Omniscriptum En Pointe

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. En pointe means "on the tips of the toes" and is a part of classical ballet technique made possible by specially reinforced shoes called pointe shoes or toe shoes. The technique developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like and has evolved to enable dancers to dance on the tips of their toes for extended periods of time. Although both men and women are capable of dancing en pointe, it is more commonly done by women. It takes considerable strength in the feet, ankle, leg, knee, and abdomen to dance en pointe. Students must be at least 11 or 12 years of age before attempting pointe work because bones and growth plates in the feet are usually not fully hardened and developed prior to this age.