Ballet is art and athleticism rolled into one, and it's as physically demanding as many sports. Because of this, dancers are highly susceptible to certain injuries, especially in the lower extremities. Ankle weakness and poor technique contribute to a large number of foot and ankle injuries, which range from troublesome bunion growth to ankle impingement syndrome, a condition that results in pain and swelling in the ankle. Beefing up the muscles that support your ankles improves your technique and movement quality and is one of the most prudent steps you can take to prevent injury.
Before you got the go-ahead to buy your first pair of pointe shoes, you worked exclusively in soft ballet slippers. Wearing those soft, flexible shoes, you built considerable strength in the various muscles that support your ankle, including the muscles of your calf. You likely spent several hours a week over the course of many years repeating basic -- and arguably tedious -- exercises at the ballet barre. Now that you're working with pointe shoes, you'll ratchet up the intensity of some of those exercises -- including releves, echappes and piques -- by performing them on full-pointe.
Releves are the go-to exercise for building ankle strength and refining your technique. Stand facing the ballet barre in parallel first position and grasp the barre lightly with both hands. Keeping your knees straight and your weight over your first and second toes, slowly roll up to full-pointe. Hold briefly before rolling back down. Do eight releves and then repeat with your legs turned out. As you gain strength, progress to a plie-releve combination. In parallel first, bend your knees into demi-plie, slowly roll up to full-pointe, straighten your knees and then roll down. Perform eight plie-releves and then reverse the order of the movement; roll up, bend your knees, roll down and straighten your knees. Repeat the exercise in turned-out first and second position. As you roll up and down, articulate carefully through demi- and 3/4-pointe.
For beginning pointe students, teachers often reserve the last 10 to 15 minutes of class for pointe shoe exercises. If you're working on your own time, precede your ankle workout with a suitable warmup. Walk, jog or prance in place for five minutes and do a slow set of dynamic ankle stretches, such as ankle pumps or ankle rotations, on each foot. If you're new to pointe work, do pointe exercises in a space designed specifically for dance and only when your teacher or other professionally trained dancer is there to supervise you. If you've injured your foot or ankle in the past, speak to your doctor or physical therapist about the advisability of specific exercises and stick to your rehab schedule to prevent re-injury.