Author: Eden Estabrook
Nobody is surprised that Disney recently released a short film on Disney+ called “Reflect” that featured a plus-sized heroine. Everyone’s favorite news outlet, CNN, describes the new film as “a short film now on Disney+ about a young ballet dancer named Bianca who struggles with her body image.
I’ve not watched the short film, but I’ve seen some snippets and images, which is all I need to know to say that “Reflect” is showcasing a false picture of ballet and what it involves to safely, not successfully, just safely dance en pointe in ballet.
The Facts About En Pointe
Washington University Orthopedics, an orthopedics provider through Washington University Physicians (and NOT a dance studio. This is critical) outlined the criteria to dance en pointe as follows:
The student must be at least 11 years old.
The student must have at least 3 years of consistent training in ballet.
The student must be taking a minimum of 3 ballet classes a week consistently.
Be able to hold correct turnout while dancing from foot flat to demi-pointe.
Be able to maintain a strong, straight trunk while dancing without any tilt in the pelvis.
Be able to perform a correct demi-plie position for all transitions.
Pointing of feet: she should be able to full pointe her foot in all steps especially at the barre and then in center without “sickling”. She should try to achieve full pointe with stretching because it is required to get en pointe.
Pique passé with straight leg.
Be able to do 16 relevés in the center without stopping.
Be able to hold a passé balance on half-pointe.
The student must be in good health and able to take a whole class.
The student must be of normal weight.
The student must have enough of an arched instep to stand on pointe.
What I like about citing this source is that this is an unbiased to dance, medical analysis of what our bodies REQUIRE to safely dance en pointe. For example, the article goes deeper into Requirement 1, saying:
“The bones of the feet do not fully develop and harden until approximately 13-15 years old. A dancer must be strong enough to protect the bones before they are fully developed. Beginning en pointe too early can permanently damage immature bones.”
It’s biology. If you start too young, you will damage your body because it’s not fully developed yet (maybe we should introduce them to Warner Orthopedics and Wellness who thinks the minimum age should be 12, not 11). Does that mean if you have a 10-year old future ballerina begging to go en pointe, you should because you don’t want to squelch their passion?
I would argue no. Because it’s simply not safe. Tell them to wait until they’re developed enough to handle the strain of en pointe and explain why it would be a bad idea.
Now, back to Reflect. Dance Company Physician, Selina Shah (MD, FACP) wrote in 2010:
“Simply walking in pointe shoes doubles the peak pressures acting on the foot compared to barefoot (41 N/cm2 vs 86 N/cm2).8 Rising into the relevé position from a flat footed position increases the peak pressure to 115 N/cm2.8 The dancer’s body weight is supported on the tips of the toes, which are in a relatively neutral position relative to the longitudinal axis of the foot.7 The average pressure on the toe box while on pointe is 220 psi or 1.5 MPa.9 The majority of the weight is borne by the first toe (0.14 – 0.58 MPa) regardless of the length of the second toe.8 In dancers with tapering toes, capping the second toe increases the pressure absorbed by the second toe but does not significantly change the pressure on the first toe.9”
220 psi... on AVERAGE. For those unfamiliar with the abbreviation, psi stands for pounds per square inch. For context. An adult American pit bull has an average bite strength of 235 psi. Just 15 psi higher than the average pressure a ballerina experiences when en pointe.
Let’s also not forget that 39% to 53% of injuries occur in the foot and ankle, specifically. While one’s weight is not the only factor at play in safely dancing en pointe, it is definitely one of them. Extra weight (particularly weight derived from fat, not muscle) will make it much harder, and increase the risk of injuries. After all, pointework puts four times the body weight through your feet. Heavier weight, means even more pressure on that one spot and greater risk of losing balance and tearing one or more of the 26 bones, 33 joints and more than 100 ligaments and tendons in the foot/ankle.
Disney. What you show in Reflect is not only dangerous, but falsely portrays that girls can safely partake in a beautiful artform that same as their healthier counterparts. Which, based on the above, is not true.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent those of Resident Skeptics.
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