Get to the Pointe

An average pointe shoe lasts about 10-20 hours of dancing. Yes, you read that right. 10-20 hours. I bet your parents had no idea what they were getting into when they put you in your first ballet class. The life span of a pointe shoe varies widely depending on how many hours you dance, how flexible or strong your feet are, what you’re doing in class, how much you sweat, how much you weigh and many other factors. We have dancers that go through 5 pairs a month, and we have dancers that go through 2 pairs a year. But...

Pointe shoes are still a mystery to most. As a professional pointe shoe fitter, I found there are a lot of myths that float around in the dance world. Here are 5 of the most common pointe shoe myths: Stronger feet need harder shoes: The strength of the shoe is not always determined by the strength of the feet. If that were true, professionals wouldn’t wear super soft shoes, yet a lot of them do. The hardness of the shank can be determined by many different reasons: flexibility, stability, skill level, strength and longevity. It all depends on the individual...

You should get professionally fitted for every pair for your first few years en pointe. (You can find what to do before a pointe shoe fitting in this article) This is the time when you need to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Even after you find your “perfect pair,” you should still get fitted fairly regularly. Even professional ballerinas have to get refitted every 6 months or so because their feet change. So, here are 5 reasons why you should get a professional pointe shoe fitting: You avoid injuries: This is the biggie. Ill-fitting shoes can lead to...

There are always questions about how to prepare for a professional pointe shoe fitting. We came up with a few things that will make both our lives easier and fittings much more efficient. Here is your check list! 5 things to do before for your professional fitting:1. Make an appointment: Sometimes, we are able to take walk-ins but the wait can be long... Really long... So make sure you call or book your appointment online. This is important especially if you have your own fitter and want to request them specifically (Shout out to my dancers! Love you!). Appointments are...

In this world of mass production, owning a pair of hand-made pointe shoes is an absolute privilege. It is a privilege that is earned through years of diligent training. But dancing in the wrong shoes can not only lea d to a lot of pain, it can lead to dangerous injuries. Just a few decades ago, there were only a few brands of pointe shoes to choose from, but now there are dozens of brands and hundreds of models to fit just about any dancer. There are also many different accessories to help prevent injuries and discomfort (but that's for...