Kerfuffle Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 Do you know if there are Gaynor Mindens that don’t have a very tapered box? I just asked my DD again about the shape of the Grishkos she had briefly and she said that not only was the shank wrong but she found they tapered too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 17 minutes ago, Jane said: Apart from Gaynor Minden I don’t think I remember an pre arched shoe - I might be wrong. I thought the shaping to foot came from wearing them in. We don’t live in London but used to make a day trip to get pointe shoes even when we found a shoe that seemed to work because their feet and strength change so much and adaptations to fit are needed. There are pre arched shanks in Grishko called pro flex but now talking to my DD she has mentioned the tapering being too extreme for her. I think because she has wide metatarsals it feels too narrow when balancing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DancingShoes Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 20 minutes ago, Kerfuffle said: Do you know if there are Gaynor Mindens that don’t have a very tapered box? I just asked my DD again about the shape of the Grishkos she had briefly and she said that not only was the shank wrong but she found they tapered too much. If you go on the Gaynor Minden website it explains all the different combinations. They do a wide fit and a square box which may help 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanangra Posted March 30, 2022 Share Posted March 30, 2022 1 hour ago, Kerfuffle said: Do you know if there are Gaynor Mindens that don’t have a very tapered box? I just asked my DD again about the shape of the Grishkos she had briefly and she said that not only was the shank wrong but she found they tapered too much. There are I think about 5 different box shapes in Gaynor Minden. I could not recommend them highly enough. There are lots of myths around but when fitted properly they are an excellent shoe. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted March 30, 2022 Author Share Posted March 30, 2022 3 hours ago, Kanangra said: There are I think about 5 different box shapes in Gaynor Minden. I could not recommend them highly enough. There are lots of myths around but when fitted properly they are an excellent shoe. Her ballet teacher is fine with her trying them. Perhaps the controversy lies more with beginners having them but they seem to be a solution to the problem of high arches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancefanatic Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 21 hours ago, Kerfuffle said: Her ballet teacher is fine with her trying them. Perhaps the controversy lies more with beginners having them but they seem to be a solution to the problem of high arches. My vocational DD has highly arched banana feet and can kill most pointe shoes within an hour's lesson! She has been wearing Grishko 3007 which she can usually get 3-4 weeks out of, as well as Freeds and Blochs. As the Grishkos are incredibly difficult to get hold, initially since Brexit, we have been on the hunt for a suitable alternative. She had worn GMs a few years ago but stopped, partly due to peer pressure, but is now trying them again. She is finding going back to them a little strange after the other shoes she's used in the interim but uses a wider box (4 I think) and is hoping, as is my purse, to get at least a month from her. Her usual fitter reckons she should get nearer to 3 months as the current GMs sold here are now made in Europe and are apparently made from harder, long-lasting materials compared to the US-made ones of 2-3 years ago. We'll see!! Good luck with your search but I'd definitely suggest your DD looks at GM as the pre-arched shank might help her in terms of not breaking the shanks immediately when wearing them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Dd has been using GM’s for years, high arch, narrow heel, very very strong feet, really really awkward to get shoes for! Last visit to Dancique we bought Merlet! Only spoke to dd 2 nights ago about them as preparing them for shows next week. absolutely loves them! Another alternative to GM’s found! 🥰🩰🥰 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 @dancefanatic thank you got your advice. It’s a shame that there is so much prejudice against GMs. I’m looking forward to seeing how the fitting works out - we have found reasonably somewhere local. Also would be hugely relieved to find a shoe that lasts longer. The teacher thinks her old shoes were pulling her backwards because the bend was too low. She has also been experiencing plantar fasciitis in one foot but I have read that GM can reduce the strain on that part of the foot. They look really pretty too! @Dancing unicorn sounds like Merlet are very nice too and a good alternative. Do upper schools disapprove of Gaynor Mindens? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Millicent Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Excuse my ignorance but what is different about Gaynor Mindens that means some people disapprove of them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 This is from research I have done : Gaynor Mindens are made with a plastic shank that doesn’t break down over time with use. They are disapproved of mostly because they use different technology and they are more padded for comfort. I don’t know if there are actually any very good technical reasons from what I’ve read. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Haha well! Dd has only ever worn GM’s at upper school! First time wore in front of teacher she was determined to go thru foot like a normal shoe! Think she convinced the teacher as never said anything since, she just doesn’t wear brand new shoes in front of her as once the teacher got hold of the shoe and started bending them 🤣🤣🤣 dd was not impressed! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted March 31, 2022 Author Share Posted March 31, 2022 Well done to your DD for proving her pointe 😉! How infuriating that she tried to bend her shoe 🙁 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted March 31, 2022 Share Posted March 31, 2022 Have to say we weren’t impressed either cos of the cost of them! 🤣 Dd loves her Gaynors but never thought she’d find anything to compare! But she’s wearing the merlet with the medium shank in them and as she likes how her feet look in them! 🩰 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted April 1, 2022 Author Share Posted April 1, 2022 DD is hoping to find something prettier than the blochs which make her feet look chunky - I think they possibly look worse on very arched feet for that reason. She also needssomething that lifts her foot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 DD found that she could roll through her feet even in the green bag, hardest shanked GMs - just because it is possible to allow them to help ‘pop’ you up en pointe doesn’t mean that is what will always happen. As far as we could gather a lot of the prejudice against GMs was because they are new technology rather than the traditional shoes and can be used to ‘help’ dancers who perhaps don’t have the strength or the experience of others. DD also found it more challenging to balance on flat because of the slight curve to the shank, so would very much dispute that they are ‘cheat’ shoes in any way. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Couldn’t agree more legseleven!! 🩰 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancing unicorn Posted April 1, 2022 Share Posted April 1, 2022 Ohhhhhh funny bit!!!! GM’s draw strings are on side of foot!! Dd not used to traditional draw strings at front of shoes and now has 2 lovely little scars where merlet shoes have been rubbing 🤣🩰🤣 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerfuffle Posted April 2, 2022 Author Share Posted April 2, 2022 Just bought the yellow bag extra flex shoes, they look and feel great. We’ve had to see extra elastic as the heel is quite shallow (they are the deepest ones) but so far she’s really happy with them 😃 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissL Posted July 4, 2022 Share Posted July 4, 2022 On 21/03/2022 at 19:44, valentina said: I'm not sure where you're based, but a fitting with Leanne from Straight to the Pointe helped my daughter enormously. My daughter was getting through a pair of pointe shoes a day in yr 11 and after a 2.5 hour fitting with Leanne and an eight week wait for special order Grishkos, this problem was solved. She has very high arches and insteps plus doing many full ballet classes en pointe. Her Freeds ( which she loves) were dead every day. Leanne is based near Southend but travels about. Anyone who knows Leanne will tell you that she is an expert, extremely knowledgeable and takes great care. Sadly though, the factory she was ordering from was closing and there was no special orders being taken. I'm hoping that may have changed but it didn't look promising. Thanks for your words. "The factory she was ordering from was closing" - I just wanted to know what you meant by that as I did not say this? There was a delay due to COVID with custom orders but I certainly did not say the factory was closing 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