I studied ballet in the 70s (I’m in my 60s now). I had wondered back then why men didn’t go on pointe. I remember discussing this with my mom and she had no idea either (she wasn’t a dancer)…so we had wondered if there was a physiological reason why male dancers didn’t do pointe. My mom decided to ask my dance teacher (who had also been a professional dancer) about this. My teacher said that yes, men technically COULD do pointe (there was no physiological reason why they couldn’t), but she said that it made them look VERY effeminate or “sissy”as she put it. Lol…of course this was back in the 70s, where gender roles were much more defined and rigid than they are today.
I agree. There is no real reason except for gender roles. As your ballet instructor said, the only reason she could come up with was that it was more feminine to be on pointe. But when you think about It, it’s really just made up traditional nonsense. While I’m not saying to just drop gender roles in ballet, I do like that more ballets now have incorporated men on pointe.
I know that the Australian Ballet did an adaption of Midsummer's Night Dream where all the donkeys were on pointe in a completely serious manner (meaning it wasn't meant for comedy or parody like the step sisters in Cinderella). The choreographer wanted them on point because it looked more otherworldly and the ponte shoes looked like hoves to him, so he made all of the men learn how to dance on ponte for the production!! Super cool and a good step in the right direction I think
I tried pointe when I was 16 was actually very good at it. It made a lot of things much easier. I had a 42 inch vertical leap and my dance teacher said the pointe shoes would not able to stand the amount of force. When I did it I spray painted the shoes black and my mother sewed in black laces
So I danced ballet all through my adolescent and teenage years making it to junior company, and finally company for one year before I stopped dancing when I went to college. With that said, I learned how to dance on pointe from my ballet instructor when I asked her if she would teach me. There are a few ballets that the choreography requires men to be on pointe because of reversing gender roles. For example, I danced as Puck in A Midsommar Night’s Dream. This character in Shakespeare doesn’t have a gender so he/she can traditional be danced on pointe by male or female dancers. However, as the maker of the video said, dancing on pointe didn’t come as intuitively to me as it did my female counterparts. The OP is right that my technical training revolved mostly around jumps, and lifts. When men jump they dominate the stage, so it it’s just a different skill set. If you want to learn how to dance on pointe do it. They are plenty of talented ballet instructors out there that would be more than happy.
Thank you for this video. It gives me a perspective I didn’t have. I’m glad to hear that men are starting to do pointe because prior to knowing this, knowing that it’s extremely painful, I found it to be sexist to require women to do pointe and not men in one of the hardest arts known.
I was just going to say all this. You are absolutely 1000% right. Thanks for clearing everything up to those who are somewhat unenlightened about what goes on in the world of ballet...
I'am 58 years old - male dancer 1,93m / 85 kg.. there's no technical limit.. it's the gender role idea I think which is a limit in thinking.. I learn point dancing now for two years - I Love it!!! If you like - try it!!! But with professional teacher advise
that's totally awesome! I don't know much about ballet, but it's cool to see people who doesn't sink in sexist concepts and don't feel embarrassed to try new things and enjoying it :D
@@klausfrey2656 But you do not look that way to observers. Female dancers exemplify the true gravity defying, floating fairies. Males have other characteristics that are wonderful in their roles and fit their bodies and center of gravity better.
As a male that’s done ballet since I was 8 trust me weight would not matter.. I weigh a little bit more than the female dancers, and even then there r sometimes gonna be other body types, ballets not restricted to one body type
I do point. I have gotten quite the backlash from one point shoe fitter, my mum and my former ballet teacher. (but my mum came around) I am not like very good by any means, but I can't jump especially high either. Like I can jump double turns but they kinda look bad. I think what makes me look bad on point is my flexibility (not foot flexibility, that one is great). Like I can do splits, but barely. No oversplits or something like that. I have pink/beige pointshoes, because they were the only ones in the store that fit me, and the seller that makes them doesn't have many colors. It really doesn't hurt unless I do hours at a time which I barely do. I don't get what some people say about it. Like I understand that it hurts untrained feet and if you completely overdo it. But it shouldn't really hurt most people? And I am just doing it for fun. Not because of technique or anything. I started at age 18. Which honestly I feel like makes sense. I had growing pains until I was 17, like my legs hurting and all that. My sister started at age 12 and she eventually quit ballet all together because dancing on point hurt her feet so much and she was still growing. And although I only have only 1 year compared to the others in my class who have around 6 years on point, there isn't too big a difference. Like I can't do tripleturns but other than that I am doing well.
Great video! I started dancing about 6 months ago as an adult and love it but all of the choreo I’ve seen that I really like is on pointe, I’m not as in to the traditional male dances. I’d like to sign up for a pointe class at some point but I feel a little weird about it
I understand why that might feel a little weird, although I definitely think that all early pointe work should be monitored within a class setting. Just a thought I had, if you are more interested in the female vocabulary of ballet, I would recommend learning some female ballet variations or finding a variations class to take in flat shoes. Becoming more comfortable with the style of moving might help boost your confidence when finding a pointe class. And congrats on starting dance as an adult, I know that it can be daunting sometimes, but I'm so glad you have been enjoying it! Happy dancing :)
Pointe looks like an interesting physical skill. I'd like to take a class and learn all about the plie and tendu and other stuff. And yes, I'm a long way from learning pointe.
So I danced ballet all through my adolescent and teenage years making it to junior company. With that said, I learned how to dance on pointe from my ballet instructor when I asked her if she would teach me. There are a few ballets that the choreography requires men to be on pointe because of reversing gender roles. For example, I danced as Puck in A Midsommar Night’s Dream. This character in Shakespeare doesn’t have a gender so he/she can traditional be danced on pointe by male or female dancers. However, as the maker of the video said, dancing on pointe didn’t come as intuitively to me as it did my female counterparts. The OP is right that my technical training revolved mostly around jumps, and lifts. When men jump they dominate the stage, so it it’s just a different skill set. If you want to learn how to dance on pointe do it. They are plenty of talented ballet instructors out there that would be more than happy.
This is something that I've discussed with friends many times. My understanding is that some of the earliest pointe performances were bravura exhibitions by male dancers at the top of their form. It's become a gesture of daintiness, cuteness, and femininity, but it can be used to express raw power. I also see it occasionally done by not-ballet dancers (e.g., hip hop, jazz, folk.) Also regarding mechanics I understand that possibly pointe would be easier for men because their feet (generally) are wider, flatter across the toes, and can more easily develop musculature that would help support the foot bearing the body in that position. Not me though ... I have an atypical male foot that is narrow and pointed. I remember a ballet teacher in college who disapproved of adolescent girls being routinely pushed to take pointe class just because they're girls, because their feet are vulnerable to malformation by too much pointe work before they're finished growing. I imagine this would apply to young boys as well.
It's kind of interesting how you brought it up from a history perspective. Because when you step back and look at it as a bigger picture through the history lens, you can see how modern times we're having a new Revival moment. Whereas in the past there was a diversion of gender roles. And now we're having an information explosion with the internet. Everybody is able to communicate like never before. And it's allowing people to be honest in a way that's never been possible before. So we're seeing men do pointe, because they enjoy it and why not
Really good video, but I spent the entire video waiting for a mention of Nijinsky, and none came. It's probably true that he didn't necessarily often have the opportunity to dance pointe, but most of the sources of information I've read about him seem to always mention that he was rather good at it. A lot of those sources also do indicate that it was an unusual skill for a male ballet dancer of the time. Of course, I'm not a ballet dancer, so maybe I'm just overestimating how well known Nijinsky is, and it really doesn't take away from the video to not mention him, and it might be better that he wasn't, cause goodness gracious, his life could be used to make a period piece sequel to Black Swan.
haha it is true that pointe does hurt, especially when you first start out, but I honestly think a lot of women really enjoy pointe and wouldn't want to stop (at least I know I do). However, there are more and more professional dance companies that are performing ballet pieces in flat shoes instead of pointe (most of these also perform contemporary and modern dances, but even some larger ballet only companies have flat shoe ballets). Now a days if a dancer doesn't want to perform en pointe they have more paths open to them. Thanks for the comment!
I don't know anything about ballet, not quite sure how I ended up here (though it is interesting), but I am an engineer. Weight certainly could be a factor. F=ma, so the acceleration is gravity, a, is approx 10m/s^2, so say a man's mass is 10kg more than a woman's, that's a whole 100N more of force that needs to be supported. (imagine the force of a 1 year old boy standing on you on one foot...) For some muscles that's probably not a problem but for others it may be harder if they are weak muscles. Which muscles are used in pointe? If it is tiny ones in your toes then that would like be easier for women. However, if pointe uses ankles or calf muscles only then that would like be easier for men as those are stronger and can support more. Do you jump when you're on pointe, if so, then suvat equations come into this and the force would be even greater. This might be okay occasionally but if repeatedly doing this, there'll be more wear and tear.
This should have been titled "Why don't men dance on pointe in classical ballet?", not just "Why don't men dance on pointe?" They do similar stuff in different dances, most famously in Caucasian, especially Georgian dances, even without hard toe shoes, and not for a comedic effect either - it's usually explained as mimicking a soaring eagle while female dancers glide along the floor without noticeable stepping (giving ethereal impression of different kind) mimicking swimming swans.
Its pretty simple. Some may be offended. Read it. Think about it. Then read it again. Really THINK about it. Men like women. Gay men like men. It's alright, I won't be offended if you disagree me.
Im starting ballet today as an adult guy and i would really want to learn being on pointe as well 🫣 it just looks pretty and I don't want gender roles to limit what i can and cant do
I studied ballet in the 70s (I’m in my 60s now). I had wondered back then why men didn’t go on pointe. I remember discussing this with my mom and she had no idea either (she wasn’t a dancer)…so we had wondered if there was a physiological reason why male dancers didn’t do pointe. My mom decided to ask my dance teacher (who had also been a professional dancer) about this. My teacher said that yes, men technically COULD do pointe (there was no physiological reason why they couldn’t), but she said that it made them look VERY effeminate or “sissy”as she put it. Lol…of course this was back in the 70s, where gender roles were much more defined and rigid than they are today.
I agree. There is no real reason except for gender roles. As your ballet instructor said, the only reason she could come up with was that it was more feminine to be on pointe. But when you think about It, it’s really just made up traditional nonsense. While I’m not saying to just drop gender roles in ballet, I do like that more ballets now have incorporated men on pointe.
I know that the Australian Ballet did an adaption of Midsummer's Night Dream where all the donkeys were on pointe in a completely serious manner (meaning it wasn't meant for comedy or parody like the step sisters in Cinderella). The choreographer wanted them on point because it looked more otherworldly and the ponte shoes looked like hoves to him, so he made all of the men learn how to dance on ponte for the production!! Super cool and a good step in the right direction I think
I tried pointe when I was 16 was actually very good at it. It made a lot of things much easier.
I had a 42 inch vertical leap and my dance teacher said the pointe shoes would not able to stand the amount of force.
When I did it I spray painted the shoes black and my mother sewed in black laces
So I danced ballet all through my adolescent and teenage years making it to junior company, and finally company for one year before I stopped dancing when I went to college. With that said, I learned how to dance on pointe from my ballet instructor when I asked her if she would teach me. There are a few ballets that the choreography requires men to be on pointe because of reversing gender roles. For example, I danced as Puck in A Midsommar Night’s Dream. This character in Shakespeare doesn’t have a gender so he/she can traditional be danced on pointe by male or female dancers. However, as the maker of the video said, dancing on pointe didn’t come as intuitively to me as it did my female counterparts. The OP is right that my technical training revolved mostly around jumps, and lifts. When men jump they dominate the stage, so it it’s just a different skill set. If you want to learn how to dance on pointe do it. They are plenty of talented ballet instructors out there that would be more than happy.
Thank you for this video. It gives me a perspective I didn’t have. I’m glad to hear that men are starting to do pointe because prior to knowing this, knowing that it’s extremely painful, I found it to be sexist to require women to do pointe and not men in one of the hardest arts known.
I’m officially obsessed with your content!
I was just going to say all this. You are absolutely 1000% right. Thanks for clearing everything up to those who are somewhat unenlightened about what goes on in the world of ballet...
I'am 58 years old - male dancer 1,93m / 85 kg.. there's no technical limit.. it's the gender role idea I think which is a limit in thinking.. I learn point dancing now for two years - I Love it!!! If you like - try it!!! But with professional teacher advise
Just does not look strong and manly to be in fairy slippers.
that's totally awesome! I don't know much about ballet, but it's cool to see people who doesn't sink in sexist concepts and don't feel embarrassed to try new things and enjoying it :D
@suem6004 :-) .. I feel at home.. doing so.. being a fairy - beautyful.. Like to be a fairy it makes me feel complete
@@suem6004 @suem6004 :-) .. I feel at home.. doing so.. being a fairy - beautyful.. Like to be a Fairy it makes me feel complete
@@klausfrey2656 But you do not look that way to observers. Female dancers exemplify the true gravity defying, floating fairies. Males have other characteristics that are wonderful in their roles and fit their bodies and center of gravity better.
As a male that’s done ballet since I was 8 trust me weight would not matter.. I weigh a little bit more than the female dancers, and even then there r sometimes gonna be other body types, ballets not restricted to one body type
Keep thinking that until you blow out your knees. Weight does matter
Does your boyfriend also do ballet?
What a well researched video! I hope this soon gets more attention
Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it :)
I do point. I have gotten quite the backlash from one point shoe fitter, my mum and my former ballet teacher. (but my mum came around)
I am not like very good by any means, but I can't jump especially high either. Like I can jump double turns but they kinda look bad. I think what makes me look bad on point is my flexibility (not foot flexibility, that one is great). Like I can do splits, but barely. No oversplits or something like that.
I have pink/beige pointshoes, because they were the only ones in the store that fit me, and the seller that makes them doesn't have many colors.
It really doesn't hurt unless I do hours at a time which I barely do. I don't get what some people say about it. Like I understand that it hurts untrained feet and if you completely overdo it. But it shouldn't really hurt most people?
And I am just doing it for fun. Not because of technique or anything.
I started at age 18. Which honestly I feel like makes sense. I had growing pains until I was 17, like my legs hurting and all that. My sister started at age 12 and she eventually quit ballet all together because dancing on point hurt her feet so much and she was still growing.
And although I only have only 1 year compared to the others in my class who have around 6 years on point, there isn't too big a difference. Like I can't do tripleturns but other than that I am doing well.
Great video! I started dancing about 6 months ago as an adult and love it but all of the choreo I’ve seen that I really like is on pointe, I’m not as in to the traditional male dances. I’d like to sign up for a pointe class at some point but I feel a little weird about it
I understand why that might feel a little weird, although I definitely think that all early pointe work should be monitored within a class setting. Just a thought I had, if you are more interested in the female vocabulary of ballet, I would recommend learning some female ballet variations or finding a variations class to take in flat shoes. Becoming more comfortable with the style of moving might help boost your confidence when finding a pointe class. And congrats on starting dance as an adult, I know that it can be daunting sometimes, but I'm so glad you have been enjoying it! Happy dancing :)
Pointe looks like an interesting physical skill. I'd like to take a class and learn all about the plie and tendu and other stuff.
And yes, I'm a long way from learning pointe.
So I danced ballet all through my adolescent and teenage years making it to junior company. With that said, I learned how to dance on pointe from my ballet instructor when I asked her if she would teach me. There are a few ballets that the choreography requires men to be on pointe because of reversing gender roles. For example, I danced as Puck in A Midsommar Night’s Dream. This character in Shakespeare doesn’t have a gender so he/she can traditional be danced on pointe by male or female dancers. However, as the maker of the video said, dancing on pointe didn’t come as intuitively to me as it did my female counterparts. The OP is right that my technical training revolved mostly around jumps, and lifts. When men jump they dominate the stage, so it it’s just a different skill set. If you want to learn how to dance on pointe do it. They are plenty of talented ballet instructors out there that would be more than happy.
This is something that I've discussed with friends many times. My understanding is that some of the earliest pointe performances were bravura exhibitions by male dancers at the top of their form. It's become a gesture of daintiness, cuteness, and femininity, but it can be used to express raw power. I also see it occasionally done by not-ballet dancers (e.g., hip hop, jazz, folk.) Also regarding mechanics I understand that possibly pointe would be easier for men because their feet (generally) are wider, flatter across the toes, and can more easily develop musculature that would help support the foot bearing the body in that position. Not me though ... I have an atypical male foot that is narrow and pointed.
I remember a ballet teacher in college who disapproved of adolescent girls being routinely pushed to take pointe class just because they're girls, because their feet are vulnerable to malformation by too much pointe work before they're finished growing. I imagine this would apply to young boys as well.
We need more men and boys on pointe.
You should definitely check out Ballet22 I think you'd like them. They are a new all male ballet company and they do pointe
@@margaretpughdance I've heard of Ballet22; those guys are incredible!
@@vaughngracey255 yeah they are a really interesting company and still pretty new. I think they were on Dance Magazine's 25 to watch this year
I am a boy and i do point, im not a profesional ballet dancer but stil, i love it
I asked my teacher and she told me i could not do pointe because male feet are bigger and need different shoes, and she doesn’t teach boys?
It's kind of interesting how you brought it up from a history perspective. Because when you step back and look at it as a bigger picture through the history lens, you can see how modern times we're having a new Revival moment. Whereas in the past there was a diversion of gender roles. And now we're having an information explosion with the internet. Everybody is able to communicate like never before. And it's allowing people to be honest in a way that's never been possible before. So we're seeing men do pointe, because they enjoy it and why not
Really good video, but I spent the entire video waiting for a mention of Nijinsky, and none came. It's probably true that he didn't necessarily often have the opportunity to dance pointe, but most of the sources of information I've read about him seem to always mention that he was rather good at it. A lot of those sources also do indicate that it was an unusual skill for a male ballet dancer of the time. Of course, I'm not a ballet dancer, so maybe I'm just overestimating how well known Nijinsky is, and it really doesn't take away from the video to not mention him, and it might be better that he wasn't, cause goodness gracious, his life could be used to make a period piece sequel to Black Swan.
There are some men stepping (pun intended) into the pointe world. I love the idea, personally.
I totally agree. I'm really interested in how this is going to evolve the art form as a whole!
Subscribed. Epic vocal fry.
You are so beautiful!
Couldn’t women stop wearing pointe shoes that destroy and punish their toes?
haha it is true that pointe does hurt, especially when you first start out, but I honestly think a lot of women really enjoy pointe and wouldn't want to stop (at least I know I do). However, there are more and more professional dance companies that are performing ballet pieces in flat shoes instead of pointe (most of these also perform contemporary and modern dances, but even some larger ballet only companies have flat shoe ballets). Now a days if a dancer doesn't want to perform en pointe they have more paths open to them. Thanks for the comment!
I don't know anything about ballet, not quite sure how I ended up here (though it is interesting), but I am an engineer. Weight certainly could be a factor. F=ma, so the acceleration is gravity, a, is approx 10m/s^2, so say a man's mass is 10kg more than a woman's, that's a whole 100N more of force that needs to be supported. (imagine the force of a 1 year old boy standing on you on one foot...)
For some muscles that's probably not a problem but for others it may be harder if they are weak muscles. Which muscles are used in pointe? If it is tiny ones in your toes then that would like be easier for women. However, if pointe uses ankles or calf muscles only then that would like be easier for men as those are stronger and can support more.
Do you jump when you're on pointe, if so, then suvat equations come into this and the force would be even greater.
This might be okay occasionally but if repeatedly doing this, there'll be more wear and tear.
This should have been titled "Why don't men dance on pointe in classical ballet?", not just "Why don't men dance on pointe?" They do similar stuff in different dances, most famously in Caucasian, especially Georgian dances, even without hard toe shoes, and not for a comedic effect either - it's usually explained as mimicking a soaring eagle while female dancers glide along the floor without noticeable stepping (giving ethereal impression of different kind) mimicking swimming swans.
Its pretty simple. Some may be offended. Read it. Think about it. Then read it again. Really THINK about it.
Men like women.
Gay men like men.
It's alright, I won't be offended if you disagree me.
There’s nothing to think about, that’s the most random comment here
Only gay ones
Wow gay men do a sport that was made by men
Another way men will ruin a female talent. Stay in your lane
what???
Wow. That's very condescending and narrow minded
@@Kendrix1 no it's the truth
Ballet started with men😊
Im starting ballet today as an adult guy and i would really want to learn being on pointe as well 🫣 it just looks pretty and I don't want gender roles to limit what i can and cant do