This interview with master pointe shoe fitter, Esther Juon, and her partner in foot-rescue, Lily Ewing, is a must-listen for anyone who works with dancers.
Esther Juon and Lily Ewing are two incredibly passionate and knowledgeable dance educators who joined me in a conversation about supporting the needs of the dancers’ body. Its been a few days after recording this conversation, and I’m still thinking about it.
After this conversation, I got curious and I tested myself on a few of the pointe preparedness parameters they assess in the Juon Pointe method, and I failed miserably (you’ll have to listen to the part where Lily describes their rigorous check-list).
This episode contains invaluable information for all dance educators, health care providers, parents of dancers, and dancers themselves. I consider this interview to be mandatory listening for any dancer, and especially if you are working with a dancer who is considering going on pointe, PLEASE listen all the way through.
In fact, my favourite part of this interview was near the end when I asked Esther about why, when I was dancing on pointe, I wore through my pointe shoes in two weeks, and she told me it was because my feet weren’t strong enough for pointe. It blew my mind, because I always considered I had strong feet as a dancer. But it all started to make sense. The signs were there all along that I just was not ready to go on pointe at the time, but there wasn’t the education, assessment, and proper training available to me.
Imagine… I could have saved my parents a few hundred bucks a month if I’d just had the knowledge, awareness, and stronger feet. Oh well.
Esther and Lily spoke to me about so many important topics related to supporting the ballet dancers’ body, including:
- How training with Esther was a night and day experience for Lily, and a few success stories of how Esther’s training method has changed ballet dancers’ lives and career paths.
- The most common mistakes that lead to a ballet dancer having problems (and how to do things differently)
- Why ballet dancers tend to have lower body awareness than we think, and how to help them develop the awareness that can transform the way they move
- How to actually access your true turnout from the center of the hip joint
- How ballet goes against the way the body was built naturally, and the importance of having strategies to keep dancers’ bodies safe and healthy
- Does foot pronation have a place in dance training? Or should we train closed chain “natural” foot mechanics and dance technique separately?
- What are the mechanical prerequisites a dancer needs to safely go on pointe? A need to know checklist.
- Many, many gold nuggets of dancer training that Esther will be teaching in depth at the 2026 Pointe Shoe Summit in Singapore Aug 7-9
And much more.
Esther and Lily will be teaching all of this and more at the Pointe Shoe Summit in Singapore August 7-9 2026. You can get tickets to attend in-person and online via live streaming.
If you can’t attend in-person, please consider getting an online ticket. Go HERE for tickets and more information.
AND, in this episode there is a skill testing question, which you can answer and receive a free online ticket to the Pointe Shoe Summit. Listen and email me back with the answer to win 🙂
I hope you enjoy this interview Esther and Lily.
Things We Mentioned in this Episode:
- Act’Pointes Shoes: 3D printable pointe shoes you can customize to your feet.
- Pointe Shoe Summit
Where to find Esther online:
Esther’s Website: Juon Pointe – Safely transitioning dancers onto pointe
Instagram: @juon_pointe
Pointe Shoe Summit: www.pointeshoesummit.org
Here’s a little more about Esther Juon:
Swiss-born Esther Juon initially trained by Armin Wild as a classical dancer and with the Opera House, Zurich. Injury in London ended her dance career but was the catalyst for her life’s work in teaching safe dance practice, which includes creating a reliable system for assessing and fitting pointe shoes.
Esther was invited by Nikolas Grishko to fit pointe shoes at the famous Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow and in recognition of her contribution to the safe fitting of pointe shoes, Esther was awarded a Special Diploma by the Diaghilev Association in 1995.
Esther has published articles in ‘Young Dancer’ magazine, has written a book called Pointe Shoe Secrets, and has presented lectures at British Ballet Organisation, at regional R.A.D. courses, at the London’s Children Ballet and at various ballet schools in the UK and Ireland and New Zealand. Esther’s work has also been presented at IADMS (International Association for Dance Medicine & Science).
Esther is Founder of Juon Pointe and a member of IADMS, & ASPHA. She now works as a freelance teacher, lecturer, mentor and Master Pointe Shoe Fitter.
Where to find Lily online:
Forme website: www.formenz.co.nz/
Instagram: @forme.nz
And here’s a little more about Lily Ewing:
Lily Ewing is the founder of FORME – Pointe Development Coaching with a focus on education, technique, and fitting.
Lily’s background is rooted in classical ballet. Beginning at age three in Auckland, New Zealand Lily was lucky to learn from several inspiring teachers before training full-time at the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD) and completing secondments at the National Ballet School of Canada and Houston Ballet School.
During her time at NZSD, Lily also participated in classes with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Queensland Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, the School of American Ballet, and the Joffrey Ballet; experiences that broadened her understanding of ballet across different schools and stylistic approaches.
Lily was then offered a placement in the Houston Ballet professional programme.
After returning home, Lily shifted her focus to teaching, and specialised in competition coaching, RAD exam preparation, open classes, repertoire, contemporary dance (NZAMD and APDA), and Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT).
Lily is committed to supporting dancers at every level, whether they dance recreationally or aspire to a professional pathway. Her approach emphasises safe practice, clean technique, and the strength required for long-term development.
With a particular passion for pointe work, Lily trained and became certified in pointe shoe fittings and pre-pointe assessments through the Juon Pointe system, working closely with Esther Juon.
Lily now serves on the Pointe Shoe Summit Board, an international organisation dedicated to advancing pointe education and safety.
Through FORME, Lily provides comprehensive pre-pointe assessments, educational workshops, and pointe shoe fittings across New Zealand, helping dancers build strong and safe foundations for pointe work.
