Ready for Pointe? A New Tool to Guide Ballet Dancers

Ever wondered how to tell when a young ballet dancer is ready to dance en pointe? This study explored a new screening tool called PASSE (Pointe Assessment Screening Shah Edison) to help determine if dancers aged 9 to 17 are ready for this challenging skill. Seventeen dancers with at least 4 years of ballet experience participated. Two doctors assessed them using the PASSE tool, checking movements like ankle flexibility, stability in deep knee bends, and balance on one leg. The doctors agreed 94% of the time on whether a dancer was ready for pointe. Certain tests, like ankle flexibility and stability in deep knee bends, were strong indicators of readiness. Other tests, like balance and jumping skills, helped identify dancers who weren't quite ready yet. This study shows that PASSE is a promising tool to guide ballet training and help dancers safely advance to pointe work.