Pointe shoe fitting

[Lemongirl]

Dd needs a new pair of pointe shoes.  She currently has Gaynor Mindens which she's been happy with but wants to try something new.

 

Last time we went to Just Ballet in Southend which was fantastic and she had a very thorough fitting.  Unfortunately they are no longer there and we can't get to their other branch.

 

We can get into Central London easily so I assume somewhere like Dancia is best?  What brands do they stock?  Or any other recommendations for shops in London/Herts/Middlesex?

[taxi4ballet]

Dancia in Drury Lane sells GMs and Grishko, they also do Bloch, and the Bloch shop is over the road so you can go there too. Capezio is round the corner in Endell Street, and Freed is about 5 minutes walk away in St Martins Lane.

Most of the shops do a discount for vocational students, so take some proof with you.

[Pointetoes]

Dancia also has branches in Reading, Dachet, Crowthorne. It is the only place DD will go to. 

[Pixiewoo]

We went to Dancia in Crowthorne today. 

 

A lovely shop with friendly helpful staff. If only it wasn't a 4.5 hrs drive away! Think it will be a regular visit when we are ever down this way. 💜

[Tayler]

Danceland at Dalby's in Westcliff do pointe shoe fittings, they stock Bloch, grishko, freed and capezio. 

[MAK]

We are about to embark on the mission of finding a third pair Pointe shoes for DD1. Her first pair (Bloch Amelie) never really sat quite right and always slipped at the heel. Her second pair (Freed) are too wide around the foot and don't support it sufficiently. Ideally I'd have liked to get to Just Ballet but Wisbech not practical for us at the moment so we will aim to trawl round all of the London shops during the hols. Does anyone have any recommendations of shoes that have worked for a foot that is medium width, fairly square (2nd toe marginally longer than big toe) and low profile (has to work hard to get an arch but low risk of going over!)? We will still make sure she tries a full range but would welcome suggestions. She tried a Grishko 2007 (not sure of specific "model") on Saturday but I suspect the shank would be too hard for her to get a nice shape and she'd end up frustrated. Thanks in advance!

[Anna C]

Grishko 2007 are a fairly hard shoe with a somewhat inflexible shank.  They're also too tapered for a square foot if I remember - they were dd's first and second shoes way back when, and almost put her off pointe.  Neither of us knew what we were doing and it was a poor fitting in Dancia (but to be fair it was 7 or 8 years ago!).

 

I would try Bloch Hannah or Jetstream, Freed Classic and all variations thereof, and in Dancia maybe Merlet?  Are her feet still growing? If not you could try Gaynors in Dancia but some teachers dislike them.  In Freed I would ask for Beth, Jade or Sophie because it does depend upon the Fitter.  

[MAK]

Thanks @Anna C, v helpful. Yes she will still be growing so it will no doubt mean more changes in styles in the coming years. She was put off last time in Freed as the order was made for a double X fitting, which I didn't question at the time because I was firmly in the hands of the fitter, and only later realised when reading the accompanying literature that these would be more suitable for a wider foot. Dd2 was fitted in Freed and hers are fine so proves your point. Thanks again 😊

[Anna C]

11 minutes ago, MAK said:

Thanks @Anna C, v helpful. Yes she will still be growing so it will no doubt mean more changes in styles in the coming years. She was put off last time in Freed as the order was made for a double X fitting, which I didn't question at the time because I was firmly in the hands of the fitter, and only later realised when reading the accompanying literature that these would be more suitable for a wider foot. Dd2 was fitted in Freed and hers are fine so proves your point. Thanks again 😊

 

No problems and good luck! It's lovely when their feet stop growing, they find the right shoe and can take themselves off to the shop! 

[Bluebird22]

I have 2 students with similar feet to your DD who wear the Bloch Heritage. If I had to pick one brand to visit I find Bloch has the best selection to cover a wide variety of feet, my preference is always to find a shop that stocks lots of different brands, styles and sizes  

[Cara in NZ]

Replying to MAK: DD has similar-sounding feet. She started in Bloch Sylphide (not good), then Aspirations (ok but looked very square and 'blocky'). Then Russian Pointe, which she was happy with... Now she has a teacher who likes Freed and she is wearing their Studio Pro in a EE (She's usually a B/C width in Bloch). The Freeds are hard to start with but wear in quickly and are lovely and quiet. The Studio Pros have a type of three-quarter shank that makes her not-very-bendy feet look better. (She is 14, en pointe 3 years)

Edited March 12, 2018 by Cara in NZ
Realised I was replying to MAK not OP

[MAK]

Thank you @Bluebird22 and @Cara in NZ, good to have some brands/makes to add to the list for consideration. It really is quite a minefield with so many options. Dd1 is starting to work out what feels right but can be quite shy so she can be tempted to say something feels ok when it doesn't. I suspect a lot will come down to the fitter. By the sounds of it there are definitely shoes out there that will fit her better than her first two pairs, she just needs to play Cinderella for a bit! Thanks again, I'll let you know what we end up with.

[MAK]

Just coming back to let you know that DD1 had an excellent fitting at Dancer's Boutique in Amersham - the longest one we have had to date and certainly the most choice in shoes. She has ended up with a pair of Grishko 2007 pro-flex and so far they are going down very well, hurrah 😊

[balletbean]

My DD received fantastic service from Leanne Bisson at straightothepointe. You can follow her blog on YouTube and Instagram as an approved fitter for Grishko. Due to our geographical location Pointe Show fitting is a challenge. I contacted Leanne. Discussed Grade level. Hours training etc then provided photos of DD bare feet and then in her current pair of Pointes as well as measurements. Leanne selected Grishko Miracle. Having worn Novas in the past. DD hasn’t looked back since. Perfect fit, first time, perfect service incl a return service if not happy with the shoes. Darning Service as well as ribbon elastic stitching available. For those without a store nearby and time being sparse for long road trips I wouldn’t hesitate to contact Straighttothepointe. Leanne does travel all over the country incl visits to Elmhurst. Well worth a try. 🙆‍♀️

[Nicola H]

4 hours ago, balletbean said:

My DD received fantastic service from Leanne Bisson at straightothepointe. You can follow her blog on YouTube and Instagram as an approved fitter for Grishko. Due to our geographical location Pointe Show fitting is a challenge. I contacted Leanne. Discussed Grade level. Hours training etc then provided photos of DD bare feet and then in her current pair of Pointes as well as measurements. Leanne selected Grishko Miracle. Having worn Novas in the past. DD hasn’t looked back since. Perfect fit, first time, perfect service incl a return service if not happy with the shoes. Darning Service as well as ribbon elastic stitching available. For those without a store nearby and time being sparse for long road trips I wouldn’t hesitate to contact Straighttothepointe. Leanne does travel all over the country incl visits to Elmhurst. Well worth a try. 🙆‍♀️

Leanne is a total  sweetie  , i've not been fitted for pointes by  her but we have spoken  at length  aobut  our mutual passions