Juliana has been cleared by an orthopedic doctor [specializing in sports medicine] for going en pointe! Still young and with much growing remaining, she's yet very strong and has great control. She needs to make sure she doesn't push herself into fatigue or use poor form. Her slight "flat-footedness" that seems natural to her doesn't show in her ballet stances, but she'll need to keep up this trend (i.e., no cheating on turn-out). We're all very excited and did not expect such a good report since she's so young.

We had been misled previously into believing the state of her growth plates would determine her readiness for pointe, but this is not how it works. Immature growth plates merely means she had better show proper form when en pointe, and that she shouldn't push herself past reasonable comfort (relative to what's normal for pointe). Since she exhibits good strength and control, she is ready.

We don't yet know what classes will be made available to her next year--recommendations come near the end of this year--but we at least have the peace of mind that she's physically ready for pointe, and we know what to prevent to avoid any potential long-term harm.