Lucinda

I struggle with the whole concept of ballet competitions because I consider ballet an art, like music or fine art. They are all extremely subjective which makes choosing a “winner” a personal preference. I am particularly uncomfortable with ballet competitions that reward prizes to the dancers who display the most flamboyant tricks and disregard conventional choreography, particularly age inappropriate routines. The goal for a pre-professional dancer is a paid contract with a ballet company. Most dancers are selected via conventional auditions not from competitions. Yes, a dancer who has performed in competitions may have had preliminary exposure to AD’s but this can be both to their advantage and disadvantage! The total monetary and time cost spent in preparation for competitions can be considerable. An adolescent dancer is already flat out trying to keep up with an academic schedule as well as complete the required number of ballet hours per week to keep on track to have any hope of a professional career. Most of the students I know of who competed heavily in competitions, studied by distance education/home schooling and danced at least 25 hours a week. Many of these students only gain the minimum high school education. I consider the following as advantages of competitions, students learn how to be confident on stage and interact with the audience/ adjudicators; they have a goal to work towards and gain increased confidence and self esteem when they accomplish their goal; they learn how to handle the stress of competitions and lastly learn that the judges decisions made are subjective! However I feel that many of these positives can be gained by adequate performance opportunities via school end of year concerts and exams etc. Once a student is at well regarded pre-professional school, the exposure to influential people, AD’s and others is by way of summer schools/intensives and performances as well as networking. Also if a school is affiliated with a company it is likely that the AD and others will have seen the student over an extended period and gain a comprehensive opinion of that dancer and of their personality. It seems more appropriate for a pre-professional student to work with their teachers and narrow down companies to which they are most suited and then focus their training and energy to achieving that elusive contract with one of those companies. It is only a minority of competitors that are awarded prizes and most of the time they do not have the luxury of choosing what their prize is. The other article regarding judging competitions on the same web site was interesting too: http://dancemagazine.com/inside-dm/dance-by-the-numbers/

A few years back my DD “lost” her only pair of soft block shoes. I asked her to check at the studio when she went to her lesson the following week and she “found” them. She then started complaining that they didn’t fit properly and she needed a new pair before her upcoming exam, which was a week away. I thought this was odd as I was fairly certain that her feet had stopped growing. After a close look at the shoes and I realized that they were not hers! The ribbon stitching was different, they were ½ a size smaller and I’d named DD’s inside. The trouble was we didn’t know whom this pair belonged to. To make matters worse I couldn’t buy a new pair as nowhere had a pair DD’s size in stock. After a few tears and a terse conversation, DD agreed to approach her very strict teacher and explain her dilemma. It transpired that there were three students with very similar size feet and they had all inadvertently swapped their shoes! It all worked out well in the end as DD’s shoes were returned ASAP, the day before her exam.

I completely agree that a further education course should not primarily be chosen because it is cheaper. However tuition costs can significant and it is a fact of life that some European countries subside higher education costs considerably more than the UK. In Germany for example, there are no tuition costs even for non Europeans and as stated before The Netherlands heavily subsidises higher education tuition.

The Netherlands have several well known contemporary dance companies including Nederlands Danse Theatre and Introdans. Looking at the dancer biographies would give you an idea of the background they have come from. The arts ( and arts education) are well supported by the Dutch government and consequently the facilities and tuition are excellent. The Bachelor degree fees for European students are around 2 000 Euros per annum and most of the dance courses are taught in English. It is necessary to have a University entrance qualification to enrol in a degree course so most students are a minimum of 18 years at the start of the first year. Here are some links for Bachelor courses in the Netherlands: Fontys, Tilburg http://fontys.edu/Bachelors-masters/Bachelors/Dance-Academy.htm ;Codarts, Rotterdam http://www.codarts.nl/programmes/dance/dance/ and Amsterdam University of the Arts (de Theaterschool), Amsterdam http://www.ahk.nl/en/theaterschool/study-programmes/?tx_solr[filter][0]=discipline:dans&tx_solr[filter][1]=discipline:dance

Although dance competitions are very popular in Australia I don't think that is the main reason why Australian students are successful when auditioning for upper schools abroad. There are a high number of schools in Australia that offer excellent training although the majority are in metropolitan areas and more to the point a student can reach a high standard at a young age (e.g. 12) because they are training 10-15 hours per week. I am not saying this is good, in fact I feel that prior and during puberty, training greater than 10 hours per week is detrimental, but this would explain why Australian candidates are ahead of other candidates when auditioning for European ballet schools. For an indication of the ballet level students are at, if they are aiming for a professional ballet career they usually would have passed RAD Advanced 2 with distinction (or equivalent) before the age of 16, a few even RAD solo seal. Competition participation is in addition to the already excellent training and it is usual for students to train 20+ hours per week from the age of 14 years onwards. Most of these students satisfy the education requirements by studying via distance education so do not attend mainstream schooling. Again something else I do not necessarily agree with as I feel it does not build a well rounded balanced young adult. Most of the Australian students who do gain places at European Ballet Schools (such as the Prix de Lausanne affiliated schools) do so by audition and not by participation in competitions. A minority of students may have participated in international competitions and be noticed but they also auditioned along with everyone else or sometimes in a private audition. In regards to gaining the elusive contract with a ballet company, I think the main factors are excellent training, desired physique (by that AD/company), persistence and a dose of good luck.

and that preparation for a competition requires intense repeated rehearsal of a variation/ particular choreography requiring a significant number of hours. This is in direct contrast to the specific balanced all round training in a vocational school programme. In addition if a student adds the competition preparation on top of their school programme they greatly increase their risk of injury and burn out. Lastly if a school director has chosen a student for his/her school, why would they wish that student to enter a competition where they might be offered a place elsewhere. Usually a school wants to keep their students, particularly the best ones!

DD has tried the glue on crochet style tips and found that the edges quickly started coming away from the platform. I tried using more glue but that didn't work. They are also expensive compared with darning. DD used glue on suede tips or nothing on her pointe shoes until this year.Now for mother confession time, I did teach DD how to sew ribbons and elastics on her ballet shoes years ago but it took her ages and she found it very frustrating. Also the ribbons/elastics were never as secure as when I sewed them on. Her favourite trick was to present me with a pair of shoes just before going to bed (usually past her bedtime) and announce that she needed them for tomorrow! Unsurprisingly I ended up sewing all of them and resorted to using the sewing machine. However she moved to full time vocational school at the beginning of this year and now not only sews all her ribbons and elastics on but also darns around the platform (beautifully) and sends me photos. Although I had warned her that she would have to do this task I'm amazed at how well she has done considering she going through one pair of pointe shoes a week and is living independently away from home on the other side of the world!

Is your second toe longer than your first when it is straight? If it is, you may need some padding underneath the tip of your big toe so that both toes are even. Ideally all your toes should be straight when encased in the box of the shoes, it's possible you may need to tape your toes to help align them correctly and even more importantly do exercises to strengthen the muscles in your toes. The podiatrist should be able to recommend specific exercises as it will depend on your feet. A podiatrist who has an interest in ballet would be fabulous.

In addition to seeing a podiatrist, I wonder if your pointe shoes could be contributing to your pain? Perhaps they are too wide, too short or not tapered enough. The style could be correct but the size wrong or vice versa. In addition if the platform is too soft this can cause damage to the big toe nail and nail bed. Have you ever been able to dance en pointe without pain?

Hello Dancedancedance, my DD has highly compressible feet but not any bunions as yet. She does however prefer pointe shoes with wings as they give her more stability. As she has long toes and a big gap between her first and second toe she wears a silicone toe spacer to improve the alignment of her first toe. Perhaps this would help to reduce the stress of your bunion on the winged part of the shoe? Also DD has found the box liners by Gaynor Minden very useful to fine tune the fit of her pointe shoes and prevent her sinking, they can be used with any brand of pointe shoe. The link to the free PDF guide is https://dancedesire.com.au/files/pdf/GMFitting.pdf There is also a book (available as an e-book) on modifying pointe shoes which we have found very useful. Angela Reinhardts book Pointe Shoes Tips & Tricks, DD has it so I can't check to see if there is anything about bunions.

That's a huge increase! A couple of years ago when we were in the UK, DD went to a course at ENBS and was surprised that so many of the students were wearing Bloch pointe shoes, she had presumed that most would wear Freed because they are made in the UK. She was even more surprised when she saw that they were only £40 which at that time was cheaper than in Australia! I've just checked the website here to see if they have had a price increase but most styles are stil $100 which is about £50. My guess is that the cost of labour or materials have increased. I think most of the shoes are made in Thailand.

DD didn't have any private lessons but we did purchase the RAD Advanced 2 DVD and she spent quite a bit of time learning and rehearsing all the exercises at home. It helped her immensely, especially with confidence. She couldn't do anything en pointe though as our floors are not suitable.

Jane, I can empathise. DD is going through 1 pair a week on average at the moment and I've just paid for 10 pairs up front! She still hasn't found her perfect shoe (will she ever?) so I don't think my pointe shoe bill will decrease : (

Thanks 2dancersmum. I also contacted Sheila at Just Ballet and she has just replied to say yes the glue can be posted. Will order some straight away and it may reduce my pointe shoe bill slightly.

Does anyone know if it's possible to send jet glue (pointe shoe glue) in the post? DD is going through pointe shoes very quickly and is having difficulty purchasing pointe shoe glue where she is. I was hoping I could order her some on-line and get it sent to her. Thank you for your help.

"Pointe shoes: tips and tricks" by Angela Reinhardt is an fantastic book. I followed her instructions and lengthened 5 pairs of pointe shoes at the heel as DD's feet had grown 5mm, saved myself a fortune! I see it is now available as an e-book too.

Forgot to add that you might need to 'shop around' to find a good pointe shoe fitter. There are unfortunately a few dance shops that will just want to sell you a pair of pointe shoes regardless of the fit .

Hello Cara in NZ, I imagine your DD is thrilled to finally get her first pair of pointe shoes. I still remember my DD being fitted for her first pair and that's almost 6 years ago! We have noticed that ironically Bloch pointe shoes are cheaper in Europe than in Australasia and have no idea why. We were also surprised at their popularity given that Freeds are the most popular pointe shoe worldwide. In regards to the cost, it is a big expense especially as your DD is quite likely to grow out of her first pair before she wears them out. This could continue for a few pairs of shoes until your DD's feet finish growing as usually students spend only a small proportion of their classes per week en pointe. Pointe shoes generally last for about 10-12 hours wear, although this is very variable and depends on many things from choreography, foot strength, climate and even how much a dancers feet perspire! Another thing I have learnt is that correctly fitting shoes last longer than shoes that do not fit correctly, this is why there is so much emphasis on finding the right shoes for the dancer. Whilst your DD's feet are still growing it is important for each pair of pointe shoes to be fitted in person, pointe shoes are replaceable, feet aren't. You may find that your DD will change from one brand to another and that she will try out a number of shoes until she finds some that she finds work well for her. Again this is expensive as some shoes can feel ok when first worn but don't work well after a few wears and vice versa. Some feet are 'easier' to fit than others though, my DD falls into the difficult to fit category hence my long post.

Fantastic news Katymac, well done to you both! I'm not surprised you cried with happiness and relief.

DD had a very positive experience when she visited the Freed Store in Covent Garden the other day. The fitter she had was very knowledgeable and helpful. DD purchased three pairs of shoes to try out and was also given the specifications she could try if she was to go ahead with a special order shoe.

I knew nothing about ballet or the ballet world and it never crossed my mind to send DD to classes. I still don't "get it" (as my DD describes it) as I hate drawing attention to myself and I can think of few things worse than "performing" on stage. DD's father feels the same! I kept hoping that DD would "grow out of it" and although I have been supportive of her dream to be a professional dancer, I (confession time) haven't encouraged it. On the positive side there are not many kids who have an all encompassing passion that has so many benefits, regardless whether they end up pursuing ballet or dance as a career. My DD has tried to describe the sheer joy and exhilaration she feels when performing, the closest I can imagine is the huge adrenaline rush you feel when going on a thrilling theme park ride or abseiling! Although talking of theme park rides, it has been a huge roller coaster of emotions (more no's than yes's) for DD to get to where she is now (European full time vocational school).

Thank you for posting this Ian. A very down to earth article, I and probably many others, can relate to what his mum said: "But it's sad too to think of your child travelling so far away at such a young age," she admits. "A lot of people probably don't understand it – people who don't have a child with a passion or dream and the talent don't understand how you could see your child do that. We're happy to see him reach his goals."

Thank you very much for all your replies especially spannerandpony and chaperone. Please correct me if I am wrong but it would be better to go during the week for a fitting rather than on a Saturday?

I'll second dancewear.co.uk (Porselli) they seemed to have most sizes and colours.

I'd be very grateful for some help please, in regards to Freed pointe shoe fitters. DD is having great difficulty finding suitable pointe shoes for her feet. She is in a full time pre-professional programme in Europe and has been en pointe for 6 years so has worn a lot of pointe shoes! She is planning a trip to the Freed shop in Covent Garden soon and is wondering if she should organise an appointment with a specific fitter in advance. I have read through the previous posts and see that Beth, Sophie and Michelle Atfield are suggested fitters. Do they all still work at the shop? is it worth e-mailing/phoning in advance with details/photos of DD's feet? I don't want DD to get there and find there is nothing suitable for her feet and we know from multiple previous experiences that she is a real challenge to fit properly. Thank you.