"First Pointe Shoes", 9x12, oil on panel, ballet art, little ballerina, first pointe shoes, young dancer, master class, Vaganova method, dance, ballet, on pointe, paintings of dancers

 "First Pointe Shoes", 9x12, oil on panel

To a budding young ballerina, nothing in the world is as important than her first pointe shoes! As the former director of a large ballet school and regional ballet company, parents would often anxiously ask me if their daughter was ready to go on pointe.

Obviously, this question will depend on many things. Here is a very good article that discusses this issue and although every child is different, your child's teacher is the best judge of when she will be ready.

I painted this to commemorate your little dancer's special day. It was painted in the impressionist style, and after the Vaganova training method that I used as a syllabus in my own school.

If you are interested in purchasing this painting, please use this link.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Leave a comment if you enjoyed this post.

"First Pointe Shoes", 9x11, impressionism, Maryanne Jacobsen art, ballet, young dancer, Vaganova method, Kirov ballet, Margarita De Saa, John White, Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society

"First Pointe Shoes", 9x11

As a former ballet instructor and director of Rock School West, it was very important to me to train my little students correctly. I chose to study with Margarita de Saa and John White at The Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet Society in Narberth, Pa. and to take their intensive Vaganova training course as well. The course followed the strict Vaganova syllabus used to train the young dancers in St. Petersburg , Russia who went on to dance with the Kirov Ballet and is a successful proving ground for dancers worldwide. The Vaganova method is a tried and true training method for ballet dancers and to this day it serves me well in Zumba class!! I am proud to say that one of my young dancers, Taylor Stanley, went on the become a principal with the New York City Ballet!

The little dancer in my painting was painted in the impressionistic style, but although her face is vague, I did want to show her Vaganova training in both her attire and her carriage. Dancers familiar with the pedagogue will recognize it.

Email me at maryannejacobsen@aol.com if you are interested in this painting.