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How to Make Your Own Pointe Dance

Ballet dancers who perform on pointe are typically very particular about form and technique. While you can make the dance as traditional or unconventional as you like, the dances are usually performed to classical music and with tutu style skirts and leotards as costumes. A pointe dance can also combine traditional choreography and form with unconventional costumes and musical selections for a contemporary dance. Ballet dances tell a story with the choreography and can reflect a literal story, such as that of a love story, or an abstract story, such as a representation of birds in the sky.

Things You'll Need

  • Pointe shoes
  • Music
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Instructions

    • 1

      Decide on a story for your pointe piece as well as music to accompany it. In choreographing, the music can impact the story or the story can impact the music, depending on what you are inspired by.

    • 2

      Discern how many dancers will be in the performance or decide to keep it as a solo or duet. Craft a formation of positions for the dancers if you are using more than one. A large group, for example, will often be assembled in horizontal lines. The dancers stand between the gaps of dancers in front of them so all can be seen.

    • 3

      Cast a principle dancer, or two if dealing with a large group of dancers, as well as a chorus, which will include the rest of the dancers.

    • 4

      Develop the choreography for the pointe dance. This will depend on the skill level of the dancers. For ballet dancers who are strong on full pointe, the majority of the dance can be on pointe. For dancers who are intermediate or beginner on pointe, choreograph easier moves on full pointe, such as simple bourees and chaine turns, and more difficult moves on half pointe, which means dancing on the balls of your feet. These moves could include pirouettes and arabesques.

    • 5

      Use the choreography to develop the story. The interaction of the dancers with each other through the dance, the facial expressions, sharpness or softness of movement and the music itself can help tell the story to the audience.

    • 6

      Construct an ending pose for the dance or choreograph steps to move the dancers off stage, such as turns or bourees.

    • 7

      Develop a costume for the dancers. For a traditional ballet pointe dance, this will dictate leotards, tights and tutu skirts. A contemporary style pointe dance can have a wide range of costumes as long as they don't cover the feet or restrict body movement. Pointe shoes should always be in clear view and not obstructed by fabric both for safety reasons as well as to not shield the technique and movements by the dancers.

    • 8

      Curtsey to the audience after the ending pose. Have the dancers return to the stage to curtsey if the choreography had them exit the stage at the end of the dance.

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Ballet

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