Program
At The Ballet Academy, we strive for excellence and proper training for our dancers. To that end, Donna has created classes to give the student a firm foundation in ballet technique. When quizzed by the mother of a prospective student, Donna had this to say on the subject. "There is no substitute for hard work and discipline. The path to a career in ballet is challenging and takes many years of training to achieve. I feel my program is one of the best for the serious student who strives to become a professional dancer."
Small class size, expert corrections, instruction in proper technique, and qualified instructors are the hallmarks of her program at The Ballet Academy. Because of her years of working as a professional dancer in New York and other major cities across the country, Donna has a unique perspective on how to train her dancers for real world professional conditions. "I don't believe in doing recitals. When a dancer is ready to perform, they can participate in our annual Nutcracker to gain stage experience. As the student grows older and their abilities improve, they can join Donna Morris Dance."
One of the questions Donna is asked most often concerns the correct age to start a child on pointe. The following explains her position on the subject.
To Pointe or Not to Pointe?
"There is some controversy concerning when a child should go on pointe. There are various schools of thought, most saying to wait until thirteen or fourteen years old. The reasoning behind this is that a child's foot is not strong enough to support their weight on pointe and damage to the bones and tendons will occur. Some podiatrists and schools even go so far as to require x-rays of the dancer's feet before allowing them to put on pointe shoes. I cannot say yay or nay to these opinions other than to offer my own thoughts on the matter and what I've experienced after my twenty two years of teaching pointe. In my opinion, young dancers can safely start on pointe at the age of nine without any damage to the foot if their leg muscles and their feet are strong enough. The average dancer usually takes two to three years of regular class to strengthen the legs and feet to prepare for pointe. Before fitting or buying pointe shoes, the dancer should be able to balance easily on one foot and if there are no joint issues."
"The conservative viewpoint of x-raying the feet and waiting till the dancer is thirteen or fourteen to go on pointe is unnecessary. the training for a professional dancer needs to begin before puberty when the dancers have no fear and are at the optimal age to learn a new physical skill. The bones are more easily conditioned by gradually going on pointe for a few minutes a day at a younger age than when the student has entered into puberty. The reasoning behind x-raying the feet is to check if the student's bones have stopped growing. This is unnecessary because it is assumed the bones are in a state of transition so there's no reason to check for it. A qualified teacher will not overly stress the child's feet with overly long sessions on pointe or classes that are too strenuous."