Hello, thank you for your comment. As a Physical Therapist I can say that being "flat footed" means that a person has a low medial longitudinal arch of the foot. This foot arch is on the bottom medial side of the foot. The Pencil Test is measuring the top of the ankle in relation to the top of the foot. In the medical field we see more injuries from dancers "en pointe" who cannot pass the Pencil Test (in medical terms they have decreased plantarflexion of the ankle). Sometimes this articulation of the ankle can be improved, but other times it is due to the boney formation of the joint a person is born with. I hope this clarifies this test for you!
Plenty of adult ballet dancers don't have good ankle plantar flexion and they adjust to it by using shoes with a small bit of knuckling in the toe to get over the box. This is obviously far from ideal, but it's workable if the dancer is reasonably close to passing the pencil test. Other ballet dancers might have a sharp bend below the cuneiform and an extreme arch in the foot that can compensate for a lack of plantar flexion. That's not ideal either, but it's the reality a lot of ballerinas face. Other times the ballet dancer's pointe shoe is too loose and soft or the box knuckles, so they don't fully stretch the ankle to avoid going too far over. That should be addressed with different shoes that don't permit knuckling. A lot of professional ballerinas have too much of an arch and plantar flexion, and they need a vamp box that's slightly flexed to avoid going over too far.
Thank you for your comment. As a former professional ballet dancer and current Physical Therapist with over 20 years of experience I can say it is never a good idea to compensate with poor mechanics for lack of mobility. It's an even worse idea to let every dancer , regardless of age, mobility, or strength, don pointe shoes. That is why evidence based practice is so important, and institutions like the School for the Houston Ballet Company have implemented these exact pointe ready tests into their curriculum. Pointe shoes need to fit a dancer's feet properly, and be suitable for their ability level and performance demands. I could do another video just on pointe shoe options and fit; thanks for the idea!
Thanks! I'm already en pointe but this helped me realise my level! Single leg sautés:❌ (only able to do 6 with perfect form) Pencil test:✅ (no gap) Airplane test:✅ (did 5 almost perfect) Single leg élevé:✅ (did them perfectly but from 15 élèves my leg sickled just a little bit). One pirouette perfectly done in Classical or Balanchine style:✅ (did perfectly pirouettes on both sides and both styles)
I am happy you found this video useful! Now you know what you need to work on to improve your technique and avoid injury. I will be posting videos for foot and ankle strengthening, including some to improve your jumps . . . so stay tuned!
Hmmm, I am wondering if the pencil was placed properly. This is my disadvantage to doing this online; I cannot see what you guys are doing! It is still possible to dance on pointe if you can't pass these tests, but the likelihood of injury increases if one of them is failed. Thanks for sharing!
This video is Racist antiseptic.pointe by Pointe by Barbara Fewster formerly of the Royal Ballet of London states there are no bad feet Hyper flexible ankles are weak flat feet are not as pretty but stronger and STIFF FEET ARE ACTUALLY GREAT FOR POINTE this woman is nuts.
What about x-rays to check for ossification of the bones in the feet? It seems like someone could pass these tests and still not be physiologically, ready and damage could be done.
Hello and thank you for your comment. I am not sure what you mean by "ossification of the bones". Bone ossification, also known as osteogenesis, is the normal process of bone formation that occurs from an embryo to about age 25. These tests look at aspects of strength flexibility, endurance and balance so that a teacher or evaluator has measurable and reliable way to assess a person's readiness for pointe. A dancer can get injured regardless, but the risk of injury was shown to be lower if a dancer could pass these tests before going en pointe. I hope this answers your question!
One more thought, are you concerned about a dancer having an os trigonum (an extra bone found in a small percentage of the population that is located somewhere around the ankle)? X-rays are practical in cases where a dancer has pain, and recommendation can be given (surgical and non surgical) if an os trigonum is present, or some type of boney abnormality, caused by trauma or repetitive stress, is present. As for bone development, medical experts say a dancer should be at least 12 years old before they can be considered ready to wear pointe shoes.
Hello, based on what medical professionals have found with evidence based studies, dancers DO need to, in the very least, be able to pass these 5 tests to decrease the likelihood of injury!
Great question! Turn-out, or what medical professionals call external rotation of the hip, is very important for ballet technique and advancement in that form. However these tests are only looking at areas of the body that must be strong and flexible to support a dancer raising onto their toes to do pointe work without injury. One can safely do pointe without ideal 180 turn-out. But you are right, if a dancer has little flexibility for external rotation (turn-out) at the hips that may lead to compensations that could cause injuries at the knee and ankle, not just "en pointe", but in flats as well. That said, even if a dancer has less optimal turn-out for ballet, they can work in good alignment with what flexibility they have and do pointe work safely. Thank you for the question!
@@physiodancernm Cool! I'm an adult beginner & maybe I'll never get to pointe, but I'm motivated to do so. But my turnout is really not great. It's good to hear that at least I don't have to rule it out 100% based on that. & I tried doing some of these tests. I think they are also just really good fitness tests in general. Thanks for the video :)
@@laylanahar You are welcome! Please check out my website physiodancer.com for more information about me, my philosophy, and what I can offer for classes and Physical Therapy sessions. I think it's great that you are an adult taking ballet and have aspirations to advance; keep at it!
Hello, a simple answer would be that in order to pass the tests for pointe readiness, an adult to take regular classes for at least a few years to be able to even attempt these tests. Depending upon a person's age and past activity background, they may not ever be able to wear pointe shoes safely. As a physical therapist, I am most concerned about everyone's safety. I think it is more important to concentrate on whatever dance you want to study. If that is ballet, and you want to wear pointe shoes safely, you might be able to get there with a lot of hard work. But, even if you are not ready or capable to safely wear pointe shoes, you can still enjoy ballet and even perform!
Thank you for your comment! These exact tests were adopted by The Houston Ballet Academy into their curriculum to be sure their dancers are ready for pointe shoes. I am happy to hear you ae working to get stronger!
Thank you for your positive comment! Is it the single leg sautés you need to work on? If so, my new video on core strengthening exercises would be very useful to help you achieve your goal. Stay tuned for more: physiodancer.com!
