Esther Juon has an incredible story. She fractured her spine at age 18 in an accident in the dance studio and was told she’d never walk again. As a lover of movement, this was an unacceptable prognosis, and she went on not only walk, but to dance ballet again, and is still going strong today at age 71!
Esther’s back injury changed the course of her life, and, in her words, “It has become my ‘university’, and I learned a lot from it. It shaped my entire life, and this experience has become the catalyst behind my professional life and what I do today.”
She is an incredible example of someone who took a negative experience and turned it into a passion for helping others. She used her own injuries and healing journey to create a system for empowering others to better care for their bodies. Specifically, dancers transitioning into pointe shoes.
In this conversation, Esther and I discuss her incredible 40 year career throughout which she has developed her method for working to support and educate young dancers transition into pointe shoes safely.
She describes her journey with her body- Being told she’d be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life, and the 7 year journey in which she defied the odds and learned to walk again.
This experience fueled her desire to help dancers so that they would not to have to go through the same thing she did, and she created her education company, Juon Pointe, and the world’s most unique method for mentoring and preparing dancers to go on pointe safely through customized assessments, exercise programs, and an intelligent pointe shoe fitting process.
I consider this interview to be mandatory listening for any dancer, dance educator, or medical professional who works with dancers.
I really wish I had Esther in my life when I started ballet training at age 12, and after you listen to our conversation, you’ll understand why.
She is truly and inspirational, passionate, and opinionated educator, here to shake up the traditions of the way ballet is taught.
I hope you’ll enjoy this conversation and find it inspiring, whether you are a dancer, or not.
Can you attend the Pointe Shoe Summit?
Esther has a three day event, The Pointe Shoe Summit, coming up in August 2025, and if you are able to attend I highly encourage you to do so. She’ll be teaching her unique method for preparing dancers to go on pointe through an assessment process, specific exercises, and how to properly fit a pointe shoe.
See www.pointeshoesummit.org for more information and to register (Zoom attendance is also available if you can’t attend in Seattle).
And learn more about Esther and her mentoring programs here: JuonPointe.org
About Esther:
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.
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