Theraband Foot Exercises for Pointe

I always worry about recommending ballet exercises to do at home, because there's always a risk you'll get out of alignment, and do more harm than good.  That's why most of the pointwork exercises recommended on this site aren't standard ballet ones! Theraband foot exercises are a good example of safe home ballet exercises.   Resistance [...]

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Exercises for Pointe – Turnout

Students have said to me - why do I need  turnout exercises to get ready for pointe? Exercises for turnout are vitally important for pointe work.   When you're standing with your foot on the floor, even in releve, you can use the pressure of the floor to help you hold the turnout.  When you're standing [...]

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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 dance experience, so there's no [...]

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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 (if any) padding you need [...]

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Foot Shape #2

Your foot shape isn't something most people think about, is it?  But when you're ready to buy your first pair of pointe shoes, the shape of your foot suddenly becomes important - because it determines which make and model of pointe shoe will suit you. In fact, it may even determine whether you can get [...]

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Pointe Snaps

  Pointe Snaps are a secure, no-sew way to attach your ribbons. I think these are a great idea - the tiny rings keep the ribbons on securely, and they're invisible from only a few feet away. However, if you're thinking of buying Pointe Snaps, check with your teacher first. While many teachers approve, we've [...]

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Jet Glue

Often, the box and platform are the first parts of your pointe shoe to "give". Applying Jet Glue to the shank and  inside (never outside) of the box and can prolong the life of your shoes, if they're otherwise still in good shape. You could try using any old glue, but Jet Glue is a [...]

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Flyte Pointe Shoes

The Flyte certainly sounds like a good pointe shoe in theory. It was developed at the University of Wolverhampton and seven years of research went into its creation. It's claimed to last longer, improve balance and give better shock absorption. And as you can see in the photo above, it's designed to allow an easy [...]

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Exercises for Pointe

This website is really about buying and caring for your pointe shoes, but I get lots of questions like, "when can I go en pointe?", "what can I do to make my feet stronger for pointe?" or "how can I improve my pointe work?" I wish I could give a simple answer! Getting on pointe [...]

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Grishko 2007 Pointe Shoe Review

Grishko 2007 The number of positive reviews for this pointe shoe on the Discount Dance website is amazing.    There seems to be a lot of very satisfied Grishko customers out there!   So what's so good about the shoe? One of the reasons they're such a best-seller is they come in a good range of widths [...]

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