Best Pointe Shoes for Beginners
I'm often asked what are the best pointe shoes for beginners. I wish there was an easy answer, and I'm sure every ballet school in the country feels the same! Unfortunately, the best pointe shoe for any beginner has more to do with the shape of her foot than her… Continue reading
What Shape is My Foot?
You may have heard the names Grecian, Egyptian and Giselle (or peasant) bandied around when discussing pointe shoes. These are all foot shapes - or to be more strictly accurate, toe configurations. They're very important, because they are the first step in determining what shoes will fit you, and what… Continue reading
Fitting Pointe Shoes – some real life examples
Dancers are often advised not to buy their first pointe shoes online. If you're wondering why, here are some real life examples of buying pointe shoes and how they are fitted in a shop:
How to Choose the Right Size in Pointe Shoes
I see so many dance students wearing the wrong size of pointe shoe - at both extremes.
As a ballet student, you already know you can't rely on your street size when choosing ballet slippers. Pointe shoes are even more challenging! You can look up your pointe shoe size on… Continue reading
Parts of the Pointe Shoe
There are several things to consider when fitting pointe shoes. We've already looked at foot shape and pointe shoe sizes (length and width), which enables the fitter to narrow the choice of shoes down a bit. But there are several other factors to look at.
Profile
The shoe profile is… Continue reading
How to Fit Pointe Shoes
The better your pointe shoes fit, the easier it will be to get up on pointe and stay there, and the less trouble you'll have with blisters, bunions and bleeding.
I see a lot of dancers wearing pointe shoes that are too small. Always wear your usual tights and your… Continue reading
