Grishko UK

Ahhhh the amount of pointe shoes we tried!! My DD has very narrow feet and high arches, suited for her were grishko vaganova, but they don't come with a drawstring as they have a very long vamp. Hence no fingers left after threading drawstring through (one hour each shoe). We haven't found another one yet that suits my DD's feet, but just ballet are correct when they say you shouldn't be sold a shoe, you should be fitted. Good luck! X

 

Ahhhh the amount of pointe shoes we tried!! My DD has very narrow feet and high arches, suited for her were grishko vaganova, but they don't come with a drawstring as they have a very long vamp. Hence no fingers left after threading drawstring through (one hour each shoe). We haven't found another one yet that suits my DD's feet, but just ballet are correct when they say you shouldn't be sold a shoe, you should be fitted. Good luck! X

Hello all the lovely girls with narrow feet- these are indeed a problem, although most makes of pointe shoe should do a narrow width in each style, as some people have narrow feet with long toes ( grishko Vaganova is good here ) but others have narrow with short  toes/ tapered toes- Grishko 2007 may work here) . Grishko's are available in 5 widths, and it is unusual that our narrowest X fitting in one of our styles would not work. But I wanted to address the issue of a drawstring mentioned here- the reason all the original Grishko models were made without drawstrings is because if the shoe fits you properly, you should never need a drawstring. if you need to pull a drawstring up, chances are it's not the right shoe for you. However, say you found a Grishko vaganvoa that you loved, you could get your stockist to special order it with a drawstring! we sully recommend after a fitting though, that dancers simply pull their drawstring out, as the shoe fits so perfectly! And if you do ever pull your drawstring, make sure you catch is through with some stitches when you sew on your ribbon, so that the drawstring cannot pull on your achilles! 

My DD's Grishko Novas are breaking down on the shank behind the box. The last 3 pairs have done this. She has two pairs which she alternates, but is at vocation and school and doing a lot en pointe so realise her shoes won't last as long, but haven't experienced this previously. The the amount of pointe work has risen considerably. When this happens she loses support in the box, toes curl and bruised big toe nails result, any insights welcomed, though probably need to budget for more shoes. She is going to have a session with her fitter to look at alternatives. NL

Ahhhh the amount of pointe shoes we tried!! My DD has very narrow feet and high arches, suited for her were grishko vaganova, but they don't come with a drawstring as they have a very long vamp. Hence no fingers left after threading drawstring through (one hour each shoe). We haven't found another one yet that suits my DD's feet, but just ballet are correct when they say you shouldn't be sold a shoe, you should be fitted. Good luck! X

Hello all the lovely girls with narrow feet- these are indeed a problem, although most makes of pointe shoe should do a narrow width in each style, as some people have narrow feet with long toes ( grishko Vaganova is good here ) but others have narrow with short  toes/ tapered toes- Grishko 2007 may work here) . Grishko's are available in 5 widths, and it is unusual that our narrowest X fitting in one of our styles would not work. But I wanted to address the issue of a drawstring mentioned here- the reason all the original Grishko models were made without drawstrings is because if the shoe fits you properly, you should never need a drawstring. if you need to pull a drawstring up, chances are it's not the right shoe for you. However, say you found a Grishko vaganvoa that you loved, you could get your stockist to special order it with a drawstring! we sully recommend after a fitting though, that dancers simply pull their drawstring out, as the shoe fits so perfectly! And if you do ever pull your drawstring, make sure you catch it through with some stitches when you sew on your ribbon, so that the drawstring cannot pull on your achilles! 

Pointe shoes are meant to last a total of 9 hours which a lot of people forget lol.

 

I suggest if she is doing a few classes per week she really needs to be using a couple of pairs per week (rotating shoes) so that each pair gets a chance to dry out properly and extend their life span.

 

I also recommend making sure they are the right width, if there is sinking going on then the platform and box will be dying faster.

 

And I also recommend use of shellac and glue too.

Yes too true! if you are wearing your  pointe shoes more than an hour at a time, swap pairs. If you change pairs before they get too soggy from sweat (some people can lose litres of water through their feet!) you can make them last longer. 

My DD's Grishko Novas are breaking down on the shank behind the box. The last 3 pairs have done this. She has two pairs which she alternates, but is at vocation and school and doing a lot en pointe so realise her shoes won't last as long, but haven't experienced this previously. The the amount of pointe work has risen considerably. When this happens she loses support in the box, toes curl and bruised big toe nails result, any insights welcomed, though probably need to budget for more shoes. She is going to have a session with her fitter to look at alternatives. NL

Hi Nana Lily, feel free to phone us on 01223 861425 and I  can try and work out what is happening for you.   01223 861425 Amanda

Excellent advice from one of our great fitters! A Grishko Pointe shoe really needs to fit as snugly as possible for all the components of the shoe to work together in perfect harmony. So big toe pads are never a good idea. Starting with just a jelly tip in the big toe, and adding padding if needed is the best way to go. If you really want  a full pad over your whole forefoot, go for something like the Advanced Toe Pad by Tendu which has padding on the top surface of the foot, and thin fabric underneath. You don't need padding underneath your toes- it just stops you feeling the floor, makes the shoes hotter, and you can't tell when your shoes have died!

You shouldn't have weight on the ends of your toes - the box should support your foot and stop it from slipping down into the box. If the box is too wide or to soft, the support will be lacking, resulting in a sinking foot, painful big toe (possible black toenail) and blisters across the toe knuckles.
The box liner helps to reduce the box size, but padding shouldn't be used to make a shoe fit, only to make if more comfortable. Grishko also do a box liner.
I always start a fitting with a gel toe tip and then increase or decrease padding from there. 90% end up with nothing more than a toe tip and a good fitting shoe
Hope this helps!

HI There all, as the Grishko distributor in the UK, I can confirm that no steel is ever placed in the back of a Grishko shoe, no matter how hard... We can (through your local dance shop) special order H, SH, SSH shanks. Don't forget the option of raising the height of the vamp at the front too sometimes- if she is falling out of the fro of the shoe, raising the vamp by as little as .5 cm can make a huge difference to giving more support. Do email us  if you have questions! Best, Amanda

Hi Loulabelle,

 

I know of someone who wears Grishkos 2007s in their hardest shank (or extra shank added - I don't know which one) with a piece of steel added to the shoes! She has very arched feet and was going through pointe shoes very quickly but these shoes seem to be the answer for her feet and her parents' pockets. I have heard one pair survived a couple of well-known UK summer schools this year. I think these shoes are a special order so maybe it's worth asking about these next time your DD goes for new pointe shoes?

Anyone tried the new Dancique shop that opened in Birmingham in January.  I see they stock Grishkos and wondered which models.

They stock 2007,  Triumph, 2007 Pro Flex,2007 Exam shoe,  and some DreamPointe too. But like any Grishko stockist, they can get hold of other models from us too, even if they do not stock them!

VBee I can confirm that we have been offered the option to make changes to Grishko shoes by our fitter in Brighton, who only supplies Grishko.  She has told us that dd can make changes to her shoes (obviously at a charge) and that the shoes will then be made to dd's specifications. I don't know if this would include a different shank.  Wondered if this might be an option for you.  We haven't gone down this route as yet as dd finds the Nova suits her perfectly, but it is something we have always kept in mind.  Have no experience of other shoe makers and whether they offer this option, I would have thought they would.

Yes, the specialist Grishko fitter in Brighton is correct, and she often gets special orders made for her customer.  And  any Grishko stockist (including those in London)  should also be willing to help you get customised Grishko's made through us. 

sorry spanner it was me taking the thread off at a tangent.  Elder DD was advised a couple of years ago by a fitter to try Grishkos and we've never been able to find any.  Whichever shop it was in London that supposedly stocked them was very low on stock when we were there and had none in her size!  Unless they just liked the pair they had fitted her with - that DD didn't like!

HI There, Dancia in London is our main Grishko stockist for London, and they stock the 2007, 2007 Pro Flex, Triumph, demi pointe and DreamPointe. They can also order in any other style of Grishko for you, as can any Grishko stockist. There are many stores around the country (over 100!) who stock Grishko's. if you cant find one using our stockist locator on www.grishko.co.uk, send me an email, and I will try and help. Best wishes, Amanda

Has anyone been fitted at Dancia?? I like their large selection but noticed that they were not a certified Grishko fitter (they haven't attend one of their workshops), is that a worry? 

 

I have a really good local fitter but she only stocks Bloch and Capezio which I don't really like; currently have Bloch Aspirations which are OK.

Several of the staff  in Dancia have  in fact attended the  detailed whole day Grishko pointe shoe fitting course,  (some have attended twice) and I believe they have  our certificates displayed. But with staff changes, it is hard for the to keep up with sending all the staff on the courses, especially when there are extra staff in on a Saturday. If you are looking for someone local to you, email me with your postcode, and I can 'point' you in the right direction.

I am currently wearing grishko 2007 pro 6xx hard shank with a sleek heel and medium-high arch. Is there any other grishko shoe that anyone can recommend? Like maybe vaganova or either mayas? I am unable to fit these other shoes because my local store only stocks 2007s.

HI Yulpany, even if your local store only stocks 2007, they should be prepared to order in a few pairs of vaganova's to try. That is the deal with our stockists- they don't have to stock the Vaganova as it is a more unusual shoe, but they should offer to get them in for you to try, and they can send any that you don't buy back to us, the distributors. - you may have to pay them a postage charge. Do send me aPM and let me know which store it is. I may be able to suggest another!

My daughter is soon to take her RAD intermediate exam. She has been using Grishko soft pointes 2007 exam version. The most recent pair we bought are really hard, despite wearing them in and seriously bashing them. The glue has come apart and has become sharp as a result. I would welcome advice from the forum as to a nice 'soft' soft pointe which doesn't require too much breaking in. She has really narrow feet. Thank you!

HI Little Nutcracker. i am sorry to hear you had some trouble with your Grishko soft Pointes. If you would like to email me and tell me more about the problem, or phone, please do. Grishko soft blocks are designed to really work the feet, as they are made with intention of preparing the foot for pointe work, but you should not have sharp glue! phone 01223 861425

Quick update from us too. We took advantage of the teacher strike yesterday and went pointe shoe shopping. Went to Bristol and tried on at least 15 different pairs of shoes and came away with Grishko Dream Pointes with hard backs. DD says they are extremely comfortable can't wait to wear them tomorrow.

Ballemum, it sounds as though my DD has the opposite problem to yours, she can't wear Gaynors for two reasons, the shank bends too low for her (so the Grishko bending higher up is good) and the toe box is too short for her even in a higher vamped pair. Now the wait to see how long these last ............................................ 

 

Edited to add : they are also much quieter than her Blochs!

Hi Loulabelle, how did you DD get on with her DreamPointes? I am sure she finds them quite a different feel from her older Grishko's? 

HI All, Amanda from Grishko UK here. There are several things you can try to make Grishko shoes last longer- 1) increasing the shank hardness- yes we do a Super Hard, which your local stockist can order as a special order.  orders go into the factory once per month and come back 6  weeks later, so do make sure you keep ordering them in advance 2) raising the height of the vamp by as little as .5cm can make a big difference. 3) If you do daily pointe work for longer than an hour at a time, always have  at least 2 pairs on the go at once, so that each pair can dry out thoroughly between uses. 4) never leave padding in shoes, and 5) always hang them out to dry. 

Grishko has a new shoe out on  the market- available through your local stockist, called the DreamPointe. it has a polymer shank which is integrated with the platform, leading to greater durability. 

Hope this helps,

Amanda