really happy to see how wrong was I.
Also? If you want to teach ballet to students intended for a professional career? Do not teach them to hyperextend their joints and teach against it in your studio or else earn a poor reputation. They do not need to cause lifelong injuries to be beautiful dancers! As a testimony to my statement I will ask you this! Can a rhythmic gymnast 🤸♂️ ever return to ballet after their competitive years have finished? The answer: NO! Why not? Most professional ballet companies will not hire a rhythmic gymnast because she has literally destroyed her body to achieve a state of competitive flexibility in gymnastics. She will be prone to injury, painful rehearsals, call outs and eventually a liability to the company. If you want a long, happy, healthy career as a professional ballerina? Do not forcibly hyperextend your joints! Most auditioners are told to be on the lookout for this sort of self abuse and will not hire you because of it. 😢
I’m so glad that people are talking about her age and the fact that she’s already en pointe. It’s irresponsible to allow young girls who aren’t finished growing yet to be doing something that can damage their bodies and risk their future as professional dancers.
Does anyone even know what her age is? You can't always guess someone's age just based on how they look. Some people are smaller or look younger than their age. Also you do realize that any teen that goes en pointe isn't done growing yet either. People continue growing into their 20s and most people go en pointe around their preteen years. There is no one set age for when a dancer should get their first pair of pointe shoes. Their teacher is the one who decides when they believe each person is ready so the age can vary. Considering that this girl is in this ballet academy I'm sure she was assessed by her teachers and given the go ahead to dance en pointe because they believed she was ready and it was safe for her.
My growth plates were ruined from pointe too early. That’s the TL;DR I would never promote this to children and their parents I suffered stress fractures and inflammation and every single step was like walking on daggers. I thought it would be noble to dance through the pain. I was stopped by my doctor. I was attending a school for the arts and I couldn’t even climb the stairs to my classes. It was Christmas time and I lost my part in the Nutcracker. I couldn’t participate so I watched everyone else dance. I did it to stay fresh and absorb whatever I could, in hopes that I would be able to rejoin the class soon - for months while I took my other arts classes on the ground floor. I didn’t want to leave my other arts, either but, eventually I had to leave the school. There was no elevator as it was a very old, historic building and didn’t fully conform to accessibility. I was left in the library for hours as it was dangerous to climb three flights of stairs on crutches, when everyone was rushing up and down around me. I was put into a cast, then braces on my legs and even years later had to wear silicone in my shoes to absorb the shock and I couldn’t even run, much less dance. As a result I could not return to doing gymnastics or tumbling (which had taken a backseat to dance but, I had done it since I was a year old - it was still emotionally painful to let go). Due to the casts I couldn’t swim, either. Or even ride my bike. I couldn’t ride horseback until the casts came off and I couldn’t use my heels at all while riding. As I grew it became worse, until I reached my full height but, by then it was much too late to regain all I lost. You never know how someone will grow or develop, only how they are developing or have already grown. You cannot determine the impact before that happens. I remember relating to Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Mermaid, when she sacrificed to have legs and danced despite the pain of stepping on daggers with every single step. That’s how it felt for me. I wanted to keep dancing. My doctor and parents stopped me - they said that I might be sacrificing my ability to walk or dance at all in the future. It’s not worth it for pointe. No matter how much you want it; keep training it’s worth the wait.
Thank you for making this comment. Going en pointe so young should not be normalized. I hope this little girls career isn’t ruined because of it. May I ask what age you started pointe?
I'm telling you, this little girl would be accepted in any ballet company she wanted. Bolshoi Ballet, Vaganova Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet... you name it! She's beyond incredible
@@noakatie it’s a lot of rigorous training. I would say your there for at least 3 hours and i meet 4 times a week. Although it’s a lot, you get better and better every class
She has a pretty severe hyperextension (of her knee) though... So I hope she is always being safe in her little body and find time to rest and protect her joints. I also don't agree that children this young should be on pointe yet... Generally around 12 years old is good, the ligaments are far too weak, leaving the child susceptible not just to acute injuries but also chronic pain and lasting damage If the feet go.. the whole spine goes.. if the spine goes.. the organs go.. etc. Beyond that though, she has enviable technique.. so much grace and composure, and obviously really loves ballet.. so beautiful.
she’s actually 12. still young but for example at vaganova ballett academy the most professional in the world the girls all start at that age (13 is the max for admission than your to old) so the girls start usually between 11-13
“Her future is so bright” … that is if going on pointe before her body is ready for it won’t permanently damage her feet. That would be a shame, because she really is a gorgeous and clearly talented young dancer. She seems strong and well trained but these are not the only criteria for being able to dance on pointe safely. I really hope she is older than she looks or her feet are prematurely fully developed.
She’s only nine years old, too young to go on pointe. This school is amazing for competitions, but they’ve also had a series of prodigies like Gisele Bethea and, seemingly, Madison Penney, who have burnt out before they’re barely in their 20’s.
you never no how old someone is. Her feet might be ready to dance on pointe. As a dancer myself I started dancing on pointe at 13 but her growth plates may be closed already
@@deeadair-reece1813an 8 year old should not being going en pointe. i don’t care if they did an x-ray. YOU as her mother should be protecting her from things that can cause permanent damage. do better.
Yeah, Sophia Lucia was en pointe back when she was 8-9, and I was so concerned for her health and wellbeing, seeing as she was such a talented wee dancer. Luckily, she chose not to train professionally in ballet until she was at least 12, so that's when she started wearing pointe shoes regularly.
Thank you.. Longevity over passion. From an ex ballet dancer.. & also agree over hypertextention.. watching her.. I'd like her to be on Demi pointe for a little longer....she has potential ❤
she is literally amazing and so beautiful, the turnout and everything. but if she’s not 11 or older this can be so so SO dangerous to the dancers feet and growth. children’s bones are so fragile and they haven’t even gotten close to finishing growing. please be careful
Why is she on points? I danced in the 60’s, from the age of 3, and wasn’t allowed to go on point until 11. She’s marvellous, but I feel it’s so wrong if she’s not yet 11.
Amazing job, I just REALLY hope she’s at least five years older than she looks…I’ve been dancing for much of my life but even with the dubious school I was in twelve was the absolute youngest that they would ever allow any of us on point.
wow. i’m a ballet dancer and i’m telling you right now, she very talented and she was made to dance. i could tell she cares a lot about it and at that age, most kids prob don’t even know what they want to do. ❤ keep doing what your doing ❤❤❤
@@sarahbasto6520 yes. if she exercises and trains in ballet a lot you could be en pointe. The youngest age i’ve ever heard of someone on pointe was 7-8 but you never know. Her legs also look very strong. It’s not about age.
Going on point is about age. Her bones are still,growing. The plates are soft. She should not be doing point work until age 13 or so. I am sure her teachers are proud of her and showing her off. She is gorgeous , no doubt. And she will still be gorgeous in about 3 or 4 years time. At her age why would she not want this. She has no idea Most likely of the ramifications of going on point.
Please get those shoes off of her ASAP mom and dad!!! HER CAREER COULD END BEFORE IT BEGINS! SHE'S NINE FOR GOODNESS SAKES!!! Please get her hypermobility addressed asap as well. Her knees will be shot, her feet will be shot, and she'll be in college dreaming about what could have been if her body hadnt been irresponsibly pushed too hard to young. It's not up to her, she doesn't know any better, but adults do. She may take far too much damage too young. She clearly loves what she does and could be a real star, but not if you continue this. She'll be dancing in pain onstage instead of dancing full of joy before the entire thing ends prematurely. My heart goes out to this girl❤
I really hope that she is 12 or older. Pointe work can be pretty rough on feet, and you NEED to have strong enough feet. If you don’t, the repeated impact of turning and jumping on pointe can permanently damage your feet.
She's starting early in her career. Throughout all the stress, frustration and upsetting moments in her determination to be what she's aiming for she's going to be a beautiful addition to the arts. ❤🎉
My thoughts exactly. I was told by an orthopedic surgeon who specialized in feet that going en pointe before one's first menses is something that should NOT be done. I had reconstructive surgery on both feet at 21. Dummy that I am, I still went back up en pointe. Turns out that I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, too, so there's that.
@@summerdais325 she at the most look maybe 7 or 8? but i wouldn't be surprised if she's younger. she has so many years of growing or bones... it doesnt seem healthy
@@mchjsosde Yeah, her age is difficult to ascertain, but I would guess around 8 years old. The ballet schools used to put advanced students en pointe at 7-8 years old. She's a very gifted young dancer. Maybe she's being followed by a care team? 🤔 Maybe she's older than she appears? Even then, I can't see her being more than 10-11; that's a stretch. BUT, my daughter was very petite. She is only 4'11" (pushing 5'0" lol, she's 27 now). It concerns me. I do think that people want the best for her. I wish her and her parents the best. Trying to parent a gifted young child is always a challenge. So, no judgment here, just genuine concern.
So graceful, hopefully the time invested in her passion is balanced with her being allowed to rest & fully enjoy her childhood. I have so much respect for the focus and dedication that excelling at any discipline requires, and I wish her an abundantly joyful + happy future💜
So touched to see. Future will bright surely. Career second. Family first. Have a beautiful full journey and don’t sacrifice personal life for dancing.
Sheesh! She’s flawless. But epiphyseal plates on bone ends, where growth happens, are still developing if she’s only nine. Parents, I hope you’re listening. Intervene now.
Wunderschönes Mädchen!❤❤Die Technik ist mehr als perfekt,es steckt soooooo viel harte Arbeit und stundenlanges Training dahinter,jeder der etwas gegen sie oder ihre Trainer schreibt,hat sich noch nie mit Ballett befasst und wenn dann nur einmal wöchentlich als "Hobby".Diese junge Dame ist eine heranwachsende Profisportlerin! Natürlich soll es ihr auch weiterhin gut gehen,wenn sie erwachsen ist,doch ihr Wille wird ihr den richtigen Weg zeigen!Alles Liebe und viel Erfolg ❤️
At 0:14 her backleg shows a major musculo-skeletal problem - a harmful over-extension of her knee joint. You can see her knee joint bending backwards. This should nevef e allowed to happen. If she does not correct this, she will be crippled by it and sooner than she realises. I hope someone in a power position notices and does something about it ti get her help.
You're right, and it is easily corrected if caught early and she is given proper coaching and care. I hope she's in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. And I agree with many of the comments on here that she seems a little too young for pointe.
I am certain you have practice long and hard and will continue to do so. Thank you for sharing your talent with the rest of us. Be gentle with yourself. Practice diligently while listening to your body to avoid injuries. Blessings.
I see myself when I was a kid. Very gifted. But my parents was against dancing… now I’m 30, I dance again, I feel like I was born for it. I’m so happy to see this girl on the right place in her life❤❤❤ good luck❤️❤️❤️
There is a stage called pre pointe shoes which is probably what she is wearing (I could be wrong) but it is less harmful because the box of the pre pointe shoe is not hard but rather soft
I always feel sorrow for young prodigys. Learning, skills like that (also writing. Reading, maths etc. before 6/7) uses up the life forces which at that age are needed to grow and mature organs and the like. That is why Mozart was so ill so soon in life. And you see with prodigies often that they become sickly at some point. Parents should encourage children to stay children as long as possible so that they grow strong physically, mentally, emotionally. Learning discipline is toxic for young children because of the reason mentioned above. It will have a prize. I hope the best for this child. May it stay strong and blessed!
Compare yourself only to your younger self....keep practicing and growing...not just physically but with a beautiful heart and impressive mind! If no one told you today...you are exactly where you should be for who you will become. There is a spot in this world you were born to fill! NEVER forget that!
I dance with bolshoi from time to time and I went to there 3 weeks camp not to long ago and this girl (violet) is so good, but I really hope she’s 10-11 to be on pointe,but besides that she is going places. 🤩😍😊❤️
Heaviness of being a number one could crash you expecially at certain age and loneliness setting the reference standard could destroy yourself from the inside. A gifted talent nursed with sacrifice is not enough without support of a resilient character, a strong personality. Hoping hers path will be clear of hidden perils life often confront you and let her dreams become true
She’s a beautiful dancer but please do not put children en pointe until they’re at least 11, even better if you wait until they’re 13. Her bones are still developing and this will cause permanent damage and all but destroy her bright future.
This little girl is incredible. People complaining are bunch of losers who never tried hard something in their lives. Let them talk while others shine❤️
I'm usually against kids so young being on pointe but her feet look well developed and strong my only fear is her hyperextension but she is beautiful and looks like she can go so far
Looking well developed at nine isn’t the same as being certain the bones have hardened and fused. I understand she’s probably super excited to get the ball rolling but I worry her long term goals and career (not to mention physical comfort) could be wrecked by going en pointe too early.
