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What's your favourite pointe shoe and why?


CharlieChuck

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I have to admit I do keep going back to Grishko, purely for the fact they mold to my feet faster. But they're just so loud. Have any dance moms or dads found they prefer it when they're son or daughter go with a certain brand?

 

(This is probably in the wrong place, should this be in general discussions?)

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Bloch Aspiration; the shank broke in very quickly, I was a bit concerned because I thought they'd be dead within a week...... They're still going strong nearly 6 weeks later!!! :D I had to use a fair bit of shellac so the box & wings didn't go too soft, but other than that they're great! Having worn Capezio glisse for over 2 years, which took forever to break in and then died very quickly, the Blochs are awesome!!! They fit my feet well and make the arches look good, also they feel comfortable enough to wear for a long class ☺️

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One thing I have learnt over the years is that everyone's feet are different.  Just as our faces are all made up of the same components, eyes, nose, mouth etc. but we are still totally individual.  It is great that there are so many different brands, models and fittings available. Finding the perfect shoe is like the quest for the Holy Grail!  No one brand will suit everyone and I am surprised that some vocational schools still insist on the same shoes at mass fittings! 

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My favourite are Russian Pointes. I have got a really high arch in my foot so it goes over it nicely. I used to get freed all the time but I could never really get over them and they made my foot look really flat. Russian pontes have a really nice shank and they look good on my feet! :) Only problem is that there's only one shop in the whole of England that supplies them!! But they are worth it.

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My favourite are Russian Pointes. I have got a really high arch in my foot so it goes over it nicely. I used to get freed all the time but I could never really get over them and they made my foot look really flat. Russian pontes have a really nice shank and they look good on my feet! :) Only problem is that there's only one shop in the whole of England that supplies them!! But they are worth it.

 

I have to second this, Russian Pointe are divine but they are just so loud in my opinion. I could not get mine to be quiet and loud shoes always made me really self conscious. I had the Brio ones which were one of the older styles I think. I love the Jewel's collection. 

My DD wears Gaynor Mindens, and as the "cardholder" I approve! They may cost more than other brands but they last ages, and given that we live a very long way from the nearest shop, that saves me a lot of money.

 

Gaynor's are amazing, my extra-flex are going on 7 months now and the shank and box has molded to my feet. After finding out my right size I get mine from Dancia or http://www.dancemania.biz/ who I find always have a good stock of GM's shoes in all shanks. 

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No one brand will suit everyone and I am surprised that some vocational schools still insist on the same shoes at mass fittings! 

A professional fitter told me recently that certain vocational schools like their students to wear a particular brand for a reason. It's because dancers in the corps of a company get a certain allocation of 'company' shoes and they prefer to get them for everybody from the same supplier if they can. So it helps if dancers are already wearing that make. Don't know how true this is though!

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DD only uses Grishko 2007 - perfect fit since she started. 

 

I went to them after the Elite's but they never lasted and in the hard shank I really struggled to get over my box. I was using the medium shank but they weren't lasting me really long. Back then my fitter told me to try the Fouette's haha nope. They snapped after a few classes. I'm trying the Dream Pointes on Tuesday and getting a pair of 2007's next week so we shall see if I have any luck with them.

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A professional fitter told me recently that certain vocational schools like their students to wear a particular brand for a reason. It's because dancers in the corps of a company get a certain allocation of 'company' shoes and they prefer to get them for everybody from the same supplier if they can. So it helps if dancers are already wearing that make. Don't know how true this is though!

 

It's more cost effective that way as sometimes if companies keep using the same brand they would get a special discount. I remember some pointe shoe comapny doing that but I can't remember which, it maybe Freed but I'm not 100% sure. 

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My DD has hers custom made as she has a high very strong arch. She has never really had to break them in. We used to find she just broke the shank! Even a strong one would last 3 weeks even with shelac. Now they last but take 6 weeks to be made. So we have to stay ahead of the game. X

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My DD has hers custom made as she has a high very strong arch. She has never really had to break them in. We used to find she just broke the shank! Even a strong one would last 3 weeks even with shelac. Now they last but take 6 weeks to be made. So we have to stay ahead of the game. X

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Slightly off topic but shoes of dancer in advert for London Studio Centre featured in this month's Dancing Times. Photo editing issue, arch enhancers or something else?

Arch enhancers. I have seen both Sarah Lamb and Daria Klimentova wearing these. They are becoming more and more popular but to me they are always very obvious and look ridiculous, like there's an odd lump on the top of the foot.

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Even before the advent of arch enhancers lots of dancers used lambs wool and tape to enhance the instep. Nothing new. False eyelashes also enhance the eyes....I don't think it's comparable to doping at all. The dancer's performance and technique are not being tampered with. 

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I see what you mean Ellie. However, it seems to me (non dancer) that so much in dancing is not only to do with performance and technique but is also down to the dancers physical appearance and proportions - in which case arch enhancement is significant.

 

However I am perfectly prepared to accept I may be in the minority. ....

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I just think its feeding on insecurities. If you are a student, as long as you are fully on point then your feet are good enough and strength is the goal. We all have physical challenges and just have to accept them and focus on other things to make us better in other ways. If you are a working dancer then I can not imagine the extra bulge on the top of your foot is going to make the difference between you gaining a coveted role or not - far too much else to perfect. If prima ballerinas are using them, I wonder what on earth they get out of it? Maybe for a bit of fun? Personally I think they are very noticeable and look wrong. but I also accept that I am 'old' school.

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I am old school and couldn't agree more with Harwel's comment 'feeding on insecurities'. But I have seen technically and artistically superior students overlooked in favour of, (still lovely, but less able) students with a more aesthetically pleasing foot. I have known pro dancers with contracts in quite a few companies where the AD has requested them to pad the instep. I'm not saying that it is the ideal way, and personally when I watch ballet I see 'beyond the feet', but the fact remains that high arches/insteps are very desirable for ballet, and faced with the option of being overlooked or 'buying' a pair of insteps - well, I know what I would do. x

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I don't mind the false arches if they don't look obvious. It is all down to directors and choreographers. They want their dancers to have that type of foot. If that is going to go against you at an audition or casting, I say wear your arches.

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