Sheila Beelam

Is this still available please? X

I’ve been talking to Ivan and we are sending  a parcel of dance shoes and clothing to France to help a little! 🩰

So pleased they’ve been offered a residency ❣️ 

We have a roll of Sonata flooring from LeMark left from our studio renovation and will be selling it in manageable sizes for home use, on our site from later in the week. Any ideas on what sizes people would be interested in would be great. I chose a floor for the studio that had great grip for pointe shoes, but enough slip for turns  

https://www.lemarkfloors.co.uk/sonata-ballet-floor/

We sell the tendu darning thread..

https://www.justballet.co.uk/products/anchor-darning-thread
 

And also Russian Pointe sewing kits which have a very strong thread

https://www.justballet.co.uk/products/russian-pointe-sewing-kit

X

It’s a familiar shout, more larger leotards and more men’s wear!

We are trying! We always try and include L, XL and XXL in the ranges we stock, where they are available. Likewise we’ve recently got some lovely bright men’s/boys leotards in, but it does also come down to a “general” lack of demand, compared to smaller ballet sizes.
 

We are always left with the L and XL leotards in stock, but sell out of the XS-M? Likewise lots of boys leotards are hanging around in the shop  

Ainsliewear are good for long bodies and go up to XL, which is about a UK 14. There new season range will be extending up to XXL  So Danca go up to a size 7/XXL in some styles and these are about a UK 16. 
 

Feel free to DM me with any specific requests  

Thanks Anna

I agree with the above, though I don’t think elastics at the heel are strictly necessary. However every foot is different and I do think the fitting of shoes should be looked at on an individual basis, the first port of call being your teacher and then your fitter. 

I wouldn’t like to comment on the fit of the shoes without seeing your bare feet. But I would suggest you always tie your inside ribbon first to minimise any movement of the shank away from the arch of your foot.

So start by wrapping the inside ribbon around the front of your foot, then around the front of your ankle and back to the inside. Hold that and then wrap the outside ribbon over your foot and around your ankle, to meet the other ribbon on the inside.

Please work closely with your teacher and don’t go on to pointe without putting your shoes on properly, even if practicing at home. The ribbons are functional, not decorative  

Going back to elastics, if you feel your heels are slipping off you can stitch elastic in a loop at the back of the shoe so it sits around your ankle. However make sure you stitch it parallel to the back seam of the shoe and not over it or sideways, as this adds to the bulk at the back of your heel and can irritate your Achilles. 
 

You don’t look like you need elastics at the front of the shoe so I would remove those and move your ribbons slightly forward as people mentioned above. 
 

Nothing comes quickly with ballet, it takes time to build strength and rushing will only lead to injury and bad habits, take your time and enjoy the process! 🥰

My non DD also had problems a few years ago from a blister on her foot from sport, ended up with several days in hospital on IV antibiotics! Don’t ignore them! 

Just about to post the same - mentioned on their Instagram! A relief for many  

It was my left arm and we have an automatic so I was able to drive. When fully frozen, if you tuck your elbow into your waist, you can move your forearm - just look a bit like a deranged T-Rex 😂

I’ve seen an osteo and physio re my right side, taking anti-inflams and magnesium, daily massage and lots of stretching and *touch wood* the niggle seems to have gone, so I’m hoping it wasn’t the other side starting, just a trapped nerve!

I’m also dancing more and I’m sure that’s helping too  

Oh my goodness. Please take all the professional advice you can. ❤️
 

I had a  frozen shoulder and it lasted over 2 years,  triggered from a shoulder op we think. Absolutely the worse pain I’ve ever had in the freezing stage - and I’ve had two children with no gas and air!

It stopped me doing my Adv1 5-6 years ago and although I have 97% ROM back, aa a dancer I still notice the last niggle  At my worst I could raise my arm to about 4 o’clock at the side and from and nothing to the back. 

There’s a great support group on FB where you can compare notes on how to do things like wash your hair, fasten your bra, deal with “zingers” etc
 

The upside is you will defrost with or without intervention. I had hydrodilation which was very painful but gave me more ROM.

My other side showed signs of starting a couple of months ago, I’m hitting it hard to prevent another onset as Adv 1 is on the cards this year!!!

xxx

The Diva has a very long vamp and a wedge of gel in the bottom of the shoes. These are two things we find people either love or hate. The gel can be pulled out, but the vamp is what it is!
 

The Diva is a beautifully made shoe, with an integrated suede tip. They’re good for reining in bendy feet, but quite often we’ll see people pulling back on pointe, causing a break in the line of the foot as they battle to get fully on to the platform.

The shank is man made and just like a plastic ruler, if bent back and forth for long enough, it can snap. The shoe is available in a hard shank version. 

The standard width is a C, and it’s quite a square shoe, so we don’t often need to go up to a D, but quite often fit the narrower B width.

If you like the shoe but battle with the vamp, it’s worth trying the Cloe, it’s sister shoe, similar features to the Diva, but a lower vamp. 
 

The shoes are made in France and supply time can sometimes be an issue but they’re very helpful and if customers have unusual shoe sizing, we try to keep spare pairs in the shop ready for you!

I hope this helps somebody

Sheila x

Yes you're correct Alison! I can't seem to edit it though....! 

I’m not sure whether this photo will upload, but I saw a lady in her 50’s today who was new to pointe and struggles to leave the barre. The shoe on the left is the one she’s had for about 6 months and the one on the right is what we fitted her in today. 
Her centre of gravity is so far back as she can’t get on to the platform it’s no wonder she needs the barre! She’s in a much better alignment in the new shoe and this will improve further with ribbons and a little breaking in.

Shoes are SO important! ❤️

Looks like the pads you get to put on the feet of furniture to stop them scratching wooden floors? 

I agree with Anna re padding. Instinctively if something hurts, you want to pad it, but the padding itself can add to the pressure and cause more problems than it alleviates  
unfortunately there is no magic formula for pointe shoe fitting! 

Thanks Jan

Most brands do a wider shape style which can then be fitted in an appropriate width to accommodate bunions and any associated support/spacers/padding. She really does need to try as many on as possible. Adapting the style she currently wears may also be an option - maybe going up a width, but using a box liner to reduce the space where it’s not needed.

Try Russian Pointe Brava, Muze, Entrada Pro (has high crown) 

Grishko Triumph, Super Triumph or Smart Pointe

Bloch Balance European and Hannah are quite square shoes 
 

 Hope this gives you some help to start  

Completely agree with the above - the mind is a powerful tool and can hinder as well as help! 

Look at how children show little fear and fling themselves around play parks, jumping around with little concern about injury. 

As adults we’ve learnt to hold back and consider the “what ifs”. 

Quite how we unlearn the self preservation, I’m not sure. But I know if I distract my self-doubting mind from...”I can’t turn to the left” or “I don’t like this step”...I seem to be able to do it better?!

Core and strength/weight ratio are also key. I’ve noticed a huge difference in my ability when I work on these. Although whether part of it is due to a mental shift as I feel more capable...who knows?! 
 

Oh and a well fitted shoe is a pre-requisite

Sent

Ok, here goes! I'll try to upload photos I took of a smart pointe size 4.5 XXX (on the left) and 2007 Pro 4.5 XXX on the right. I then swap the Smart pointe shoe for a 4.5 XX shoe.

Sorry the files are too big If you can let me have an email address I'll send them to you! I'll also put them on our FB and Insta stories  @justballetuk

7 hours ago, Derin's Mom said:

Yes tapered and not sinking. How about the width? My DD sometimes wears XX sometimes XXX, since her feet are still growing, it varies from season to season.

7 hours ago, Derin's Mom said:

Yes tapered and not sinking. How about the width? My DD sometimes wears XX sometimes XXX, since her feet are still growing, it varies from season to season.

That’s very interesting  I guess it depends on where the taper is on her foot? As I mentioned earlier in the thread, they have a nice nipped in waist, but then come out in width below. 

Ill try and remember to take some photos in the shop tomorrow of smart next to 2007 and post here so you can see what the differences are  

19 minutes ago, Aurora3 said:

Thank you, Sheila and Viv! That sounds like the Smart Pointe is not good for me! I also have hypermobility and a high arch, but a low profile. 2007 is a good fit, but is quite a heavy shoe and very loud and as I´m very light I have problems breaking in the demi-pointe. But the Smart Pointe does not seem to be an alternative for me then!

 

You could try the 2007 Pro - it has easy roll through, with quieter and lighter glue  

8 hours ago, Viv said:

I tried the Smart Pointe last year. They looked gorgeous in the fitting but the wings broke down astonishingly fast. Within 20 minutes in class my extremely narrow feet had lost all support and the shank started twisting. I ended up with a twisted ankle and lost both my big toenails from only 30 minutes of pointe work... I took the shoes back to the fitter and she was appalled, they had changed shape completely from the fitting and were now completely wrong for me. She was nice and gave me 50% off a pair of grishko novas to get me through the rest of concert season but it was far from a good experience. I've tried 2007s before and they fit fine in the box, I ended up in novas because I couldn't get the 2007s to stay on my heel, plus they looked awful on me haha. The Smart Pointe fit entirely differently to a 2007 in my experience.

 

In terms of feet, I have a relatively low arch, so pre-arched was great. My feet are very very narrow feet, I wear X in a bloch pointe shoe and still sink down without padding. I have long toes with a lot of hypermobility, all my joints, including my toe joints, bend in funny directions and my feet are incredibly compressible (shame that this hypermobility hasn't given me a better arch! Darn bone structure). Although my feet are only slightly tapered, the compressibility means I prefer to wear a more tapered box to give more support when actually en pointe. The fitter, who I highly rate usually, has said after this she'll never fit another girl with hypermobility in the Smart Pointe because they don't provide enough support across the metatarsals. Take from this what you will.

Narrow, compressible and hyper mobile....that’s a pointe fitting hat trick! 🤪

Seriously though, those are all fitting challenges and certainly the first two would rule out the smart pointe in my mind. 

Different styles in each brand will fit differently, so you could be an X width in one Bloch style and a 0X (narrower than an X) in another. 

If you like a pre-arched shoe you may want to try the Allure, which is based on the 2007 shoe last, but with a pre-arched plastic shank

On 02/10/2019 at 21:02, Aurora3 said:

Thank you, Sheila! Would you say it is suitable for semi-tapered (my first two toes do not differ much in length, then they become shorter) or is it too square?

Hi Aurora I would say that no, they wouldn’t suit a tapered foot, as there would be too much room across the metatarsal area. The 2007/nova/dream/allure/pro flex are all more suitable shapes  

The smart pointe has a nipped in “waist” around the middle of the foot and is wider across the metatarsal area than the 2007. The box is not as tapered. More info on the particulars on the image on our website. Tried to upload the image here but the file is too big  

https://www.justballet.co.uk/products/grishko-smart-pointe-shoe

I’ve sent you an email x