Split sole ballet shoes

[Ja Sm]

My dd has reached the grade where a lot of the girls at her ballet school start wearing split soles. I understand that the full sole encourages the foot to work harder to achieve a point and therefore strengthens it,and that the split sole shows off your point more. A basic explanation, but I think about right. I have spoken to her teacher. She is happy for her to have them but would also like her to continue to use her full sole ones as well. Dd happy with the compromise.

So does anyone have any tips for buying? Dd tells me that you can put the canvas ones in the washing machine. Sne wears capezio full soles.

[Anna C]

My dd has Bloch Zeniths which she loves. She usually wears soft blocks for most classes (at the Teachers' request and the physio's recommendation) but does wear her Zeniths for one of her classes. They are canvas so washable but I haven't washed them yet.

[Loulabelle]

My DD wears Blochs too but not sure which style. She has high arches, tapered toes and narrow feet, we have found Bloch to be the best fit although her teacher doesn't like the pinkness of them. So for a modern ballet group she's in she wears Capezios that are a bit square at the front but a paler colour, those I have washed successfully

[taxi4ballet]

I've heard that canvas ones can sometimes shrink a bit in the wash.

 

My dd has Capezio Juliet split soles, with the criss-cross elastics. They're not the cheapest, but she finds them the most comfy.

[Pups_mum]

My DD wears Grishko canvas split soles which are really nice, if a little pricey and difficult to source! You certainly can wash them, and there is a risk of shrinkage, but if you put them on when they are damp then they stretch back up and are a very nice fit as they mould to the foot. Uncomfortable as it is, sleeping in the damp shoes appears to have the best effect!

Fortunately for her, my DD is blessed with having a mother whose feet are almost exactly the same shape and size as her own, so she has previously been relieved of this discomfort. The things we do for love...... (Though she is getting bigger than me now so I won't be able to help for much longer - ha!)

Edited January 22, 2013 by Pups_mum

[chaperone]

My DD's teacher doesn't approve of split sole but not entirely sure why are the full sole are just as floppy.

[rubyrubyruby337]

I would also recommend Grishko flats! I wear the 'Performance' model and I love them; I have a high arch, high instep, and narrow/normal width feet. The material really hugs my arch and gives a great support which I find similar to the feel of full sole. They also have a large front and back sole which are padded, meaning I find I feel less impact when jumping and a large surface area is good for balancing.

 

I bought mine from Dancia in London but they can also be found online

[drdance]

Tulte - a lot of ballet teachers 'disapprove' of many things, purely because others do, or because someone told them something that they believe or agree with, without questioning it. I have discussed the pros/cons of split sole shoes at length on another thread but suffice to say the debate still goes on! I might encourage a dance science student to do a bit of research in the area!

[w445403]

I would also recommend Grishko flats! I wear the 'Performance' model and I love them; I have a high arch, high instep, and narrow/normal width feet. The material really hugs my arch and gives a great support which I find similar to the feel of full sole. They also have a large front and back sole which are padded, meaning I find I feel less impact when jumping and a large surface area is good for balancing.

 

I bought mine from Dancia in London but they can also be found online

 

DS has these and absolutely loves them. I ordered them from Just Ballet and had the most fantastic service!

[balletmadmom]

I understand from my daughter's school physio that full sole shoes make the foot work harder to strengthen it. Soft blocks or full sole ballet shoes are recommended for use in the ballet class at her school, for this reason. However, split soles do make the foot look much nicer and they use them for auditions and performances. The new Bloch Zenith does mold to the foot perfectly.

[Sheila Beelam]

Thank you w44503 Glad your DS likes them! We can supply the model 5 or 6 but I haven't got round to putting them on the site yet! There's so much to do with the new tutus we have coming in, new photo shoot in Feb and Move It in March! Feel free to PM me with any specific requests, but I'll try to get the Grishko range up next week

Sheila x

[Pups_mum]

Ooh that's good Sheila. I have previously ordered from Russia but the delivery times are very unpredictable.

[hfbrew]

Thank you w44503 Glad your DS likes them! We can supply the model 5 or 6 but I haven't got round to putting them on the site yet! There's so much to do with the new tutus we have coming in, new photo shoot in Feb and Move It in March! Feel free to PM me with any specific requests, but I'll try to get the Grishko range up next week

Sheila x

My professional son would be  very pleased if you sourced black ones....

As for split soles, yes they are great at flattering the feet and I prefer to wear them. HOWEVER as a teacher I have noticed that the students who have ignored my advice to use full soles for at least one class a week are finding that they struggle when having to wear pointe shoes for class,. But all this has been discussed before!

[Sheila Beelam]

Inbox me size and model and I'll add to our order. Model 5 are classic split sole can as and 6 have elasticated arch to hug the shape of the foot.

 

I agree with full soles for building strength and i like So Danca split soles. For classes I wear grishko soft blocks and find my feet have to work harder in them - plus it gets my body used to balancing on a shoe with more depth to the sole, like a pointe shoe, but I guess as an adult I have the luxury of choosing my footwear!

[balletla]

My DD has narrow feet and narrow heels. She used to find the 'So Danca' split sole canvas shoes the best for her feet. I recently tried to buy some from our local dance shop and was told that 'So Danca' has gone out of business. Anyone know if this is true?

[BBA]

My DD has very narrow feet and long toes and we have really struggled to find good split sole shoes. I have 4 boxes of unused Bloch ballet shoes which i ordered online . We have now discovered the best split sole shoes are from Freeds. They do a very narrow one with an elastic drawstring and they make DDs feet look really good too.. She is home this weekend so I will check which variety they are !

[Sheila Beelam]

So Danca have not gone out of business, but may have been bought out by another company? They are still trading under the So Danca brand and the shoes remain the same quality!

http://www.justballet.co.uk/shop/adult/

[Huddsballetmum]

My DD has used So Danca slit sole ballet shoes for the last 2-3 years.  She absolutely loves then and hates to wear anything else.  I have to say she has incredibly strong and naturally bendy feet which does help.   The canvas ones do wash beautifully if you hand wash them or machine wash on a very low setting.  Ideal for me as my DD seems to get her ballet shoes filthy!

[Ja Sm]

Thank you again everyone, some very helpful comments here.

[Sheila Beelam]

Quick update - Grishko soft blocks and canvas shoes will be in stock from Monday and are up on the site now. 

Canvas shoes available in pink, white or black, sizes 33-44 widths A,C and E.

Other size/widths available to order

[Fiz]

Can I ask you a question, please, Just Ballet? Do Capezio flats come up very wide? I bought some online in a sale and they are really wide on me and even pulling up the strings does not make much difference to them!

[Moomin]

I have some capezio flats & they are very wide. I have narrow feet & have got Bloch narrow ones which fit quite well. Like the sound of the padding on grishko ones though, anyone know whether they are the same size as normal shoes?

[Anna C]

To answer dancetaximumx2's question in the locked thread on the same subject, whether pre-pointe students should wear split soles or full soles is a bit of a grey area. Not only are there mixed opinions on them, it also depends on foot strength.

 

Split soles do look nice, particularly if you don't have the highest of arches and insteps. It is easier to "feel the floor", particularly in tendu, which is important.

 

But if the foot needs general strengthening, split soles won't be as beneficial as full soles, simply because there is less resistance in a split sole.

 

A year or two ago dd's physio told us to give split soles "to the dog to play with" (we didn't!) and only to wear full soles (and then soft blocks) to help strengthen the feet in conjunction with her exercises. Her feet are now much stronger so she wears split soles occasionally, but she's 14 and has been en pointe for over 2 years.

 

So I would say it depends on foot shape and strength.

[Anon2]

http://www.rad.org.uk/files/ART413_Focus_on_Exams_June_2012_web.pdf

 

Section 3, page 13 really interesting article by RB physio (Moira McCormack) about split sole shoes and young dancers. 

[Anna C]

Yes, that is interesting. Dd's physio would no doubt agree firmly with that article. Interesting that she refers to "broken down pointe shoes", by which I assume she means soft blocks or de-shanked pointes.

[Ja Sm]

Interesting now to revisit my original question. After further discussion with dd's teacher we decided not to go for split soles. She is not yet 13 and her advice was to stay in the full sole to continue strengthening her feet.

[balletmum20]

My dd has just got into the tring classical ballet academy, and they have put on the uniform list canvas split sole ballet shoes, I have just had a look on line, and they all start at a size 2, but she is only a size 13, anyone know, who does smaller ones?

[Peach3]

Sansha tutu split sole come in smaller sizes x

[Loulabelle]

I think So Danca do a small size too.

[balletmum20]

Thank you, I have a look at those.

[Dance*is*life]

I actually won't allow my students to wear canvas split soles, because they don't give enough support or resistance for strengthening the foot, but I do allow them to wear leather split soles.  They are a great compromise and I wear them myself for classes.  Bloch do an excellent one in a nice coloured pink leather with a diamond shaped canvas insert under the instep.  They definitely give a better look to the pointed foot than the full sole leather shoes, but still offer quite a lot of support.

[balletmum20]

I do wonder with all these negative comments about canvas split sole ballets shoes, and tring have asked for them to be worn by my 8 year old?

[Anna C]

I must admit that although dd wears soft blocks or pointe shoes for all her classes, I decided that as CBA is only 6 classes a term, I'll probably go with the split soles. :-)