charlie4dancin Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 (edited) Hi seems like my dd has broke her first pair of pointe shoes can anyone recommend pointe shoes that they like... as obviously we are new at this and her last pair were bloch aspirations and were very hard to break in and never seemed to get much better... Any ideas for a better pair for her she has only been en pointe about 8 months? Thanks Cx Edited June 6, 2012 by charlie4dancin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 have you asked her teachers? they would know her feet and may have an idea what shoes would suit her, i know it takes a few tries to find a shoe that suits the dancer and to be honest you'll find that you'll change shoes quite often as her feet grow, i'm actually impressed they've lasted 8 months I like Gaynor mindens but i know that some there is a split of opinion on them for new pointe students and its probably not a good first shoe if she's only started on pointe a few months as they tend to be more for professional dancers, Capezio shoes are quite good for those starting off but its worth asking the teacher what her view is and then spending a few hours in a shop trying them .... a girls day out to London may be called for good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimi'smom Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 DD and a number of her friends get on really well with Grishko proflex for their first few pairs but agree what suits one may not necessarily suit another so good fitting session essential - do you have a reliable/recommended fiitter near you? We have a fantastic fitter that we go to but probably too far for you to travel?? PM me if you want details Angela x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celb Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 my DDs first pointe shoes were Grishkos - hardly seemed to need breaking in with lovely soft and flexible shanks for a beginner. Yes a day out in Covent Garden would be a good place to start to try a variety of shoes in different brands and styles , though in the north have always been very impressed by Caroline wright's fittings at Centrepointe in Manchester. She has a more limited range of brands and sizes so it's always worth calling ahead to arrange a date and to discuss possible styles/sizes 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Her teacher is the best source for information. Her teacher can also look at her used pair and see how they were worn - that certainly would be good information to have. That being said.....I've posted in previously a general "how to buy pointe shoes" article. If you haven't seen it and would like me to post it in - I will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks guys yeah her dance teacher knows her feet very well our nearest fitter only sells GM and Bloch so not much choice there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 Yeah could you post it again please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Thanks guys yeah her dance teacher knows her feet very well our nearest fitter only sells GM and Bloch so not much choice there... girls shopping day to london it is then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 Yeah could you post it again please? Buying Pointe Shoes The first person to ask advice is your teacher. She may very well have suggestions as to what style/make of pointe shoe would be appropriate for your feet. So talk to her. Also ask her advice as to what shop to go to. You need to find a shop with a knowledgeable "fitter." The next thing to remember: Don't Sew On Any Ribbons, Elastics, or wear your shoes (except for the fitting) UNTIL YOU TAKE THE SHOES IN TO SHOW YOUR TEACHER. If the shoes are messed up - dirty - sewn on - the shop will not take them back. It is difficult the first few times to find shoes which are right for you since you, as a beginner to this, have little idea how the shoes should feel. That's why you need your teacher's advice and a good experienced fitter at the shop. How to buy pointe shoes? First of all I would NEVER, EVER – buy them from a catalogue or online, unless I lived perhaps in the wilds of some forest tundra without a store within a 1000 miles. Would you buy any other kind of shoes without trying them on? I wouldn’t………. I always made a habit of having the clerk bring out every pair of shoes in my size (or close to my size) and style. Every single shoe is different. I found I could eliminate 50% of them before even trying them on. Line them up in front of you on the floor and just look at them – are the vamps (part of the shoe which covers the faces of the toes) even? Are the platforms (where you stand when on full pointe) bumpy? The pleating should be as smooth as possible. Do the platforms go straight across or do they angle off to one side? This will throw the foot off center. Are the shanks (support along the inside bottom of the shoe) already weak or broken (from other dancers trying them on)? Look at the bottoms of the shoes and see if there is a line across the sole of the shoe which would indicate a break line in the shank. Are the lasts (the entire length of the shoe) straight? I could really eliminate many just by checking that – if the last is crooked the shoes will throw your feet off center. This usually results in the feet rolling in. How about the wings (sides)? Are they at a flattering yet supportive level height? Is the thickness of the shank correct? Or is there too much of a “step” down between the thickness of the shank and the satin of the heel? Is the sock (inner lining) smooth? A rough or wrinkled sock will abrade your skin. Now take the shoes in your hands and very gently - VERY GENTLY - bend the shank and see how much resistance there is. There should be resistance. Otherwise the shank may already be weak either from the way it was manufactured or from other dancers trying them on. When you have the shoes on – make sure you are trying them out on a non-carpeted surface. Standing on a carpet will make quite a difference. Are the shoes soiled? That's an indication of prior usage. When you have them on - do they gap anywhere? Are you able to stand on pointe with the entire platform in contact with the floor with your knees straight? Switch lefts and rights - see how that feels. Pointe shoes (slippers too) have no lefts or rights. Check the stitching at the seams and see if it is secure (I had one pair pull apart within 15 minutes of wearing them.) When selecting shoes remember to not only think in size of length but in size of width. Since every pair is constructed differently – sometimes changing one or the other would affect how the shoes fit. Try to get to the shop without walking too much – especially in warm weather. If you have to walk a great deal this will make your foot swell and will affect the sizing. Wear the same tights you are going to wear to class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 It is interesting what you say about Aspirations. My DD had them and never got on with them or with pointe. I wonder if the two are connected... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 6, 2012 Author Share Posted June 6, 2012 They have been very hard fiz and not good to dance in I'm hoping her next pair are better!! We have been reading the comments on the pro flex... Seems like they are worth a look Cheers cx 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkletoes Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 they are very good for beginners and you can get medium shanks and narrow fitting which may help too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
primrose Posted June 6, 2012 Share Posted June 6, 2012 The Freed shop in covent garden are very good and supply the students at Royal Ballet School and the associates. They definately seem to know what they are doing when fitting the shoes, especially the manager, they also go into White Lodge themselves and fit the shoes for the girls. Freed were good for Heather when she first went onto pointe. Later she decided that Grishko were a better shoe for her and she has stuck with them for quite a few years now. She is able to purchase a super hard version in Moscow as Grishko do tend to break easily. They only cost 20 pounds in Moscow aswell so a bargain for us. I would not recommend your dd choosing Gaynors at this stage as your dd really does need to work and strenghten her feet. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 That really makes me question those shoes, Charlie. My DD was a good hobby dancer and had done well in exams, but pointe was her Waterloo. Her ballet school fitted her out and I had the strong impression at the time that the fitter, who had virtually no stock, was trying to force us into buying them. She could not manage at all, despite all the helpful advice of Anjuli and Ami, a girl who used to post here, and she bled and blistered terribly. I do wonder now if she had had different shoes if it might have been another story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjuli_Bai Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I am always suspicious when a school or a teacher has a fitter come in with only one make of shoe. There is no way any one make of shoe will be right for every student. It is not unusual when this happens for the teacher/school to get a monetary return on the sales. I'm not saying it is wrong to do so - but it is wrong to expect that one shoe maker will be right for every girl. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Don't be put off bloche completely. They do a number of different styles and you may find one of the others suits your dd better. My dd liked bloche suprima, and she also got on well with grishko, which seemedd to last her longer. But as others have said, it can take a bit of trial and error to find the right style for your foot, and tis can change as time goes on as the shape and strength of the foot changes. Definitely worth trying a number of different styles and brands, but there are many good pointe shoe fitters in the North. You don't have to go to London. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Can you recommend other fitters in the north glowlight please? Does anyone have any knowledge of Artistes Theatre shop in Chester? We are having a day out tomorrow and could call there if needed? dd has her intermediate foundation exam soon so need to sort out shoes sooner rather than later.., Thanks Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 DD uses grishko proflex too - they are easy to break in and she can dance in them quickly - the grishko 2007 ones took ages to break in. The only down side is they only last her a few weeks . Lil 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Thanks lil but I think they may last dd longer than a few weeks as she doesn't do a lot of pointe work Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lildancer96 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 They may be a good idea if not long till her exam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glowlight Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 C4D - I've sent you a pm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 7, 2012 Author Share Posted June 7, 2012 Thanks glowlight I have replied x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kitschqueen_1 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Can you recommend other fitters in the north glowlight please? Does anyone have any knowledge of Artistes Theatre shop in Chester? We are having a day out tomorrow and could call there if needed? dd has her intermediate foundation exam soon so need to sort out shoes sooner rather than later.., Thanks Cx Hi, we always got to Perform Dancewear in Morley, Leeds for my DD's pointeshoes. They carry a large range of brands and Kath and Anne are extremely helpful, friendly and thorough with their fitting. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pups_mum Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 From personal experience, I would counsel against letting your DD become attached to a make of shoes that can't be purchased (relatively) locally unless it's essential to do so. I would explore all available reasonably local places before setting off on a trip to somewhere like London. A family trip to some distant city to purchase shoes is fun the first few times you do it, and when pointe work is limited such that a pair of shoes lasts quite a long time. But the novelty wears off, and when you add the cost of travel, food and other activities whilst you are there, it makes each pair of shoes a very expensive purchase, especially when they start wearing out more quickly or your child is mid growrth spurt. Sometimes I'm sure it is essential to travel a long distance but I would recommend you check out all the nearer places carefully first. Once my DD's feet have stopped growing I will be buying two pairs at once and alternating them as Anjuli recommends. This will limit the number of journeys needed, but she's growing so fast at the moment I don't think that it makes sense to do that yet. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yetanotherdancemum Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 Dd wears Bloch Sonata and seems to be getting on fine with them...she doesn't have "great" feet but seems to be coping in these shoes. We had a day out in London and spent a long session in the Bloch store trying out various shoes. I wouldn't have thought from the description of the shoe and knowing my dd's feet that they would be an obvious choice for her so it made me realise how important it is to go somewhere with plenty of choice and to take the time to try on as many pairs as possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballet0 Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 My younger dd wears BLoch Balance European and my older dd wears grisko as she has a very narrow foot xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 That really makes me question those shoes, Charlie. My DD was a good hobby dancer and had done well in exams, but pointe was her Waterloo. Her ballet school fitted her out and I had the strong impression at the time that the fitter, who had virtually no stock, was trying to force us into buying them. She could not manage at all, despite all the helpful advice of Anjuli and Ami, a girl who used to post here, and she bled and blistered terribly. I do wonder now if she had had different shoes if it might have been another story Your poor dd, and her sore feet It sounds like these shoes definitely didn't fit, nobody should have bleeding, blistered feet when they are starting on pointe. What a shame it put her off, no wonder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowerdew Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I am always suspicious when a school or a teacher has a fitter come in with only one make of shoe. There is no way any one make of shoe will be right for every student. It is not unusual when this happens for the teacher/school to get a monetary return on the sales. I'm not saying it is wrong to do so - but it is wrong to expect that one shoe maker will be right for every girl. I have a fitter that visits my dance school and the reason for this is that we don't have a shop that is local and I've not been very impressed with some of the fittings that some of my students have had at the shops they have had to travel to. The fitter only stocks one make of pointe shoe but has a lot of different styles and get get custom made shoes done too. It means I can check the shoes straight after the fitting and discuss any problems that may have cropped up and I don't get any monetary return!! I just want to make things easier for my students and their parents!! They also don't have to use the fitter and some choose not to which is fine with me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted June 7, 2012 Share Posted June 7, 2012 I wish I'd thought of it earlier, she felt like such a failure, poor darling Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
w445403 Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 I wish I'd thought of it earlier, she felt like such a failure, poor darling But surely the teacher should have been suggesting a different shoe and encouraging your daughter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 Bleeding, blistered feet certainly used to be quite normal and many children still suffer with this! Shoes and padding are improving all the time though which makes them more comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fiz Posted June 8, 2012 Share Posted June 8, 2012 445403, my DD joined this school very late and her teacher was only interested in those she had taught since they were young Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie4dancin Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share Posted June 8, 2012 Still NO luck with shoes might have to go further a field Cx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
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 accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now