TabbyCool

I know this thread is a little old now, but I tried the RC-22 at a fitting in summer and sank in the narrowest width, however, I was fitted in the same shoe yesterday in a medium width and they feel fine. The first shop where I was fitted keep their pointe shoes on a shelf in the shop, which can get quite warm in summer, so I’m wondering if the heat broke down the glue in the shoes, whereas the shop I went to yesterday keep them in a cold dark stock room, which is much better for the longevity of the shoes.

Thanks everyone, I’m going to practise tomorrow with some darning thread or something and see how it goes, then I just need to get over this virus so I can get back to class and sort out my chaine turns en pointe! Only got a couple of weeks! 

31 minutes ago, Fiz said:

Very pretty! What colour is your tutu?

I’ve got a white romantic style one, it’s not actually a proper ballet one, but is way more flattering since I have big hips and it flares out from the waist rather than the hip like most ballet ones. I’ll be wearing all white with long pointy nails, I’m the Snow Queen, even though it’ll be July! My ballet teacher is a bit mad, haha!

4 minutes ago, Fiz said:

It’s a shame it’s so heavy. Perhaps you can practice anchoring it and trying to dance with it on and see what happens. I know what you mean about completing a look. My eldest dd had a beautiful winter coat with Russian “fur” trim on the wrists and a tiny muff. She looked adorable in it (she was two) and I desperately wanted a Russian hat to complete the look. Both of her godmothers trawled the more expensive shops in London and came up empty. It was so good of them and we were all disappointed.

That sounds adorable!

 

I’ll definitely need a couple of practise runs with it to make sure it’s secure, I don’t have any plastic thread yet and am off work sick, I may try attaching it tomorrow with some darning thread or something just as a proof of concept, knowing my luck someone will knock on the door when I’m half way through putting it on though, I’m sure it’ll look great with my pyjamas!

 

I tried uploading a picture but I’m on my iPad and the screenshots are too big, so here’s a link to the crown I bought!

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B071771Q81/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_xWImBbKJRS6ZT

My feet were pretty flat before I did ballet, I started as an adult at the age of 29, I’m now 35 and can get a pretty nice arch on pointe. I’ve got a bit of hyper mobility too, but not as extreme as some!

On 13/06/2018 at 11:57, siana said:

Good luck and I hope your daughter enjoys university. My DD is in her second year of a geophysics degree at Durham and is really enjoying her time there because she is still dancing. First year she just joined the ballet dance team who compete against other universities while this year she has also joined the Ballet Company who do 1 production a year - maybe this is something that may be avalable at your daughters university?  My DD says the outlet to still dance provides a big relief from the high work  pressures on her course and she wouldn't do as well without it.

I went to see their performance of Snow White last week, which part did she play? They were really good! The teacher who choreographed it for them was my first ballet teacher! 

10 minutes ago, Fiz said:

Good luck! 

Thanks, I’m going to need it, haha! If all else fails I do have a cheap tiara, but the crown is way more impressive and just makes the outfit!

I’m thinking of doing 2 French braids that sit either side of the crown, then literally sewing the crown onto the braids with clear plastic thread! 

12 minutes ago, Fiz said:

Can it be exchanged for a lighter one?

Potentially, but I really like this one and the others I saw were all around the same weight!

9 hours ago, junedancer said:

Would there be anyway to attach elastic to it? You could then either have it under you chin or take it to the back behind your ears.  If you can’t get a flesh colour you can use makeup to hide it as best you can.

I could attach elastic to it, but I don’t think it’d really help much, even party hats don’t stay on if I put the elastic behind my head, and it’d be really obvious under the chin and would still fall off, it’s too heavy to be held on like that, it’s going to have to be secured to my hair somehow, but my hair isn’t good at behaving!

5 hours ago, Emilie said:

Could you do a crown braid around the top of your head so the crown has something to sit snugly on?

I was thinking something along those lines, with wires threaded through the braids, but I have to do it myself and I’m not very good at these things! 

I have a ballet show coming up soon and I get to wear a sparkly crown, however, it weighs around 230g and I’m not entirely sure how to attach it to my head! It has 4 little metal loops underneath and was supplied with 4 bobby pins (ha!), I’m thinking of threading elastic or wires through the loops, criss-crossing in the middle to give me more to attach pins to, but I’m still not sure how to get it to stay put securely enough to withstand chaine turns, releves and a fair few pas de chat! Has anyone else had to do something similar? Any advice will be most appreciated!

Not sure if you still need help with this, just thought I'd mention that I bought the Intermezzo Barcelona leotard in a size L and I'd say it's about on a par with a Bloch or Capezio XL or a So Danca size 7, I'm a UK 14-16 and it comfortably fits, which is rare!

I started 4 and a half years ago, at the age of 29. I take classes 4 days a week now and the beginner classes I attend have a pretty much constant influx of new people, aged from late teens right up to those aged 40+. They also run beginner classes specifically for those over 55, so you're by no means too old at 26!

Stagestruck in Sunderland stock a range of different brands, it might be worth contacting them to find out about the sizes they keep in stock since your daughter has such dinky little feet!

Not sure how helpful as I'm more of a 10/12 in street clothes but I am 5'7 and have quite long legs and enormous thighs because I cycle everywhere! I always buy XL tights (and people in shops look at me like I'm mad and ask if I don't need a smaller size, and I assure that really is what I need!). I have found Move Dancewear's to come up quite big, and they're nice and long, unlike some other brands. They do go grey very quickly compared to others but are also cheaper. They definitely have a looser waistband than stupid tiny Capezios and I think than Blochs b ut for me it's mostly a thigh issue! So, maybe worth a try for you, or maybe not!

Thanks for the tip, I took a chance and bought some of the Move tights, they actually fit! Their size chart says they're for a 6-12, but I can confirm that the L/XL is large enough for a 5'7" pear-shaped size 14-16, yay! The footless ones are one size, a bit harder to get into, but once they're on they're pretty comfy, though they are a bit tight around the ankles so I'm going to cut the stitching around the cuffs to let my ankles breathe a bit! The convertible ones are great though!

Well done TabbyCool! Fantastic result. Which examiner did you have? There's nothing like an exam coming up to push your technique along

Thank you! I'm not sure about the examiner, her surname was Hurst, though that mightn't be the right spelling!

I agree, pictures. I don't know if any ballet tights come with a cotton gusset but at least undies do.

All of my ballet tights have a cotton gusset! The only time I wear pants with ballet tights is when I'm on my period since I have to wear pads. I hate having pants underneath, it's just extra elastic to dig in and an extra layer of warmth, yuck!

I got my exam result this week, Cecchetti grade 3, I got a merit, yay! I haven't seen the breakdown yet so I don't know which bits I did well at and which bits weren't so good, but I did alright overall :-D

Hello - I have this same problem with my daughter, who is very fair skinned. We use Revolution footless tights from Dance Direct in "classic pink", which are actually not pink at all but a very pale tan colour.

I was just going to recommend Revolution tights too, though judging by their recent stock levels, I have the feeling they might be discontinuing the entire line! The quality control was never good with regards to sizing, but the classic pink is a good match for my skin tone and goes well with slightly older pointe shoes, once they've lost some of the peachy shininess!

I just wish that the fashion for low cut legs wasn't so extreme; I remember when the really high cut legs were all you could get. Now the leg line I think is unflatteringly low - I wish there were a happy medium!

Low-cut legs means less maintenance when it comes to shaving! Depending on how long your torso is, they're not always so low, my leotards are always riding up and pulling at the crotch!

If you're lucky, you'll find a Grishko shoe that works for you, they can be ordered direct from Grishko in a range of colours, including black and white, so you wouldn't need to dye them to match your tights. Obviously get fitted first to make sure the shoes are suitable.

Tabbycool, have you ever tried body tights like these ones? I find that normal ballet tights dig in at the waist no matter how large I go, but body tights fit a lot better and give a much smoother line.

I used to wear the Bloch ones like that, but they no longer sell them, they never lasted long, they got holes in them so easily and the loops where the straps fit on were often frayed straight out of the packet! I have a Capezio one, but it's too tight on the thighs

 

I draw the line at unitards though, it just wouldn't look good! I find that my legs look stumpy if I'm not wearing tights that match my shoes, pink tights with pink shoes just visually extends the leg line!

 

I think the Silky convertible tights from Just Ballet might do the job, so I'll be trying those ones next!

I'm a dress size somewhere between a large 12 and a 14, and I wear Plume footless tights,XL, which are plenty big enough width wise. OTOH, I'm only 5'6" if you're taller, then is it the length that's an issue, rather than breadth? They're not really long enough, but I don't mind the mid-calf finish.  If I need something on my feet, I wear cotton socks. Could you just get some of those flesh coloured ballet socks when you need a covering for your feet?

 

I've got some Plume ones, the waistband rolls and digs into my belly! A large size 12 is a fair bit smaller than me, my waist is around 34-35" and is very squishy, the widest part of my hips around my bum is more than a foot bigger than my waist too, I'm a pear! With most tights it's the waist that's the problem.

Actually, the Silky ones should fit! I hadn't looked at those previously as when I've seen their tights on other websites I'm sure they were sold as "one size fits all", which never does!