The Juon Pointe Mentorship Programme is designed to coach a dancer or teacher through everything they need to develop and achieve before they can transition safely onto pointe.
The programme includes:
Mentoring Programme 1 (six weeks, one session a week delivered on Zoom)
- Exploring leg alignment from the centre of the hip joint through the knee, ankle, arch, ball of the foot to the 2nd toe.
- Establishing a mindful connection between the brain and the body.
- Correcting alignment, of the legs, ankles and feet.
- Building strength, in a non-weight bearing situation.
- Developing intrinsic strength in the feet and control over the movements of the toes.
Mentoring Programme 2 (six weeks, one session a week delivered on Zoom)
- What we learned in Mentoring 1, becomes weight bearing and the exercises translate back into ballet class.
- Learning to tape the feet and toes correctly
- Being mindful about how the body is aligned and placed weight bearing.
- Taping of the feet and discovering the benefits of taping of the feet.
Exploration of transfer of weight and building this knowledge into the three basic movements, Plié, Rise and Battement Tendu.
Mentoring Programme 3 (six weeks, one session a week delivered on Zoom)
- Being fitted with Demi pointe shoes and how to break them in
- Adding a mindful connection to the core and breath.
- Exploring turnout and where it comes from.
- Developing even turnout and strength in the turnout muscles.
- Balance and Proprioception.
- Creating a work diary exploring, analysing, planning and assessing of one’s own progress.
If the dancer completes this program, she should pass the Juon Pre-Pointe Assessment, which is based on international standards.
Esther’s course exceeded my expectations! Through a clear and systematic approach, I have rediscovered my feet and, through them, the rest of my body. In just a week I have been able to detect what made my feet feel (or not feel at all!) so different from each other. And the best thing has been that I have not only been able to detect it, but also to modify those differences by focusing the exercises to adapt them to each of the sides. It’s a great feeling! I have improved the alignment of both lower limbs, my feet feel much stronger. Now I am going to follow a precise line of work to keep improving.
Thank you, Esther!
Polina Smirnova, Dance Medic, Spain