Are pointe shoes too short?

[elliott92]

Hello!

So yesterday I bought a pair of pointe shoes after being fitted. They were ok in the store but posed a problem when i got home and the next morning. They are the Russian Pointe Luminas. While en pointe, they fit perfectly and my feet are beautiful. However, when on flat my big toe is very compressed (more than it should be) to the point where I can't even roll through demi. The drawstring/heel digs in slightly in plie or demi pointe too. Do I just need to break them in fully or does the compressed big toe while on flat (it's pushed against the platform causing it to curl slightly but good on the sides) mean they are too short? It's a 2 hour drive to the store so I don't want to go back if it's not really necessary.

[Anna C]

Welcome to the forum. :-)

 

At your fitting, did the fitter ask you to demi-plie on flat, in first position? How the shoes feel at that point is an indication of whether they are too short. From what you're describing it does sound as if the shoes are a little short but I don't know if Russian Pointes stretch and how much.

[elliott92]

Yes, he had me plie in 2nd position. There was pressure pain on my big toe but no curling. The drawstring kind of digs in to my heel in plie position but is fine other times. I decided to keep them and break them in. I'll go back and get re-fitted for my next pair. I tried the shoes on again last night to break them in more and it felt slightly better.

[Cara in NZ]

I'm interested in this whole pointe shoe fitting question. DD is 12 and started pointe in April, and we got her fitted for her first pair (also vetted by her teacher before sewing ribbons). I would always say a fitting is needed for the first pair and while feet are growing. But as they do more pointework, I'm wondering if the dancer themselves isn't a better judge of what fits well than a fitter? Even the most experienced fitter can't tell how they feel to the person wearing them. I'm not at all wanting to criticise or devalue the role of fitters, but DD was fitted for Bloch Sylphide and has now changed to Bloch Aspiration as they 'feel better'. Her teacher says they are fine, and I'm just not sure now whether to be guided by DD (with teacher checking) rather than going for a fitting each time. Her feet are small so I'm expecting her size/fitting to change. As our DDs get older, I assume they are going to have fairly strong opinions on what they want in a pointe shoe, so what happens if they disagree with the fitter? It's not most mothers' area of expertise!

[taxi4ballet]

Cara, I agree that once they have been on pointe for a while and their feet have stopped growing, the dancer will know what 'feels' right and what doesn't suit them as much. They will also be able to explain to the fitter what has (and hasn't) worked for them in the past. Usually this means that the fitter will narrow things down to two or three pairs (if you are lucky!) and the dancer can then decide which they prefer.

 

Whilst students are younger and less experienced, and their feet are probably still growing, I think it is probably still important to have a full fitting each time. The dancer is growing in strength and capability, and the feet may well have changed shape too, which means a different style / make / width / box shape / shank strength / vamp height / you-name-it may be required.

 

It is a trial and error process, and there will be expensive mistakes - but not too many hopefully

 

I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, this is just based on our experiences (dd wears and I pay!!!) over the last 5 years or so.