What are some exercises to prepare for dancing en pointe?

Question:I have been dancing for more than nine years now, but lately I've had to cut my classes down to once a week. I've been given the option of moving up to pointe, but have declined. Now my teacher has forced me to move up, and I feel like my dancing ability has slightly declined since I first trained for pointe, and I now forget everything I was taught. What are some good exercises to prepare my legs for dancing en pointe?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: I have been dancing for more than nine years now, but lately I've had to cut my classes down to once a week. I've been given the option of moving up to pointe, but have declined. Now my teacher has forced me to move up, and I feel like my dancing ability has slightly declined since I first trained for pointe, and I now forget everything I was taught. What are some good exercises to prepare my legs for dancing en pointe?

Slow eleves, rolling through the feet, and more importantly rolling down slowly off pointe.
Then you should do slow echappes, sliding your feet apart and at the last minute rolling onto pointe. Roll down slowly as you slide your feet back together, finishing the echappe. Do your slow echappes wider than normal, and in first and fifth.
Practice balancing on pointe in first, second and sous-sous, while moving your arms through first, fifth en haut, second and back to first. Do not practice on foot balances yet. You will probably develop poor habits, since your feet are not as strong as they will be.
Another good set of exercises is to plie (in all positions) roll through to pointe, straighten the legs and roll down slowly. Then reverse the exercise. Roll slowly up to pointe, then plie with forced arch, stay and feel the stretch, then slowly roll back from the forced arch to flat foot (should be hard if done correctly) and straighten legs.
You can also, with a strong aid of the barre, practice rolling up to pointe and then down again on one foot, and then the other.
That is about all that you should do on your own.

check out the capezio website, they have some great suggestions.

other than that, if you already purchased pointe shoes, releve through demi pointe to full pointe, plie en pointe to force your foot to arch further, roll back down. repeat 10X. this exercise is most effective done in 2nd position.

tendu's are great strength-builders.

if you are looking for leg strength, not foot strength, also try developpes, battmats, heel streches and make sure you get a full warm up and cool down every time you rehearse.

you can always use releves...
it can strengthen your foot.
practice on the bar.
practice balance.
it takes time.
but practice makes perfect.

Lots of Releves to strengthen your calfs and ankles, sand always try to balance for as long as you can!!!!!!!!!!

do some releves they will help- some stranthening exercies for your whole foot would be doing tendus really working the metatarsels