Angry Moment

[Ballet_Is_King]

Just letting off a little steam after I had the most insulting experience in class last night.

 

I recently sent one of my teen improvers for her first pointe shoe fitting at Planet Dance in Batley and she got a lovely pair of shoes and has made a great start on her pointe work. Having natural banana feet, she killed the shoes fairly quickly, so I sent her to the local dance shop to order a new pair and didn't think any more of it. So imagine my fury when she turned up to class last night with no shoes, telling me that they had refused to sell her any. Not only that, but the owner of the shop informed her that I am a 'bad teacher', because I have put her up on pointe too early and that she is not strong enough for pointe, because she hasn't been doing ballet for long enough.

 

I can honestly say I have never been so mortified in my life!

 

Now I'm left questioning myself about whether I have done the right thing? The child in question is the last in her class to go en pointe, because she was a late starter and has only done ballet for just over a year. However she is 15 years old, nearly 16, and is physically strong and well developed for her age. She has taken to ballet well and already has excellent core and leg strength and is solid on all the basics of technique. I've also taken the time to improve her ankle and foot strength before approaching pointe work, hence her being the last in the class to go up. I made the decision to allow her to start pointe, because I considered that on balance, her age and physical development, paired with her technical standard, meant it was not necessary for her to do a prolonged period of pre-pointe training. I also understand that bone ossification in the feet is usually complete between the ages of 14-16yrs, so it's not the same as working with a 10/11 year old with under-developed feet. Until now, nothing she has demonstrated in class has convinced me otherwise and I thought she was progressing well, but this little episode has shaken my confidence.

 

Have any other teachers experienced a dance shop refusing to sell pointe shoes? I do know that the owner's wife has her own dance school in town, so a part of me wonders if there is an ulterior motive to his actions. I have always considered myself to be a thorough and 'safe' technical teacher and I'm just looking for a little reassurance I suppose.

 

Thanks for reading, comments welcome.

[hopeforpointe]

I'm not a teacher.  That said, I know of dance shops who are very uppity.  One of my dance teachers - ex BRB and Anaheim professional, went to pick up some pointe shoes in town and they refused to sell her any as they 'didn't believe she was really taking pointe class'.  She'd trained at RBS and danced professionally for heaven's sake!!

 

We were all aghast. 

 

Additionally, I have myself gone to planet dance with some shoes which I was concerned about (fitted originally elsewhere), and they said they were fine.  Another of my dance teachers couldn't believe that they had checked these shoes and felt they were acceptable.  The woman made a few comments about it being me and not the shoes.  It was the shoes.  When I got refitted again in a third shop, we found a great fit, and I've gotten on really well since then.

 

Maybe the two nuggets will make you feel a little better.  I think some pointe shoe fitters can be far too 'big for their own boots'!!!

 

eta:  I just need to say - how dare they treat your student and you in such an unprofessional fashion! I'd be pretty angry too.  It sounds like you gave this decision a good deal of time and consideration, with very careful planning.  At the end of the day, they aren't the dance teacher, you are.  And if she went in with her shoes as well...it just strikes me as a bit powertrippy on their part.

Edited August 7, 2015 by hopeforpointe

[Lisa O`Brien]

I`m no expert,but I would have thought that just one year of training is not enough .I always thought a student needed at least three years of training before getting their first pointe shoes. But I could be wrong,of course.

[Ballet_Is_King]

I'm not a teacher.  That said, I know of dance shops who are very uppity.  One of my dance teachers - ex BRB and Anaheim professional, went to pick up some pointe shoes in town and they refused to sell her any as they 'didn't believe she was really taking pointe class'.  She'd trained at RBS and danced professionally for heaven's sake!!

 

We were all aghast. 

 

Additionally, I have myself gone to planet dance with some shoes which I was concerned about (fitted originally elsewhere), and they said they were fine.  Another of my dance teachers couldn't believe that they had checked these shoes and felt they were acceptable.  The woman made a few comments about it being me and not the shoes.  It was the shoes.  When I got refitted again in a third shop, we found a great fit, and I've gotten on really well since then.

 

Maybe the two nuggets will make you feel a little better.  I think some pointe shoe fitters can be far too 'big for their own boots'!!!

 

eta:  I just need to say - how dare they treat your student and you in such an unprofessional fashion! I'd be pretty angry too.  It sounds like you gave this decision a good deal of time and consideration, with very careful planning.  At the end of the day, they aren't the dance teacher, you are.  And if she went in with her shoes as well...it just strikes me as a bit powertrippy on their part.

I'm hoping it's just the dance shop being too big for their boots and the owner deliberately casting doubt on my ability so he can recommend his wife's dance school. I know I should have confidence in my own ability, but I have never been directly accused of being a bad teacher before. I just keep flipping from angry to deflated, but I have students at Royal and Northern associates and York scholars, so I must be doing something right.

 

And on the subject of Planet Dance, I've been very happy with their fittings so far, although I do prefer the fitter at the Northern Ballet branch. I previously recommended all my students get fitted at Linfoots in York, but they have a very limited stock of shoes these days, where as PD stock a much wider range.

[taxi4ballet]

I would be most concerned about the fitter in the shop saying uncomplimentary things about your teaching methods to a customer in their shop. I wonder how many other customers have been spoken to in the same way.

[Pups_mum]

Yes, I think it's unprofessional of the shop owner, especially when there is a potential conflict of interest. I wouldn't consider myself qualified to comment on your decision re your pupil of course, but I think calling any teacher bad, when they are not there to defend themselves is very impolite.

When my DD started on Pointe she was questioned by her first fitter as she looks very young for her age, but they just wanted to be sure that she did have her teacher's permission and it wasn't a whim of her own. Once we had assured them of that there was no problem.

I have found planet dance good for fitting as it happens. We did once leave without shoes because the fitter felt she didn't have a pair in stock that was ideal for DD but would order some different ones in if we would go back. I was quite impressed as they could easily have lost the sale of we had refused to go back. We don't go there any more, but only because we have found somewhere that is also good and easier to get too, but the lady we saw there was lovely. Obviously most shops have multiple fitters though so it can vary.

[Dancemum67]

Hi Ballet is king

 

My DD is also 15 nearly 16 and has been on pointe since early April. She's similar to your student as she only returned to ballet about 12 to 18 months ago after a long break, although has been doing other genres in the meantime.

 

Her ballet teacher assessed the class for suitability to go on pointe and DD was amongst those who was given the OK, whilst others who had been doing ballet longer weren't allowed as they weren't strong enough.

 

I was surprised it happened so quickly but DD has taken to pointe like a duck to water and after her latest performance her teacher told me that she was the strongest in her pointe class  . So what I'm trying to say in a long winded way is that older teens may be suitable for pointe without having years and years of ballet behind them!

 

The attitude of the shop owner is pretty vile to be fair, I'd stop using them or directing your students there.

 

D x

[Coated]

I know nothing about teaching ballet, but I'd expect that no one can judge a student's readiness by looking at their feet in a shop. Calling you a bad teacher is just extremely bad form - if they were truly concerned about the student's well-being, they should ask your student where they take classes, tell them they haven't got the right shoes for them and the contact you directly to discuss their concern.

[annaliesey]

... the owner of the shop informed her that I am a 'bad teacher', because I have put her up on pointe too early and that she is not strong enough for pointe, because she hasn't been doing ballet for long enough.

 

... the owner's wife has her own dance school in town.

I think just reading these bits

 

a) they have made a snap judgement based on her not doing ballet for long enough (presumably the student must have told them in the shop)

 

being a competitor has clouded their judgement

 

It is admirable that fitters can be protective and serve in the best interest of what they see in front of them. Perhaps the student did or said something at the appointment that gave them concern.

 

But considering that she had shoes already, has been working in them, it sounds to me like they just jumped to a conclusion based in the short amount of time she's been doing ballet.

 

They won't be able to have an opinion based on multiple things as you have. Only you will know her strength in a broader sense, her personality for corrections, etc

 

I can imagine you are deflated but unfortunately the wife is a competitor and people in competing businesses can sometimes try and score brownie points in the most unfortunate of ways

[Kate_N]

Commiserations, It sounds like you're doing everything in a very responsible measured way.

 

But I suppose that a dance shop proprietor has to be very careful nowadays - we seem to be in the middle of another fad for ballet as "fashionable" and there are all sorts going in to buy pointe shoes (although I guess  the giveaway might be calling them "toe shoes"). I know that all over the internet (on sites less reputable than this one) there are questions about "How soon can I go on pointe?" from adult student beginners, and there are some horrifying vids on YouTube of people "teaching" themselves pointe work, or going on pointe after a short time and only a class a week or no classes, just learning from a book or a video -- all that sort of thing. I'm sure you've seen it, and shuddered.

 

So maybe the dance shop owner and/or fitter was being super-careful about someone unknown to them coming in? But that does not mean that they should say such things about your teaching ... That's so rude. And counter-productive, as I doubt you or your student will use that shop again!

[Fiz]

Some years ago, I was told a horror story by an assistant in a well known ballet shop about a girl who had only been doing ballet for a year. Her ballet teacher said she could go on pointe and the assistant had to watch while her co worker fitted the girl and watched her go up onto pointe. She couldn't even straighten her knees yet the co worker sold the shoes to the girl. I dread to think what happened to her.