ballemum Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Hi not been on here a while still read the post though... My dd wears grishko hard back pointe shoes. She is breaking them within 8 wks becoming very expensive. Can amyone suggest another make that might last a little longer or do you know if there is a tougher back than hard I know about gaynor mindens but her teacher doesnt like the girls wearing them as she says it doesnt teach them to use their feet properly or something like that and I dont know if they would last any longer anyway. Any suggestions welcome as at only 14 a new pair every 6-8weeks is getting expensive and she has a show in 8 weeks and im worried if I get some now they wont be ok for the show Sorry for waffling on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna C Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 If your dd's feet are strong enough to break Grishko hard shanks then I would be tempted to try Gaynors. There are those who think Gaynors do all the work and therefore prevent the foot from strengthening as it should but it sounds to me as if your dd already has pretty strong feet! An alternative might be Russian Pointe shoes; I have heard good things about those for strong feet. Hopefully Sheila from Just Ballet will pop along as I'm sure she will be able to offer some advice. :-) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janice Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Grishko do a super hard shank as a special order. The American version of this forum ballet talk has a pointe shoe experts mat be its worth asking there as there are other things you cando like adding extra shank tacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancer Sugar Plum Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) Would you be able to find out if you could get a special order of extra-hard shoes for your DD at the shop where she gets her shoes? It might also be worth explaining the problem to the shop and asking them if they could suggest another model in the Grishko range that might last a bit longer for your DD as well. If your DD really likes Grishkos and they work well for her, I would suggest trying this out first before telling your DD she 'can't' have Grishko shoes any longer. I would also suggest that if your DD were to find new shoes, it might be a good idea to wait until after the show, rather than find new shoes in time for the show. Edited May 30, 2014 by Dancer Sugar Plum 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thank you she loves grishko everytime she has thought about changing she has said no other pair feel like those. I will ask about the super hard shank. Unfortunately she has an intensive class at rad sunday. I am going to london tomorrow so will ask and see if dd shoes can hold out so we can order harder ones. Thank you didnt know you could get harder than hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Circe Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Ballemum - 6-8 weeks is probably not that bad depending on how much pointe she is doing so you may not really be able to improve on that (assuming she is air drying them after class which makes a big difference) . My dd gets through ten times the number of shoes some other girls do and like you I am constantly looking for the holy grail of pointe shoes...we tend to be recommended Grishko hard or Bloch sonata strong which is double shank but no pin at heel which helps the hard shack to not snap, about to try Gaynor Minden hard shank and just hoping teacher won't notice! Teacher has suggested Suffolk but impossible to get a fitting and as S&P says may be interesting to see if RUssian Pointe would work though may need to be a special order. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Macmillan Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Anyone want to break this pair in? http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/11246519.A_comic_take_on_Swan_Lake___with_traffic_cones_as_ballet_shoes__Say_G_Day_to_the_new_Fool_of_Muncaster/ 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 As Chaperone says, the shoes will last longer if they are taken out of her bag and hung up to dry between wears. It might be worth investing in two pairs so she can alternate between them, and also getting a new pair now so she can wear them in before the performance.. That way she can have a 'show-ready' pair and spares just in case they are needed. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 My daughter says that some of her friends at Central go through point shoes every ten days. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
invisiblecircus Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Ballemum - 6-8 weeks is probably not that bad depending on how much pointe she is doing so you may not really be able to improve on that (assuming she is air drying them after class which makes a big difference) . Yes, how much pointe work is she doing and how long has she been on pointe? I think that for a 14 year old who has been on pointe for a couple of years and is wearing the shoes often, 8 weeks doesn't sound too bad, sadly! Especially if her feet are strong and highly arched which it sounds as if they are. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 She has been on pointe for two and half years she is doing 5 classes with pointe a week. As she loves her ballet I have tried to get her to cut down but she wont and her teacher lets her do as many as she wants. Yes her feet have always been strong and yes highly arched. Used to have terrible trouble with school shoes when she was little but thats another story. Thanks is nice to know im not mad doesnt help my bank balance but at least I know its not just her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancer Sugar Plum Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 (edited) I know of a girl who went through a pair of Grishkos every month. She was about 14 years-old and had very high arches but she was only doing pointe at RAD classes. She/her mum managed to get special order harder shoes and I believe those have worked well for her. I have heard of dancers using pointe shoe hardener to make their shoes last a bit longer, but I've never tried this so far so I don't know how much more you could get out of the shoes. One of my teachers, who is a former professional dancer, says pointe shoes in the past used to have a layer of steel at the shank for dancers with very bendy feet! I don't suppose they need to make shoes harder like that anymore, but I've wondered whether they would have been heavier and noisier to dance in! Edited May 30, 2014 by Dancer Sugar Plum 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 When the shoes break, is it the shank that goes, or do the box and wings get soft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Can you use pointe shoe hardener poured down the backs of the shoes if this is what goes and then dried on a radiator or shellac. I doubt given what you said that you will get shoes that last that long and perhaps you need to look at hardening options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 My DD also gets through pointe shoes in 6-8 weeks and we are constantly looking for a more durable pair so you have my sympathies. DD is currently in hard shank Bloch Serene's but we are on the look out for something sleeker. We struggle to find the time needed and suppliers not too far from home with a large variety to choose from. We tend to find a pair she likes and then buy online for a while until she decides they are no longer right! Sigh .................... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaylou62 Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 My younger dd wears Gaynors. I worked out we spend virtually £500 a year on her pointe shoes so about 6 pairs. She does 3 pointe classes a week plus associate ballet class every other week and performances on pointe (full length ballets) a couple of times a year. She also has highly arched feet but I don't think she is as hard on her shoes. Her older sister recently changed from freed to bloch as freed only lasted about 3 months and she doesn't do as much pointe - she went for harder bloch shoes so time will tell how long these last. She also has highly arched feet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted May 31, 2014 Author Share Posted May 31, 2014 When the shoes break, is it the shank that goes, or do the box and wings get soft? my daughter says she breaks them in, in more like 4 weeks however she only lets me know at around 6-8 weeks due to becoming over expensive. She also said that the whole shoe completely softens and it feels like she is standing on a pair of soft blochs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 The hardener sounds like it might help then, but don't wait until they are going soft before you use it - we did that and it only made them last one or two more wears. If she's doing that much pointe, then she's lucky she can get them to last that long! We were once told they last for about 12 hours'-worth of wear, so somebody doing half-an-hour a week might expect them to last for months, someone wearing them several times a week would only get a few weeks, if that. Hanging them up to dry after each class really does make them last longer though, we've found. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thecatsmother Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 I used to have to harden shoes several times a week to keep several pairs on the go at the same time. Give this a go as it dries overnight and when you have a few layers in shoes it tends to make them a bit more robust. Most company dancers would not survive on shoe allowance without hardener. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dancer Sugar Plum Posted May 31, 2014 Share Posted May 31, 2014 my daughter says she breaks them in, in more like 4 weeks however she only lets me know at around 6-8 weeks due to becoming over expensive. She also said that the whole shoe completely softens and it feels like she is standing on a pair of soft blochs. I like the advice suggested about shoe hardener and how to use it etc, but I still think it's a good idea to ask at the ballet shop your DD gets her shoes from for advice as well. Since your DD likes Grishkos, I believe it's definitely worth asking about the harder shank. I don't like the idea of trying to dance en pointe in a pair of soft blocks, so I am not comfortable with the idea of dancing in pointe shoes that have become like soft blocks. It sounds like the shoes wouldn't be giving enough support. I've tried going en pointe facing the barre in a pair of new/fairly new soft blocks to try and soften them and get the shank bit to bend a bit more, etc, and it's not a nice feeling. I don't feel secure so I wouldn't like to actually do pointe work in shoes like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballemum Posted June 2, 2014 Author Share Posted June 2, 2014 Update..we went to london and she tried on a new pair of grishkos dream points with a similar back to gaynor mindens and she tried on the gaynor mindens. They think in the gishkos they were bendjng in the wrong place higher up the shank under the heel. In the gaynors the bent correctly so after speaking with her teacher and explaing why they thought she would be better of in them she said it would be ok She has danced in them twice now she said they take some getting used to but she seems happy. Just have to see how long they last now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legseleven Posted June 2, 2014 Share Posted June 2, 2014 (edited) Ballemum, where do the Gaynor Minden shoes bend? I am interested as DD also has highly arched feet and Gaynor Mindens have been mentioned as a distinct future possibility - but I am sure I read somewhere that 3/4 shanked shoes, which I assume bend under the heel, were useful for highly arched feet.. .I could be going mad, of course as that isn't what your DD was told about the Grishkos. I also appreciate that the shoes that are right for your DD may not conform to the shoes generally thought to be right for highly arched feet, even if I am not going mad. Wouldn't it be wonderful if all feet were the same and all you had to choose was which pair of shoes looked prettiest (or cost least, shouts my purse...) Edited June 2, 2014 by Legseleven 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 (edited) Quick update from us too. We took advantage of the teacher strike yesterday and went pointe shoe shopping. Went to Bristol and tried on at least 15 different pairs of shoes and came away with Grishko Dream Pointes with hard backs. DD says they are extremely comfortable can't wait to wear them tomorrow. Ballemum, it sounds as though my DD has the opposite problem to yours, she can't wear Gaynors for two reasons, the shank bends too low for her (so the Grishko bending higher up is good) and the toe box is too short for her even in a higher vamped pair. Now the wait to see how long these last ............................................ Edited to add : they are also much quieter than her Blochs! Edited July 11, 2014 by Loulabelle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aballetlife Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 hello, Just thought I'd add my opinion! In regards to the shank of gaynors you can use a hairdryer to 'heat form' them so you can effectively make the shank bend wherever you want Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aballetlife Posted July 11, 2014 Share Posted July 11, 2014 also just thought I'd add I used to wear grishkos (hard/super hard) and went through them every 3 months, I then switched to gaynors which lasted me 8 months! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grishko UK Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 HI All, Amanda from Grishko UK here. There are several things you can try to make Grishko shoes last longer- 1) increasing the shank hardness- yes we do a Super Hard, which your local stockist can order as a special order. orders go into the factory once per month and come back 6 weeks later, so do make sure you keep ordering them in advance 2) raising the height of the vamp by as little as .5cm can make a big difference. 3) If you do daily pointe work for longer than an hour at a time, always have at least 2 pairs on the go at once, so that each pair can dry out thoroughly between uses. 4) never leave padding in shoes, and 5) always hang them out to dry. Grishko has a new shoe out on the market- available through your local stockist, called the DreamPointe. it has a polymer shank which is integrated with the platform, leading to greater durability. Hope this helps, Amanda 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grishko UK Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 Quick update from us too. We took advantage of the teacher strike yesterday and went pointe shoe shopping. Went to Bristol and tried on at least 15 different pairs of shoes and came away with Grishko Dream Pointes with hard backs. DD says they are extremely comfortable can't wait to wear them tomorrow. Ballemum, it sounds as though my DD has the opposite problem to yours, she can't wear Gaynors for two reasons, the shank bends too low for her (so the Grishko bending higher up is good) and the toe box is too short for her even in a higher vamped pair. Now the wait to see how long these last ............................................ Edited to add : they are also much quieter than her Blochs! Hi Loulabelle, how did you DD get on with her DreamPointes? I am sure she finds them quite a different feel from her older Grishko's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted September 7, 2014 Share Posted September 7, 2014 She liked them a lot but killed them at a weeks summer school (doing 4 hours pointe a day) currently trying to locate some 2007 Pro's for her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celb Posted September 8, 2014 Share Posted September 8, 2014 My DD managed to break the polymer shanks on the Dream Pointes on both feet within a few weeks of dancing in them.We returned them via Dancia to Grishko and won't be buying them again at such an expense.She wear the Grishko 2007 pros for performance but they only last about 3 performances otherwise she has gone back to Bloch serenade strongs for durability. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 My DD has a pair of new Dream Pointes waiting for the start of term. Will report back on how long they last. She has a habit of going through shoes fairly quickly anyway so it will be interesting to see how these fare compared with her usual shoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anon2 Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 My dd broke the dream pointe shank too, she did say they didn't feel as supportive as the 2007 or pro and she felt she sunk into the shoe even though they were supposed to be the same fit. She only wore them as one of two pairs during a week of summer school! I had thought she would be taking them back to school but not to be. She has decided to stick with her usual Grishko. Will be interesting to hear how your dd does with them taxi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loulabelle Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 I have a pair of 2007 Pro on order for my daughter, hoping these will be quieter for performances. She too will be sticking to her hard shank 2007 for class but I may investigate the Super Hard shank for the next pair in hope they will last longer. We also have another pair of Dream pointes on order (not paid for though!) which I don't think we'll actually buy. Or maybe back to Bloch Serene for class, noisy but strong! I'm fed up with pointe shoe shopping now 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taxi4ballet Posted September 9, 2014 Share Posted September 9, 2014 There's a fine line between having a hard enough shank to make them last, and a shoe they can actually dance and point their feet in, isn't there?!! DD either breaks the shanks in no time at all, or with the hard ones she mashes the box up instead. Looked at Gaynors but they don't make a short enough vamp. One way or another she costs me a packet 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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