Jump to content

Lace up pointe shoes?


Picturesinthefirelight

Recommended Posts

Dd's teacher has recommended that she & another girl in her class try a new laced up pointe shoe.

 

These shoes look a bit odd to me & she wouldn't be able to use them for performances.

 

 

http://www.sansha.com/ShowModel.php?id=9

 

Has anyone come across them before? Not sure whether to ask the shop to order them in for us or just play ignorant & get Ds another pair of the Merlet's she loves (teacher doesn't like Merlet)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd be inclined to put the emphasis on the shank design of the shoe rather than something that will 'support' from the front. It also doesn't make sense to me why a student would use one type of shoe for training but then have to change for a performance. If your daughter has found a shoe she is happy with that is such a bonus. It's important a student feels secure when it comes to pointe work. Her technical work could suffer if she feels uneasy about her shoes.

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Purely from an aesthetics view point, that has to be the most hideous shoe I've ever seen! Is there any research behind them, have any professional dancers tried them and said they offer more support ? Because as dancemad has said ribbons give support to the ankle and I just can't see how that would help any foot never mind a super bendy foot!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The aesthetics mean she couldn't use them for performance unless she & the other girl were given character roles. She would obviously have them in pink satin not that bright blue!!!!

 

Dd's teacher would like her to try Russian Pointe but dd's foot is half a size too small. She is currently alternating between Merlet Diva & Gaynors (though the Merlet broke last week). Her RAD teacher doesn't like Gaynors for exams & her class teacher doesn't like the Merlet as they have a 3/4 shank.

 

Dd feels the Gaynors are OK but not ideal though she might consider some customisation, the ladies at Dancique recommended she try them because they should last a bit longer.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

DD also has very bendy feet and I absolutely agree with dancemad that feeling uncomfortable with pointe shoes can have a catastrophic effect on security and confidence en pointe. Her Freeds and one pair of Bloch were simply not supportive enough and she became very tentative when dancing in them because she felt that at any moment she could 'go over'. If your DD is happy with the Merlet and to some extent with the Gaynor Mindens, surely that is the most important thing?

 

I know different teachers have different preferences but equally different dancers have different feet and I would have thought that shoes that suit a dancer with very bendy feet are the 'holy grail' for that student, whatever make and model they happen to be. No RAD examiner will care what brand of pointe shoes is worn and certainly many girls at DD's school wear Gaynors for exams and do extremely well.

 

I can't envisage how lace-up pointe shoes will support very bendy feet, as any additional support is surely provided at the front of the feet? And boy, are they ugly!  ;)

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think the laces are to support to ankle like ribbons would, they just go up the front creating (I assume) a higher and stronger vamp to ensure a flexible foot does not go over too far. From the description it looks like they have elastic to keep them on the foot.

 

Dare I say it they look like a pointe shoe aimed to appeal to men or a more modern dancer. If your teacher is looking for more support from the front of the sho, which is the only reason I can assume one would choose these for that reason, try a longer vamp or vamp elastic.

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vamp elastic is a must for my DD, even in Grishko Vaganovas. However, it didn't make her Freeds (Classic Pro) or the one pair of Bloch (can't remember the model) wearable for her, which is why I assumed that the shank is the important part of the shoe for support for bendy feet. I may be mistaken in that as I am just a ballet mum - and it may be that the lace-up pointe shoes would suit Picturesinthefirelight's DD's feet perfectly shank-wise etc. 

 

I would think that pointe shoes without ribbons would feel very different to the dancer?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree - hideous and without ankle support from the ribbons I would think rather insecure.  What will they think of next?  I have heard there is even a split sole pointe shoe - excuse me???????

Are you thinking of the Bloch one, D.I.L.? That's been around for a while, but it's only the outer sole that's split - the shank is all one piece.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...