Customer Reviews

Pointe By Point [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Pointe by Point video was very nice. The dancer performing is very clear and precise with her technique. The video starts off with Barbara Fewster giving some information about the three types of feet: not as arched, moderate, and a high arch. She shows pictures of each one and explains about how the feet are. After that, they show a young dancer doing exercises for pointe at the barre and in the center. The video is well-put together. My suggestions for the video would be to make each combination longer, and when I say that I mean make the combination a full 32-counts at the least, instead of 16-counts, so they will not be so short when practicing each combination. It would have been nice if they had a teacher telling the student or students more about the technique of pointe and what to watch out for and correct. Basically, this video gives you some combinations to work on, but there is not emphasis on the technique of pointe.

UNIQUE AND INSTRUCTIVE VIDEO LECTURE-DEMONSTRATION BASED ON BARBARA FEWSTER'S YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN OVERSEEING THE TRAINING OF MANY OF BRITAIN'S MOST TALENTED DANCERS. IT OFFERS A DETAILED APPROACH TO TEACHING POINTE WORK, STEP BY STEP. PROVIDES THE TECHNIQUE AND GUIDELINES NECESSARY TO DEVELOP SAFE HABITS AND RISK OF INJURY. THIS INSTRUCTION HAS UNIVERSAL APPEAL AND APPLICATION TO BALLET INSTRUCTORS AND STUDENTS OF ALL TECHNICAL STYLES. THE PROGRAM HAS FOUR SECTIONS, PART ONE DISCUSSES THREE TYPES OF FEET, SECOND GIVES BASIC EXAMPLES OF THE PREPARATION OF THE BALLET SHOE, PART THREE IS A COURSE OF STUDY FOR POINTE WORK FOR BEGINNERS. PART FOUR IS FOR STUDENTS AT PRE-ELEMENTARY TO ELEMENTARY LEVELS WHICH IS DESIGNED TO INCREASE TECHNIQUE AND ENCOURAGE CONFIDENCE. IN ALL A PERFECT INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO FOR BEGINNER POINTE WORK.

This video is very well done. Point technique is presented in a clear concise manner. I rate this video as one of the best ballet videos available.

This video covers most of the basics of beginning pointe instruction for barre and center practice. The exercises are explained very completely and accurately by Barbara Fewster of the Royal Ballet School and beautifully demonstrated by one of her students. Virtually every type of introductory pointe exercise is shown(of course, the variations are endless, so the selection is not exhaustive!). All three of the methods of reaching pointe are shown: pique, releve, and saute to pointe. Much of what is covered here also carries over to intermediate and advanced work. What is left out? Plies on pointe, sautes on pointe(very much an intermediate-advanced step), and pirouettes on pointe, to mention a few. If this video is combined with some good books on the subject of pointe technique(see my reviews of "Balanchine Technique" and "The Art of Teaching Ballet", both excellent sources of advanced pointe technique), you would have the topic pretty well covered. This video is highly recommended for ballet teachers that are just starting to teach pointe technique and need some guidance(this category often includes male ballet teachers), as well as the serious student starting pointe. Some of the combinations are not as long as some dancers are used to, but this is actually recommended for beginning pointe students, so as not to cause injury, until they build up the required srength and stamina for longer sequences. How wonderful it would be if this came out on dvd! For now, don't pass this up on vhs.

Barbara Fewster first talks about foot types (only for about a minute) and pointe shoes (less than a minute). The rest of the video is combinations. The dancer who demonstrates is very precise, but the combinations really are too short - mostly about 16 counts, and one was only 8.